The BRICS New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement at a glance
As the BRICS meet in Fortaleza, Brazil from 14-16 July 2014, attention is once again on the group’s efforts to establish two new financial institutions: the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. Negotiations are underway on both and, while it remains uncertain that they will be officially launched in Fortaleza, substantial progress is […]
The BRICS Library: Reading between the lines of the BRICS bibliography
BRICS’ critics were dealt a crippling blow recently when the group, which is often accused of being a talk shop, showed they are also very keen on reading.
The 2013 Elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe: Lessons for Africa and Beyond
The 2013 elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe took place in the context of both optimism and fear.
The Economics of Illegal Mining
On 22 June, four suspected illegal miners were found dead with gunshot wounds to the head at a gold mine near Johannesburg. Earlier this year, a rescue operation to remove illegal miners from the abandoned Gold One mineshaft on South Africa’s East Rand, revealed a reluctance to be rescued for fear of arrest. This brings to attention the scale and intractability of efforts to curb illegal mining.
The Green Economy in the G-20, Post-Mexico: Implications for Russia
Over the past 20 years there has been a gradual shift in the concept of sustainable development towards an emphasis on a ‘green’ economy and the introduction of more environmental and social indicators in the understanding of sustainability and national well-being.
The Way Forward for the Southern African Development Community Economic Partnership Agreement
Negotiations on economic partnership agreements (EPAs) between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries will end on 1 October 2014.
Consolidating the African Governance Architecture
Collaboration and co-ordination among African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Community (REC) organs and institutions with the mandate to strengthen governance, human rights and democracy have been ad hoc and unpredictable. The results have been inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and duplication of efforts and resources.
BRICS, Mega-Regional FTAs and South Africa’s Trade Strategy
Global trade strategy does not appear to be a major focus of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) grouping, apart from the priority given to completing the stalled World Trade Organization Doha Development Round of negotiations.
Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold?
Since Africa’s independence 50 years ago, its democratisation momentum has been marked by both progress and reversals.
State of the Nation: Follow-through now imperative
To President Zuma’s credit, last Tuesday evening’s State of the Nation Address went straight to the heart of South Africa’s triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. His vision of needed policy responses also put the National Development Plan (NDP) at the front and centre: government plans to achieve an economic growth rate of 5% by 2019.