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SA, the Global South and the Future of Capitalism: An Interview with Prof Vivek Chibber 

  Zunaid Moolla, New Agenda Deputy Editor spoke to Vivek Chibber while he was on a speaking tour of South Africa. He is a Professor of Sociology at New York University ZM: You have been to South African several times now. Do you see or hear anything different with this…
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IFAA Statement on the Resignation of President Jacob Zuma

IFAA Statement Re: Resignation by President Zuma The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) welcomes the resignation of President Jacob Zuma and believes it is long overdue. The public and private life of Jacob Zuma since the Schabir Shaik trial has been filled with misconduct and dubious practices. His record as…
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Ideas and Power: Academic Economists and the Making of Policy

From the struggle years of the mid-1980s to the gearshift of the mid-1990s, progressive academic economists played a tangled role in the development of South Africa’s post-apartheid economic policy. Vishnu Padayachee is distinguished professor and Derek Schrier and Cecily Cameron Chair in Development Economics, School of Economics and Business Sciences, University of…
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Co-operatives in South Africa and Beyond

Alternative approaches to economic development are gaining popularity in many countries. Co-ops may not be considered an alternative approach because they’ve been around for several decades and probably precede the onset of capitalism. In this article IFAA Student and Youth coordinator Rekang Jankie looks at the status of co- ops in…
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Black Solidarity and the Quest of a Non-Racial Humanity: Biko’s Enduring Political Dilemma

Dr M John Lamola  writes that, Steve Biko’s philosophy of Black Consciousness argued that a racially defined black solidarity could bring about a nonracial future in South Africa. This apparent paradox calls for an examination of the dialectical thinking upon which it was built.  Black solidarity, “the realisation by blacks of…
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Decolonial, Post-Colonial, Post-Apartheid: Reflections on some dilemmas of self-determination

Professor Ari Sitas argues that the waves of student protest in South Africa in 2015 – 2016 reflect the failure of an ANC government to deconstruct the country’s deeply embedded colonial legacy, both in ideas and in its myriad practical manifestations. The writer uncovers the effects of layers of colonial…
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Presentations from “Confronting Inequality” Conference

On the 28th of September IFAA, with support from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, convened a conference on Confronting Inequality in South Africa. The conference covered the many dimensions of inequality as experienced in South Africa.  Presentations were delivered by Dr Pali Lehohla, Dr Neva Makgetla, David Francis, Prof. Ivan Turok,…
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“Confronting Inequality”: A report on IFAA Conference

  By Michael Nassen Smith, Deputy Director of the Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) publisher of New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy The Institute for African Alternatives recently hosted a conference on “Confronting Inequality”. This is a report back on conference proceedings. We believe that sharing…
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IFAA Statement on Student Fees Protest

The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) notes that the student movement has rallied young people to come together to insist on inclusive, quality education for all. We offer the following points: The protest action on university campuses across the country expresses legitimate concerns and grievances. The issue of fee increases…
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Xenophobic Violence is a disaster for South Africa’s aspirations in Africa

Sir, The rise of xenophobia with violence is a disaster for South Africa’s aspirations in Africa. Many reasons have been advanced for this unexpected explosion and no doubt many socioeconomic factors are at play. But what stands out for me is the intense hatred for Africa’s immigrants and refugees as…
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Transformation at UCT: A contribution from IFAA

The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) supports the call for transformation at UCT. It is clear that the university needs to embrace change and abandon a physical and academic infrastructure which does not reflect the aspirations of its students and broader society.   Although we are delighted to hear of…
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Can our Intellectuals Rise above the Constraints?

Below find Prof. Turok’s presentation to a roundtable on The Role of Intellectuals in the State-Society Nexus. The event was convened by The Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA) and Liliesleaf on 4th March 2015. I am asked to respond to the paper by Joel Netshitenzhe. This is always a pleasure since he has…
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A Call for Socially Conscious Engineers

Prof. Turok’s address for the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (2014). “Engineers must be mindful of the socioeconomic impact of their work.” It is a great honour for me to speak at my old alma mater, particularly to engineering graduates. On my first day as…
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IFAA and UCT Confucius Institute: China-Africa Colloquium

The Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Town has invited IFAA to co-host a high level Colloquium on China-Africa relations with Ben Turok as Programme Director. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union has been invited to deliver the keynote address, top officials are coming from China and…
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SONA 2015: Fracas in the House

Ben Turok writes on SONA 2015: “Let the good and wise leaders stand up!”  Published in the Sunday Times 22/02/2015.  I was not present in the National Assembly when the EFF was forcible removed but watched the scene on television. The pandemonium was awful, but what also struck me was the…
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