Posts

In the Media: “Democracy, Governance and the 2019 Elections in Nigeria: Which Candidate is the Answer?”

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On Monday 11 February 2019, GovInn hosted a panel of South African based Nigerian academics, political practitioners and students to discuss the upcoming Nigerian elections. The panel was moderated by Dr Chris Nshimbi, and included members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), academics from the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa, and students who commented on the state of Nigeria leading up to the elections and their expectations.

Below is a summary video, from Channels Television, sharing highlights of the event.

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The futures of Governance and the Governance of the Future

English version

The primary objective of this research project is to i) take stock of what the futures of governance could look like, ii) explore to what extent the use of anticipation and the development of futures literacy in governance can be by itself  a governance innovation, and iii) explore and discuss implications  for present and future governance of the future. It is also an applied research project whose second objective is to connect this knowledge generation process with empirical work, in dialogic way, with a particular, but not exclusive, focus on Africa. For this purpose, it is designed to be a process of collective investigation involving i) people with a taste for future-oriented postures and interested in the issue of governance and ii) people facing governance issues who are interested in using the future.
A fuller description of the project can be seen in this draft concept note for building and engaging an extended peer community into this collaborative research project. It seeks to involve people who have future-oriented competences and an interest in governance innovation, or people who are working in the field of governance and have an interest in future-oriented approaches. It is a conceptual and action research with a special focus on Africa, on territorial development and on the SDGs.
If you want to know more or/and you are interested in joining and contributing, please contact robin.bourgeois@cirad.fr

Access the draft concept note here (English version)

Version Francaise

Les futurs de la gouvernance et la gouvernance du futur

L’objectif principal de ce projet de recherche est de: i) faire un état des lieux sur les futurs de la gouvernance; ii) explorer dans quelle mesure l’utilisation de l’anticipation et une culture du futur peuvent être des innovations en gouvernance, iii) explorer et discuter les implications pour la gouvernance actuelle et à venir du futur. C’est aussi un projet de recherche appliquée dont le deuxième objectif est de relier ce processus de génération de connaissances à un travail empirique, de manière dialogique, avec un accent particulier, mais non exclusif, sur l’Afrique. A cette fin, il est conçu comme un processus d’investigation collective impliquant i) les personnes ayant un goût pour l’anticipation et intéressées par la question de la gouvernance et ii) les personnes confrontées aux problèmes de gouvernance et intéressées par l’anticipation.
Une description plus complète du projet est accessible dans cette note conceptuelle provisoire visant à construire et à engager une communauté de pairs étendue dans ce projet de recherche collaboratif. Un accent particulier y sera mis sur l’Afrique, sur le développement territorial et sur les ODD.
Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus et / ou si vous souhaitez vous inscrire et contribuer, contactez robin.bourgeois@cirad.fr.


Accédez à la note conceptuelle ici (version Française)

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“But where are the workers? How the youth entrepreneur model fails in Africa”, by Pierre Girard, December 2017

GovInn and CIRAD research fellow and PhD student Pierre Girard wrote an article for the University of the Witwatersrand’s Global Labour Column at the end of 2017. His article, entitled “But where are the workers? How the youth entrepreneur model fails in Africa” looks at the institutional structures in place to support youth employment in Africa, and where the continent is failing to ensure that entrepreneurs on the continent are properly supported.

The figures are now well known: 375 million young people will reach working age in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, and for many their livelihoods will depend mainly on the rural economy (Losch, 2016). Facing the massive generation of activity required by these demographic dynamics, entrepreneurship has become the leitmotiv of many donors’ and NGOs’ programmes and projects, as well as public policies. According to them, the multiplication of entrepreneurs can meet the employment challenge in the African countryside.

 

The article can be read in its entirety here. Or see below for the PDF version.

 

But where are the workers? by Pierre Girard
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Public Lecture: “Economic Transformation in South Africa” with Mmusi Maimane

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The Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) of the University of Pretoria, in partnership with Wits School of Governance is delighted to invite you to a public lecture on Economic Transformation in South Africa To be delivered by Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance.

In the face of worsening economic conditions, calls for economic transformation in South Africa are getting louder. Yet the meaning and nature of this remain largely unclear. Although there seems to be consensus that transformation is a national imperative, a clear vision for the economic future of South Africa is lacking. Given the importance of political parties in shaping public debate and policy, the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) has decided to host a series of high-level public lectures at which the three leading political parties in South Africa will be given a platform to outline their economic visions for the country, focusing on transformation. This lecture series is inspired by the publication of Prof. Lorenzo Fioramonti’s latest book Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth, which includes a section on how to change South Africa. After Mr Maimane’s main presentation, Prof. Fioramonti will provide a commentary based on the research conducted for his book.

Date: Thursday, 17 August 2017

Time: 18:30 – 20:30

Venue: Donald Gordon Auditorium, Wits School of Governance, 2 St David’s Place, Parktown

Seats are limited! RSVP essential! Click on this link: https://goo.gl/forms/qm1pvVCIDktZ1AgG2 by 14 August 2017.

Queries: neil.kasselman@governanceinnovation.org

 

INVITE – Public lecture by Mmusi Maimane on Economic Transformation (17.8.2017)
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“Alternative currencies are the future: why it matters for development”, by Lorenzo Fioramonti 2.07.2017

The Conversation has published another article by GovInn Director Lorenzo Fioramonti, who writes about the contribution that alternative currencies can make to global development.

In the near future, we will have a variety of money with different qualities and different purposes. This will make economies more resilient against shocks and will support more equitable and sustainable development, by putting users in the driver seat and reinforcing local economic development.

You can read the entire article here.

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Vacancy Announcement: Land Matrix Initiative “Partnership Coordinator”

The Land Matrix Initiative (LMI) is a global and independent initiative monitoring competition over land use in the Global South. Its goal is to facilitate an open development community of citizens, researchers, policy-makers and technology specialists to promote transparency and accountability in decisions over land and investment.

In view of enhancing the quality of the LMI, and increasing its impact on policy-dialogue and decision making, the LM is involved in a process of decentralisation and expansion.

In the framework of this expansion and decentralisation, it has been decided to establish a Land Matrix Coordination Unit (LMCU). The LMCU consists of a decentralized team of five coordinators, each of them hosted by one of the LMI partners.

Please see below the full advert for this position:

land_matrix_vacancy_announcement_-_partnership_coordinator_for_the_land_matrix_initiative_-_june_2017
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The Berlin Charter on “Creating opportunities for the young generation in the rural world”

Participants of the conference "ONE World No Hunger" hand over the "Berlin Charter" to Minister Muller.

Bruno Losch, GovInn’s co-director, participated in the International Conference on The Future of the Rural World (Berlin, April 27-28) organized within the framework of the German G20 Presidency.

Bruno Losch was part of the International Advisory Committee in charge of drafting the Berlin Charter: “Creating opportunities for the young generation in the rural world“. The Charter was discussed through an open web based dialogue, amended, and then submitted to the Conference. Participants worked in six parallel thematic Charter Fora which provided final revisions. Bruno Losch was the advocate of the Charter Fora session on Entrepreneurship, jobs and skills. His testimony was shared along with the other advocates – including University of Pretoria’s Sheryl Hendricks – in a video presented to the audience.

The Charter was then approved by the Conference (the final version is here) and handed over to Dr. Gerd Müller, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The Charter calls on all stakeholders – national governments, development partners and finance institutions, the private sector, civil society and youth  – for transformative change and to commit to significant, quantified and time-bound targets in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It particularly addresses the situation of people suffering hunger and undernutrition and the need for concerted political and humanitarian actions to immediately end the current food crises situations in Africa.

The Charter focuses on the critical importance of access to innovative education and training as well as information and communication technologies (ICTs) for youth and young entrepreneurs. It reminds the role of infrastructure and services in rural areas and the necessary change of perspective about the potential of rural areas in school, politics and the media. As highlighted by Losch, an important result of the Berlin Charter is that “it puts upfront the need to reinvest and invest in development strategies. We need to understand the processes underway in order to engage in better policy making”.

Bruno Losch also particpated in a parallel panel session titled “Decent Jobs for Youth in the Rural Economy” organized by FAO and ILO. More information can be found on the International Labour Organisation website.

For more information of the initiative, visit the website for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the website of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security.

 

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Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Political Economy at the University of Amsterdam

University of Amsterdam
Professor Daniel Mügge

Professor Daniel Mügge, head of the research project ‘The Political Economy of Macroeconomic Measurement’

The Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam invites applications for a 18 month postdoctoral research fellowship. The position is part of the research project ‘The Political Economy of Macroeconomic Measurement’, led by prof. Daniel Mügge and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the largest educational and research institution in the social sciences in the Netherlands, and one of the highest-ranked such institutions in Europe.

Systematic knowledge on the politics of macroeconomic measurement is thin for OECD members already. But it is almost non-existent for other countries. To address this gap, this postdoc project focuses on one non-OECD economy: South Africa. It has become an important player on the global economic stage over the past two decades, and it has been drawn into the web of global economic governance. That has entailed an increasing embrace of macroeconomic measurement practices such as the System of National Accounts, which had been devised by and for rich, developed countries. At the same time, South Africa comes to global statistical practices from a very specific vantage point, given both its legacy of apartheid and a highly idiosyncratic economic structure.

 

Closing date for application is 26 April 2017.

More information about this call can be found here.

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Chris Nshimbi at the African Research Universities Alliance Launch conference, Ghana, 03-04.04.

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GovInn Deputy Director Chris Nshimbi accompanied the University of Pretoria Vice Chancellor, Prof Cheryl de la Ray, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Professor Burton and other colleagues to the Africa Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Launch Conference at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana. The inaugural conference was a tremendous success from an academic and research collaboration perspective. Dr Nshimbi spoke at the conference on the current state of affairs and the way forward for the governance of migration in Africa’s regional economic communities.

Please find the abstract of the presented paper below.

Nshimbi_Abstract_ARUA Conference
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