South Africa Pushed to the Limit: The Political Economy of Change - Rilegato

Marais, Hein

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1848138601 ISBN 13: 9781848138605

Casa editrice: Zed Books, 2011

Riassunto

Since 1994, the democratic government in South Africa has worked hard at improving the lives of the black majority, yet half the population still lives in poverty, jobs are scarce, and the country is more unequal than ever. For millions, the color of a person's skin still decides their destiny. In its wide-ranging, in-depth and provocative analysis,South Africa Pushed to the Limit shows that although the legacies of apartheid and colonialism weigh heavy, many of the strategic choices made since 1994 have compounded those handicaps. The economy remains dominated by a handful of large conglomerates that are now entwined in the circuitry of the global economy. The government, meanwhile, has squandered its leverage over their decisions in a series of miscalculations and errors. The social costs have been punishing. Marais explains why those choices were made, where they went awry, and why South Africa's vaunted formations of the left failed to prevent or alter them.Shedding light on a variety of South Africa's most pressing issues -- from the real reasons behind President Jacob Zuma's rise and the purging of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki to a devastating critique of the country's continuing AIDS crisis -- South Africa Pushed to the Limit provides a unique, benchmark analysis of the long journey beyond apartheid.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'An extraordinary achievement. This is, by a considerable margin, the best book yet on the political economy of South Africa. Marais combines an unrivalled knowledge of the literature with a prose style that is accessible, moving and witty. I know of very few authors who can discuss such complex issues while telling a story and engaging the reader.' --John Sender, Emeritus Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge

'If students can read only one book on South Africa's transition, this should be the book.' --Jaclyn Cock, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Witwatersrand

'Hein Marais is probably the most intelligent and articulate author who writes about South Africa in a Marxist paradigm.' --David Welsh, Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town

'SOUTH AFRICA PUSHED TO THE LIMIT will become a classic. I doubt whether anyone can match Marais' grasp of where South Africa is at today.' --Bill Freund, Professor of Economic History, University of KwaZulu-Natal

'Combining powerful analysis with a wealth of documentation, SOUTH AFRICA PUSHED TO THE LIMIT provides by far the best overview of political, economic and social change in post-apartheid South Africa. Essential reading for anyone trying to understand one of the great social experiments of our time.' --Gillian Hart, Professor of Geography and Chair of Development Studies at the University of California at Berkeley

L'autore:

Hein Marais is writer and journalist and former deputy editor of Work in Progress magazine, South Africa, and former chief writer for the Joint UN Programme on AIDS.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Zed Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1848138601
• ISBN 13: 9781848138605
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 566