Joleen Steyn-Kotze

• University of the Free State

The oceans are increasingly pivotal in scholarly and policy dialogues focused on achieving inclusive economic and social prosperity. The Ocean Account Global Framework (2020) underscores oceans’ role as essential for social and economic development, crucially contributing to human well-being and gender equality. With oceans holding significant econ...

Is South Africa's democracy consolidating or is it part of the third wave of democratic reversals? Do you understand the structure and functions of the various spheres of the South African government and the importance of the 1996 Constitution? What role did women play in the South African journey to democracy? What are the socio-economic contexts...

Reflections on the 2019 South African General Elections is a critical reflection on the key lessons of Elections 2019 in South Africa, focusing on the future of the country’s electoral democracy. The volume engages questions on land, election campaigns, voter turnout, voter apathy, and how opposition parties will be forced to co-exist in the conte...

A report on research commissyoned by the National Development Agency on the requirements to transform the civil society sector in South Africa

A report on research commissioned by the National Development Agency on transformative dynamics of South African civil society

In 2015, clarion calls for a radical change in South African universities sounded. Protesting students demanded a transformed cultural and physical spatiality of South African universities. Their narrative emphasised colonial structures personified in the symbolism of statutes like Cecil John Rhodes, and is driven ideologically by an ‘apartheid cul...

The importance of the blue economy to poverty alleviation, employment creation and sustainable development is gaining increasing scholarly and policy attention across the globe. The World Bank defines the blue economy as ‘comprising the range of economic sectors and related policies that together determine whether the use of oceanic resources is su...

This policy brief provides an analysis of the foreign policy perceptions of 3 063 South Africans who participated in the 2017 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS). The survey included questions on perceptions of South Africa's influence and soft power as a global and African actor; perceptions of key foreign policy issues that South Africa...

The Economic Freedom Index published by the Heritage Foundation ranks South Africa at 72 nd out of 178 countries in terms of economic freedom in 2015. This index classifies South Africa as moderately free in terms of its level of economic freedom. While the country may be in the middle of the pack on the Economic Freedom Index, it is also often cla...

Gender equality is high on global the global agenda. With the adoption of the sustainable development goals, the world reaffirmed its commitment to advance gender equality and the empowerment of all women and children. In this context, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) committed itself to gender equality through advancing women’s economic emp...

In 2015, clarion calls for a radical change in South African universities sounded. Protesting students demanded a transformed cultural and physical spatiality of South African universities. Their narrative emphasised colonial structures personified in the symbolism of statutes like Cecil John Rhodes, and is driven ideologically by an ‘apartheid cul...

South Africa is in the midst of a mass transformation project. This project aims to transform society to an inclusive and united polity based on the principles of non-racialism, equality and diversity. This project, underpinned by the political agenda of the National Democratic Revolution, however has not been easy. At the dawn of democracy, South...

What does it mean to be a constitutional state? What impact did apartheid have on democracy in South Africa? What are the key issues and dynamics in understanding South Africa's political position? South African Politics: An Introduction provides students with an overview of how political policies have changed over time in South Africa, as well as...

The 2011 Local Government elections in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) represented the beginning of a potentially significant shift in the political landscape of South Africa. The Democratic Alliance increased its vote total from the 2006 Local Government Elections by 14.8% to 40.2% and won 10 single member ward districts previously held...

The last state of the discipline survey was done 15 years ago. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Politikon the authors take stock of the transformation of the discipline since 1994 to show how changes in the tertiary education sector have influenced Political Science. Results of a survey of the discipline, which includes academic modules of...

An introduction to some of the most important debates in contemporary politics, written in simple, jargon-free language. Uses a wealth of real-world examples drawn from the South African context to show the relevance of classical and contemporary thinkers to our own lives and the world we live in today. Aimed at undergraduate South African students...

This article presents findings from an empirical survey conducted at the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre based at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, to establish the perceptions and experiences of refugees/asylum seekers of the Refugee Reception Centre in Port Elizabeth in terms of Batho Pele principles. F...

Conflict is a normal part of human life. A person may argue with his or her life partner, parents, or friends. It is inevitable that at some point in time one will be in a conflicting situation with someone. Individuals have different ideas about how to do things and how to access and compete for scarce resources. In Africa social conflict and its...

This paper is rooted in democracy and transformative theories as it attempts to identify issues surrounding democracy theory in order to determine whether there is a need to review democracy theory as it stands today. The central purpose of democratic consolidation theory is to determine what will ensure stability and deepening of democracy in emer...