July 29, 2010 - The paper examines whether democracy at the country level and global climate change matter for another. It raises the question of how to support democracy’s advance in the face of multiple challenges that include the adverse effects of global warming and extreme weather events merits much more attention than it has received so far. By Peter Burnell more»

Flawed assumptions will give SA a 'dinosaur economy' – July 12, 2010 - Parliament's portfolio committee on energy has less than a fortnight in which to intervene on the public’s behalf, before SA gets locked into an energy policy that could turn it into an economic dinosaur. The consequences of this could be soaring inflation, burdensome carbon taxes, loss of “green” job creation opportunities, and growth of an energy intensive economy at a time when much of the globe is steering away from this technology. By Leonie Joubert more»

Nambia's Elections 2009: Democracy without Democrats? – December 14, 2009 - In his article Henning Melber gives an overall assessment of Namibia’s probably most turbulent elections twenty years into democracy. Sections of this article will form part of an upcoming issue of Perspectives providing detailed analysis on some of the key issues around Namibia’s 2009 election. more»

Watchdogs need citizens to watch over them – December 1, 2009 - If we want institutions that watch over our rights, we ought to do more to watch over them. The appointment of a new Human Rights Commission (HRC) a few weeks ago should have been controversial. The new chair, former public protector Lawrence Mushwana, has been criticised by some for a perceived unwillingness to tackle political power-holders. Half the commissioners are former African National Congress (ANC) MPs, while respected figures with no ties to the ANC were ignored. By Steven Friedman more»

Perspectives #03/2009: The Global Economic Crisis and South Africa – November 24, 2009 - South Africa officially entered recession in May 2009, its first in 17 years. As the global economic crisis has hit key drivers of growth South Africa’s economy has been expected to shrink by 2% in 2009. This issue of Perspectives discusses the implications of the global economic crisis for South Africa, and analyses the government’s responses in relation to social justice, gender equity and sustainable development principles. more»

The RDP to challenge Swapo? Namibia's elections – November 9, 2009 - As Namibia approaches its parliamentary and presidential elections at the end of November, Henning Melber assesses the country's political landscape. Through comparison with the evolution of support for South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) in the post-apartheid period, Melber considers the ability of the opposition Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) to chip away at some of the longstanding support for liberation-era party Swapo (South West Africa People's Organization). By Henning Melber more»

South Africa's 2009 Elections – There is no doubt that the 2009 elections were the most competitive and important since 1994. In putting to the test several features of the country’s political landscape their outcomes will play a key role in shaping the nation’s futures. With this dossier we hope to provide an accessible survey of the issues which shaped South Africa’s 2009 elections. more»

Perspectives #05/2008: South African democracy at a brink – It seems inevitable that 2008 will prove itself to be a definitive year for South Africa’s young democracy. Exactly what kind of future trajectory it will deliver is to be seen – the current state of the nation is that of flux. more»

Report of the Independent Panel Assessment of Parliament – The Panel deliberations assessed the extent to which Parliament is evolving to meet the expectations outlined in the Constitution, and also to assess the experience and role of Parliament in promoting and entrenching democracy. more»