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This study aimed to assess and compare changes in poverty levels in the identified wards, using indicators of multiple deprivation. South Africa has grappled with the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality for more than two decades. The South African government has employed various poverty alleviation strategies in response to the structural causes of poverty, but it continues to exist. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the poverty situation reported in 2006 and in 2011, using indicators of multiple deprivation. It was found that very few households have moved out of poverty and that the majority are in districts where levels of poverty are high. Detailed knowledge of poverty locations will assist policy makers and implementers to allocate resources effectively by targeting areas in dire need. By using indicators of multiple deprivation, municipalities can rank and prioritise community needs, and therefore assist policy makers to design targeted programmes that could assist in alleviating poverty.

Corruption is a huge problem facing both developing and developed economies today. It is a complex issue that is made up of a vast array of determinants and effects that are often affected by the context of the country of operations. Corruption has an international dimension that cannot be overlooked, despite the fact that it occurs in a local context. For international corruption to succeed, it must be sustained by both the supply and demand of corrupt local practices. The main objective of this article is to bring to light the fact that multinational corporations (MNCs) have been supplying corruption to Africa, without critical examination, for many years. This study systematically lays out empirical and anecdotal evidence to show that MNCs export corruption from their countries of origin into Africa. This will support the hypothesis that MNCs are not, in fact, victims, but active participants that are motivated by profit to exploit weak institutions in Africa. These foreign countries offer shelter to MNCs that fail to pay taxes and act as enablers of corrupt behavior, despite accusing African countries of being the most corrupt. They allow undisclosed bank accounts that hold cash embezzled from Africa and other developing regions. This inaction, or ineffective approach on the part of developed countries challenges the moral legitimacy of these countries to lecture African countries on how to deal with corruption.

Madagascar experienced conflict in 2009 that had a negative impact on its economy and social conditions. The country is currently on a laudable path of reconstructing its state - politically and economically. Economically, the reconstruction provides an opportunity for the implementation of intra-Africa trade. Politically, the reconstruction provides a space for increased participation of local voices. This article is an analysis of the process of reconstructing the Madagascan state and the factors that contributed to the 2009 crisis. The people of Madagascar are mainly involved in agriculture, predominantly the production of rice. The demand for rice in African markets has been increasing steadily, owing to rapid urbanisation on the continent. Investment in the agricultural sector would directly benefit the Malagasy farmers at various levels and contribute exports to African markets. To this end, the article recommends that more emphasis be placed on the promotion of intra-Africa trade, specifically the trade between Madagascar and other countries on the continent, especially in terms of rice production and export. The reconstruction of the Madagascan state is viewed through the lens of a developmental state. The article argues for the increased participation of local voices in this process. In the conclusion, the article considers the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community as platforms through which to encourage and promote intra-Africa trade.

There are contending opinions concerning the status of Africa within the international system. Given the existing reality of the complex security challenges that span economic, political, environmental, military and societal sectors, with which African states are grappling, the first narrative insists that the continent is ‘hopeless’. Instances of economic woes, previous and ongoing implosion of states on the continent, destruction of the ecosystem, ecological destruction and collapse of societal values substantiate the opinion that Africa represents misery. Pointing at Africans’ attempts at reworking their societies and reports of some achievements on the continent, the opposing consideration argues that Africa cannot be regarded as a miserable continent. While not grappling with extant narratives, the present study attempts to reconsider Africa’s standing in the international system, using critical theory and a post-structural approach. In doing this, it adopts both primary and secondary methods of data gathering.

In the rural development discourse, there is a growing realisation that the persistence of rural under-development cannot be attributed to a lack of resources alone, but also to under-utilisation of locally available opportunities. Maximum utilisation of locally available resources is seen as having the potential to stimulate endogenous small enterprises that can improve the competitiveness of the local economy, and subsequently create rural wage employment. However, there has been a dearth of scientific studies that have scrutinised the rural economy, with the goal of identifying locally available resources or opportunities that can be used for employment creation in rural areas. This research was, therefore, essentially undertaken in an effort to close this gap. The overall goal of the study was to identify sources of rural income and locally available opportunities that can be used for job creation and income generation in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The sequentially explanatory mixed methods approach was used and 1 789 households participated in the study. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, while qualitative data were analysed using corroborative and complementary thematic analyses. Social grants emerged as the most important source of rural income. The research unearthed various resources that are currently under-utilized in the rural areas, but which have significant potential to create job opportunities and support income-generating activities. The study recommends further scientific research to determine the quality and quantity of some of the identified opportunities.

The existentialist philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, defines conflict amongst the living as informed by competing interests. This conflict phenomenon is particularly manifested when competing for political power and influence. Consequently, a universal norm has evolved after emerging as part of the nation state system, whereby governance and political interests are mediated through the constitution, and the legislative and regulatory frameworks. On the African continent, since the introduction of democratisation during the late 1990s, aspiring candidates for political office have had to submit themselves to ‘regular, free and fair democratic elections’, as the preferred route to state power. This is a distinct departure from the previous one-party-state- system, in which the incumbent simply continued to reign after coming to power. In the new era, political succession is mediated through competitive elections, generally held every five years, and publicly funded and managed by an independent election commission (IEC) and supported by an administrative election management body (EMB). However, evaluation of the performance of the IEC-EMBs in the last decade -and- a -half has revealed serious cases of fraud, gerrymandering, abuse and sometimes collusion of the incumbent and the IEC-EMB to ensure a preferred electoral outcome. This has resulted in violent protests and political instability. The impact has affected sub-regions and forced the African Union’s Political Affairs Commission - responsible for continental electoral processes - to declare that elections have become the new site of potential conflict. Against this milieu of conflict and instability, this article critically examines the role and function of IECs and EMBs towards in consolidating just and equitable democracy on the continent.

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism is an insightful and comprehensive compendium on a very important area of study that cuts across various disciplines, such as political science, international relations, economics, international political economy and area studies. The handbook is timely, as it provides an in-depth comparative study of regionalism at a time when the rise of populism on the left and the right is forcing a retreat of globalisation.