Ties with other emerging economies crucial
After five years of introspection and institution building, the sixth BRICS summit offers an opportunity for the group to focus on its relations with the rest of the world. Relations with the Group of 7 (G-7) are particularly contentious. Russia’s exclusion from the G-8 following the crisis in Crimea has moved the BRICS to the centre stage in Russian foreign policy thinking, and risks pulling the group onto an opposition footing with the West.
China and Mozambique: From Comrades to Capitalists
China’s rising position in African affairs, from that of quiescence to becoming a key economic actor on the continent, is now a well-recognized fact. A new book co-edited by SAIIA’s Chris Alden and the IESE’s Sérgio Chichava takes an in-depth look at China’s relationship with Mozambique.
Both politics and economics behind proposed BRICS bank
The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) were brought together by their investment returns and growth potential, but for the group to act they must find some common purpose.
Creating Incentives for Green Economic Growth: Green Energy in South Africa
Green economic growth is constructed around six main sectors: green or renewables energies; green and energy-efficient buildings; clean transportation; water management and conservation; waste management, including recycling; and land management, including multiple land use.
BRICS and Africa: A lot to be done yet
The emergence of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping coincided with the notion of an ‘Africa Rising’, a term coined following Africa’s growing economic prosperity.
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.