Category: Politics

The popularity of citizens’ assemblies continues to grow across the democracies of the Global North. From Ireland to New Zealand, citizens are increasingly being given the opportunity to directly involve themselves in democratic decision-making. What challenges and opportunities does this democratic innovation offer South Africa on the 30th anniversary of its democracy, and how does…

If democratic governments fail to address the growing climate emergency, they risk the rise of populist and authoritarian sentiments and the complete erosion of democracy as we know it. 

The vast majority of South Africans are unhappy with the way democracy is working, while our trust in public institutions and government officials continues to decline. Political participation (especially among the youth) is also at an all-time low. On the eve of our seventh general elections, which will also mark the 30th anniversary of the…

First published in Democracy Delivered – Issue 3, a monthly newsletter published by the Centre for Research on Democracy.  The Arab League has voted to welcome Syria back into its ranks after a 12-year suspension. In doing so, they have helped legitimise a violent authoritarian regime. On Sunday the 7th of May, Syria was readmitted…

First published in Democracy Delivered – Issue 2, a monthly newsletter published by the Centre for Research on Democracy.  Erdoğan’s 20 years of strongman rule are being threatened by a united opposition, economic dysfunction, and the aftermath of an earthquake which left 48 000 dead and millions more homeless. But will he go?  On the…

First published in issue 1 of Democracy Delivered, the Centre for Research on Democracy’s monthly newsletter on democratic trends and developments.  How is democracy doing, globally? According to the V-Dem Institute’s new Democracy Report, the number of democracies in the world – and the influence they exert – is on the decline. A more democratic…

Meaningful efforts to mitigate climate change may very well cripple South Africa’s tourism industry. Nevertheless, South Africa desperately needs these sorts of mitigation policies.

Much like a war of attrition, catastrophic climate change promises not a single large-scale disaster that might plausibly be overcome or repelled. Rather, it will manifest as a steadily growing tide of countless small, interconnected, compounding disasters.

With hope in vanishingly short supply, an entire generation of climate activists may simply collapse into either a state of total ambivalence or a paralytic case of climate despair.