South Africa

Nick Branson and Jamie Hitchen consider claims about the efficacy of cash transfers in Africa and raise questions about whether the process is too often driven by donors rather than African governments.

Can cash transfer programmes be as successful in Africa as they were in Latin America for tackling poverty and reducing inequality? Nick Branson and Jamie Hitchen identify some potential benefits and shortcomings.

Paul Adams is full of praise for the way Tom Burgis has uncovered the secretive networks that control Africa’s natural resources and fuel its conflicts.

CityLab's Sam Sturgis examines the "complex and exciting" urban planning projects being developed in Africa. The piece cites Africa Research Institute's 2013 Counterpoint, "Who Will Plan Africa's Cities?".

Speakers: Tom Goodfellow and Paula Meth (Sheffield Institute for International Development), Zainab Usman (Oxford University)

Edgar Pieterse argues that recasting participation as a genuine force of social transformation requires a frank assessment of power relations in cities across Africa and the world.

Ahead of the launch event for “Africa’s Urban Revolution”, a new volume from Zed Books, we sat down with the book’s co-editor Susan Parnell to discuss the state of the Africa’s cities.

ARI’s publication “Waiting for the green revolution: Land reform in South Africa” cited by Africa in Transition’s piece “South Africa Land Reform: A Conundrum”

As South Africa marks the centenary of the 1913 Natives’ Land Act, which effectively excluded the black population from ownership of some 90% of land, Africa Research Institute (ARI) examines the record and prospects of the land reform programme. In its latest Briefing Note...

This Briefing Note assesses the progress of the land reform programme and emphasises the importance of – and opportunity in – a bolder approach in South Africa.