The Roles of Actors and Institutions in South Africa’s Ambitions of Becoming a ‘Developmental State’

Abstract

The importance of development partnerships have become more pronounced in the modern age and presents opportunities for all actors to gain credibility in their respective spheres (corporations for healthy public image, governments for their ability to deliver and attract economic investment/growth, and activists or NGOs for visibility and association with policy). How actors and institutions coalesce or separate given the conditions for advocacy, investment and advancement is of importance in a globalized a de facto inter-dependant world. Whether or not multi-lateral partnerships are successful depends in large part on the conditions set and influenced by governments. As a regional superpower and strategic point of access for many investors, South Africa’s continuing economic decline is made all the more salient given its connectivity to the global economy (Habib: 2003).