Dr Udesh Pillay
Executive director
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What we do The Democracy and Governance (D&G) programme examines issues that contribute to and constrain democratisation in South Africa and around the African continent. The programme's approach applies academic rigour to current and emerging areas of concern in consolidating democracy and improving governance. D&G aims - and can demonstrate - an ability to address emerging issues in fresh and substantive ways.  | Round Table on the Global Economic Crisis and African Alternatives
CODESRIA and the HSRC presented this round table earlier in the year.
The podcasts are now available on HSRC's YouTube channel.
You can view the discussions here: http://www.youtube.com/HumanSciencesRC
Posted - December 2009 |
Scope of work
Our research foci consist principally of evaluating legislation, policies and administration of government in terms of its ability to reduce inequality and poverty exploring the linkages between state institutions and the characteristics of African political economies that contribute to or threaten democratic consolidation
D&G’s work has a South African and Africa-wide focus, with its team of seven researchers and five interns. Representation in HSRC offices across South Africa - in Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town - enables the programme to collaborate with a wide range of partners. These include national, provincial and local governments, international funding and philanthropic organisations, civil society organisations, and tertiary institutions. Impact
D&G produces internationally significant work, which is of value to national, provincial and local governments and the wider academic and policy-research community. Its work involves debating and assessing the processes and outcomes of democratic and governance practice where this strengthens democracy and facilitates socio-economic improvement. A recent example of this is a report commissioned by the Presidency on Overcoming the Legacy of Discrimination, focusing on four areas: the Public Sector; the Economy; the Role of Chapter 9 Institutions; and Social Capital. Focus areas
D&G covers the relatively broad agenda of democracy and governance by undertaking policy-relevant research in the following areas: Equality, equity and governance Justice and human rights State capacity and development SA, Africa and the world Institutional biographies and transformations
In 2006 the Society, Culture and Identity research programme (SCI) was integrated into Democracy and Governance to add a sixth leg to our research focus, namely media democratisation. International collaboration
D&G researchers pursue collaborative research and share work with external partners and scholars around the world. This has included collaborative publishing, conference presentations, and project collaborations. D&G collaborates with organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, the International Labour Organisation, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and many others. Clients and partners
D&G's partners include individual scholars and research centres from universities, consultancies and non-governmental research organisations: the Academy for Educational Development; Atlantic Philanthropies; the Canadian International Development Agency; CARE South Africa-Lesotho; the national Departments of Arts and Culture, Provincial and Local Government, and Land Affairs and Agriculture; the Free State Provincial Economic Advisory Council; the Food and Agriculture Organisation; the Ford, Konrad Adenauer, Mott and Nelson Mandela Foundations; the Office of the President; the South African Local Government Association; the United States Agency for International Development; and the Foundation for Human Rights; the European Union.
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