INSIGHT: There is a correlation—if not the causation—between governance strength and citizen empowerment on the one hand, and economic prosperity on the other. What is good governance? We frequently hear how important it is, partly because there’s so little of it on offer. In a nutshell, good governance is the transparent, accountable, and appropriate allocation of resources required to extend the public good and improve citizens’ lives. In that vein, then, our vision at Good Governance Africa (GGA) is to improve citizens’ lives through strengthening governance across the continent. Together with our supporters, we envision a continent in which poverty…
Dr Ross Harvey
Dr Ross Harvey
Dr Ross Harvey is a natural resource economist and policy analyst, and he has been dealing with governance issues in various forms across this sector since 2007. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town, and his thesis research focused on the political economy of oil and institutional development in Angola and Nigeria. While completing his PhD, Ross worked as a senior researcher on extractive industries and wildlife governance at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and in May 2019 became an independent conservation consultant. Ross’s task at GGA is to establish a non-renewable natural resources project (extractive industries) to ensure that the industry becomes genuinely sustainable and contributes to Africa achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ross was appointed Director of Research and Programmes at GGA in May 2020.
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is consistently ranked as the top performing tertiary institution on the continent. In the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings released in October 2022, it had climbed to 160th in the world, up from 183rd the previous year. More recently, in February this year, it was revealed that Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng had been gifted a golden handshake, otherwise known as an “early retirement package” of R12 million (about $651,000). Phakeng has been accused of bullying staff and undermining academic freedom at the university. The university eventually suspended her in mid-February; this after long-serving and high-profile…
Hitmen for hire: Exposing South Africa’s underworld, Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2017 In September 2022 the Global Initiative (GI) Against Transnational Organized Crime released a strategic assessment of the existential threat to South Africa that is organised crime. Development economics is clear that strong institutions – the social systems that motivate regular human behaviour – propel broad-based growth. Organised crime systematically erodes those institutions, undermining the rule of law, which in turn prevents investment from flowing into the country and generating poverty-alleviating growth: “Organised crime is inflicting a devastating toll on the political, economic and social fabric of South Africa, from…
The business case for greening the extractive industry is strong, especially with the growing trend of ethical investing. Everything we consume has its origins in either agriculture or the extractive industries. Our smartphones are laden with minerals and metals. Even agricultural fertilisers come from mined minerals. But the way we’ve extracted, historically, has been both ecologically and socio- economically destructive. Across many jurisdictions, mineral and hydrocarbon extraction has produced negative externalities – a divergence between private returns and social costs. In other words, it’s left holes in the ground, decimated ecosystems and imposed a healthcare burden on workers. Acid mine…
The prevailing trust deficit between sub-Saharan governments and mining companies could be bridged by better governance on both sides
