Financialization in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1012-1030
Author(s):  
Ewa Karwowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Financial Markets ◽  
South African ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Global South ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Financial Centre ◽  
The Social

Financialization has become a popular concept across the social sciences, usually defined as the increasing role of financial motives, financial markets, financial actors, and financial institutions in the operation of the domestic and international economies. Financialization researchers highlight the detrimental consequences of an excessively large and powerful financial sector on economy and society. In South Africa, financialization has been shaped by its colonial and apartheid past, especially the strong links of South African corporations and banks to the international financial centre of London. Low growth and investment, an outcome of the finance-led accumulation regime, have also resulted in the continuity of extreme inequality and high levels of unemployment. In the Global South, financialization mainly affects emerging economies since they possess relatively developed financial markets in comparison to poorer countries. South Africa is the only African economy for which there is a substantial financialization literature. In comparison to other emerging economies, South Africa is relatively strongly financialized as stock market capitalization is extremely high, making Johannesburg one of the top financial centres in the Global South. Furthermore, financial inflows into the country are comparatively large, JSE-listed companies are well integrated into global value chains and household debt is high.

The Everyday in a Time of Transformation: Exploring a Single South African Lifeworld after 20 Years of Democracy

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-54
Author(s):  
P. Conrad Kotze ◽  
Jan K. Coetzee
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Contemporary Debate ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Ontological Turn ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Epistemological Framework

Transformation has come to be a defining characteristic of contemporary societies, while it has rarely been studied in a way that gives acknowledgement to both its societal effects and the experience thereof by the individual. This article discusses a recent study that attempts to do just that. The everyday life of a South African is explored within the context of changes that can be linked, more or less directly, to those that have characterized South Africa as a state since the end of apartheid in 1994. The study strives to avoid the pitfalls associated with either an empirical or solely constructivist appreciation of this phenomenon, but rather represents an integral onto-epistemological framework for the practice of sociological research. The illustrated framework is argued to facilitate an analysis of social reality that encompasses all aspects thereof, from the objectively given to the intersubjectively constructed and subjectively constituted. While not requiring extensive development on the theoretical or methodological level, the possibility of carrying out such an integral study is highlighted as being comfortably within the capabilities of sociology as a discipline. While the article sheds light on the experience of transformation, it is also intended to contribute to the contemporary debate surrounding the current “ontological turn” within the social sciences.

EVERYDAY POLITICS AND COLLECTIVE MOBILIZATION AGAINST FOREIGNERS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN SHACK SETTLEMENT

Africa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamlyn Monson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Racial Identities ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Equal Citizenship

ABSTRACTIn contrast to the tolerant and largely peaceful ‘living politics' of informal settlements, as embodied by the social movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, this article considers a darker side of squatter politics: ‘xenophobic’ mobilization. I show how the historical stratification of citizenship in South Africa remains spatially embedded in longstanding informal settlements, where distinctive repertoires of collective action have been shaped by a (still unfinished) history of struggle for inclusion. Using archival research and interviews conducted in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville, Gauteng, I show how the continuing struggle for equal citizenship draws on shared experiences of mundane hardship and collective labour, giving rise to social distance between established local squatters and politically indifferent foreign newcomers. At times of protest, this polarity is concentrated by and converges with familiar practices of insurgent citizenship, creating a context for mobilization against foreigners. In this sense, ‘xenophobic’ mobilization may be seen to articulate a claim for inclusion by structurally excluded ‘citizens', rather than an exclusionary claim by those who already belong. The article provides a useful counterpoint to readings of ‘xenophobic’ violence that focus on the role of elite discourses, instrumental leaders or crude racial identities in shaping such mobilization.

scholarly journals Rural education: Reimagining the role of the church in transforming poverty in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christo Thesnaar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Johann Baptist Metz ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Church

The desire to remember the plight of the poor in South Africa has reduced in the last 20 years after the transition from apartheid to freedom. To a large extent, Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) and the religious society at large have lost their ‘dangerous memory’ which keeps us mindful of those who suffered and whose plight is usually forgotten or suppressed. In this contribution the conditions of poor farm school children in multigrade rural education will be scrutinised by unpacking the contextual factors that cause us to forget their plight. This article will seek to reimagine the role of the church in poverty-stricken South Africa by engaging with the work of Talcott Parsons, the practical theologian Johannes A. Van der Ven, as well as the work of the political theologian Johann Baptist Metz in order to affirm the focus of Practical Theology to transform society and to contribute to the quest for justice and liberation for the poor in rural education. This reimagining discourse has a fundamental responsibility to challenge the social, political and economic realities that shape the lives of human beings within rural education, remembering the plight of the poor, and participating on their journey towards liberation and healing. It is proposed that if the church can activate its ‘dangerous memory’ it will be able to reimagine its role by transforming our poverty-stricken South African society, open new avenues for breaking the cycle of poverty and contribute to rural education.

scholarly journals The BRICS Countries Grouping: Promise of a New Thematic and Methodological Research Focus in the Social Sciences and the Humanities

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Charl Wolhuter ◽  
Oxana Chigisheva
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Global South ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Global North ◽  
Science Community

The aim of this research, as part of this Special Issue on the thematic and epistemological foci of social science and humanities research emanating in the BRICS countries, is to investigate and to assess the value of such research— firstly, for the BRICS countries mutually, then for the rest of the Global South as well as for the global humanities and social science community at large. The rationale of this research is that the BRICS countries have come to assume a growing gravitas in the world, not only on strength of geography, demography and economy; but also because of the diversity contained in each of these BRICS countries. These diversities offer opportunities to learn a lot from each other, in addition the rest of the gamut of countries in the Global South as well as the nations of the Global North can benefit much from learning from the experience of the BRICS countries. The research commences with a survey of the most compelling societal trends shaping the 21st Century world, which will form the parameters of the context in which scholarship in the social sciences and humanities are destined to be conducted. The state of scholarship in the humanities and the social sciences and the imperatives of context will be the next topic under discussion. Within this landscape, the potential role of research on BRICS soil is then turned to. The BRICS countries are surveyed, then a conclusion is ventured as to their potential as a fountainhead for social sciences and humanities research.

The Social Economy and Role of Government in South Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 943-955
Author(s):  
O. E. Okeke-Uzodike ◽  
Mogie Subban
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
The South ◽  
Global Recession ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact

Social economy, as a relatively new concept, is considered the ‘third sector' of the economy in government discourse. It plays significant roles in socio-economic and political spheres of any nation. Emphasis on social economy has been as a result of the global recession which caused economic depression in several countries all over the world. In South Africa, the impact of the economic recession has reflected mostly in increased unemployment and poverty levels resulting in maximization of discrepancies between the rich and poor with inequalities, creating disenabling environments for foreign investments. These social problems have called for an examination of the role of the social economy in liberating the South African economy from its current dire state. This chapter on tracing the developmental agenda of the South African government, will examine how the social economy has fed into the National Development Plan and the impact of implementation of government policies and regulatory frameworks to ensure achievement of various national imperatives aligned to the Millennium Development Goals in the context of the social economy. The authors state that whilst there is a growing trend towards the social economy in the current context of government, multi-faceted effects of poverty needs to be targeted through robust entrepreneurial opportunities for growth and development of the economy.

The Social Economy and Role of Government in South Africa

2016 ◽  
pp. 227-239
Author(s):  
O. E. Okeke-Uzodike ◽  
Mogie Subban
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
The South ◽  
Global Recession ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact

Social economy, as a relatively new concept, is considered the ‘third sector' of the economy in government discourse. It plays significant roles in socio-economic and political spheres of any nation. Emphasis on social economy has been as a result of the global recession which caused economic depression in several countries all over the world. In South Africa, the impact of the economic recession has reflected mostly in increased unemployment and poverty levels resulting in maximization of discrepancies between the rich and poor with inequalities, creating disenabling environments for foreign investments. These social problems have called for an examination of the role of the social economy in liberating the South African economy from its current dire state. This chapter on tracing the developmental agenda of the South African government, will examine how the social economy has fed into the National Development Plan and the impact of implementation of government policies and regulatory frameworks to ensure achievement of various national imperatives aligned to the Millennium Development Goals in the context of the social economy. The authors state that whilst there is a growing trend towards the social economy in the current context of government, multi-faceted effects of poverty needs to be targeted through robust entrepreneurial opportunities for growth and development of the economy.

A teaching philosophy of journalism education in the global South: A South African case study

Journalism ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ylva Rodny-Gumede
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
News Media ◽  
Global South ◽  
Journalism Education ◽  
Teaching Philosophy ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Reflexive Practice ◽  
And Function

This article sets out a teaching philosophy of journalism education in South Africa based on four assertions: re-affirmation of the role of journalism in democratic processes, the need for comparative studies and research-led teaching, journalism as active citizenship and journalism as a reflexive practice. These assertions are considered within the context of the role of the news media in a young democracy, with a particular focus on South Africa and post-colonial societies in the global South. As such, I hope to contribute to a debate around journalism education grounded in local realities rather than imported Western normative conceptualizations of the role and function of the news media and what the study of the news media in this particular context can offer not only the context that it serves but also the discipline itself.

scholarly journals Religion, theology and the social sciences in a society in transition

2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne De Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
The Social ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Point Of Departure

The societal changes introduced with the advent of the new political dispensation in South Africa in 1994 brought with them serious consequences for the different religions and for the academic disciplines devoted to the study of religion. This includes disciplines such as theology and religious studies, as well as those social sciences with an academic interest in religion as influential societal factor. The second part of the article presents a brief survey of the impact of these societal changes on religion, particularly the Christian religion, and the academic disciplines of theology, religious studies and the social sciences. An outline of the position and role of religion and the academic disciplines of theology, religious studies and the social sciences in the apartheid society from which South Africa is evolving, is used as point of departure in the first part of the article. The third part of the article ventures beyond mere description of the position and role of religion and the different academic disciplines involved with the study of religion. It aims to make out a case that in the New South Africa religion and academic disciplines exclusively devoted to the study of religion, such as theology, need the social sciences.

scholarly journals The Emerging Role of the Constitutional Value of Ubuntu for Informal Social Security in South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence I. Tshoose
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Family Solidarity ◽  
The Social ◽  
African Context

AbstractThis paper explores the significance of the African value of ubuntu within the context of social protection. The paper argues that ubuntu as a constitutional value plays a crucial role in supporting the existence of informal social security in South Africa. It concludes by reflecting the overarching potential that the traditional African value has for influencing the social protection and enhancing family solidarity in the South African context.

scholarly journals Why a special look at women?

1980 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Truida Prekel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Social ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
Employment Of Women ◽  
Female Attitudes

Women in employment in South Africa are viewed from four perspectives: The South African economy and its need for capable and skilled people; the employer and existing needs, practices and policies; the social environment at work and at home and typical traditions, misunderstandings, stereotypes and conflicts; and problems generally experienced by working women. Some statistics indicate trends regarding employment of women, also in management positions; the attention of employers is focused on many forms of unconscious, even well-meant discrimination; the role of culture in determining male and female attitudes regarding the roles of women, and the recent polarization of men and women due to extremism and lack of understanding, are discussed. The problems experienced by working women are mostly culture-based, but some are vested in the women themselves, and others in the environment. All these aspects must be understood by women and by employers if the vast potential of women is to be utilized in South Africa.Vroue in die arbeidsmag in Suid-Afrika word vanuit vier oogpunte beskou: Die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie en die behoefte aan bekwame, geskoolde mense; die werkgewer en bestaande behoeftes, praktyk en beleid; die sosiale omgewing by die werk en tuis en tipiese tradisies, wanbegrippe, stereotiepe en konflikte; en probleme wat algemeen deur werkende vroue ondervind word. Sekere statistieke dui neigings in indiensneming van vroue aan, ook in bestuursposte; werkgewers se aandag word gevestig op baie vorms van onbewuste, selfs goed-bedoelde diskriminasie; die rol van kultuur in die bepaling van mans en vroue se houdings oor die rolle van vroue word bespreek, asook die onlangse polarisering van mans en vroue weens ekstremisme en gebrek aan begrip. Die probleme wat werkende vroue ondervind, berus meestal op kultuur, maar sommige le in die vroue self, terwyl ander in die omgewing voorkom. Al hierdie aspekte moet deur vroue en deur werkgewers begryp word as die waardevolle potensiaal van vroue in die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie benut moet word.

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