Africa has received $1.2 trillion in development assistance since 1990. Even though donors have spent more than $1 000 per person over these 30 years, the average income of sub-Saharan Africans has increased by just $350. The continent has very little to show for this money, some of which has been consumed by the donors themselves, much of it by local governments and elites. There must be a better way to address the poverty pandemic.

Expensive Poverty is focused on answering the trillion-dollar question: why have decades of spending had such a small impact on improving the lives of the poor? Whatever the area of aid expenditure – humanitarian, governance, military, development – the overall intention should be the same: to try to reach the point that aid is no longer necessary.

Expensive Poverty lays out how to get there.

The post-school education and training system in South Africa has been the focus of much attention since the establishment of the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2009. In the context of deepening inequality, poverty and unemployment, the need for a humanising, liberating and critical approach to learning and pedagogy in post-school education is becoming urgent. The rural and urban voices that speak in this book tell us that the current system is out of touch with the ways in which they are making a life.

Learning for Living challenges policy makers, researchers, educators and civil society organisations to think critically about the relationship between post-school education and the world of work, and about how to transform the post-school system to better serve the needs and interests of rural and urban communities. It issues a call to action, and proposes key principles to inform an alternative vision of post-school learning.

What is it like to be born dirt-poor in South Africa? Clinton Chauke knows, having been raised alongside his two sisters in a remote village bordering the Kruger National Park and a squatter camp outside Pretoria. Clinton is a young village boy when awareness dawns of how poor his family really is: there’s no theft in the village because there’s absolutely nothing to steal. But fire destroys the family hut, and they decide to move back to the city. There he is forced to confront the rough-and-tumble of urban life as a ‘bumpkin’.

He is Venda, whereas most of his classmates speak Zulu or Tswana and he has to face their ridicule while trying to pick up two or more languages as fast as possible. With great self-awareness, Clinton negotiates the pitfalls and lifelines of a young life: crime and drugs, football, religion, friendship, school, circumcision and, ultimately, becoming a man. Throughout it all, he displays determination as well as a self-deprecating humour that will keep you turning the pages till the end.

Clinton’s story is one that will give you hope that even in a sea of poverty there are those that refuse to give up and, ultimately, succeed.

Have slums become 'cool'? More and more tourists from across the globe seem to think so as they discover favelas, ghettos, townships and barrios on leisurely visits. But while slum tourism often evokes moral outrage, critics rarely ask about what motivates this tourism, or what wider consequences and effects it initiates.

In this provocative book, Fabian Frenzel investigates the lure that slums exert on their better-off visitors, looking at the many ways in which this curious form of attraction ignites changes both in the slums themselves and on the world stage. Covering slums ranging from Rio de Janeiro to Bangkok, and multiple cities in South Africa, Kenya and India, Slumming It examines the roots and consequences of a growing phenomenon whose effects have ranged from gentrification and urban policy reform to the organization of international development and poverty alleviation.

Controversially, Frenzel argues that the rise of slum tourism has drawn attention to important global justice issues, and is far more complex than we initially acknowledged.

South Africa’s social landscape is disfigured by poverty, inequality and mass unemployment. Poverty in South Africa: Past and Present argues that it is impossible to think coherently or constructively about poverty, and the challenge it poses, without a clear understanding of its origins, its long-term development, and it’s changing character over time. This historical overview seeks to show how poverty in the past has shaped poverty in the present. Colin Bundy traces the lasting scars left on the face of South African poverty by colonial dispossession, coerced labour and segregation; and by a capitalist system distinctive for its reliance on cheap, right-less black labour. While the exclusion of the poor occurs in very many countries, in South Africa it has a distinctive extra dimension. Here, poverty has been profoundly racialised by law, by social practice, and by prejudice. He shows that the ‘solution’ to the ‘poor white question’ in the 1920s and ’30s had profound and lasting implications for black poverty. After an analysis of urban and rural poverty prior to 1948, he describes the impact of apartheid policies and social engineering on poverty. Over four decades, apartheid reshaped the geography and demography of poverty. This pocket history concludes with two chapters that assess the policies and thinking of the ANC government in its responses to poverty. One describes the remarkable story of the social security programme developed by the ANC in government since 1994, and finds that cash transfers – pensions and grants – have been the most effective mechanism of redistribution used by the ANC, even though the party remains edgy and anxious about a ‘culture of entitlement’. A final chapter reviews the distribution and dimensions of contemporary poverty, inequality and unemployment, and considers available policy options – and their shortcomings.

Poverty isn’t always a jumble of appalling statistics. Sometimes there are names, faces and stories to the numbers. It’s a cousin who’s finished high school but doesn’t have enough money to job hunt. It’s a colleague whose hand to mouth living still only gets her through half the month because her salary is just not enough. It’s a grandfather who worked for decades and got a retirement package so paltry he can’t pay his monthly bills.

When people you know and love are behind the data of impoverishment, it can be hard to determine how to help. It can be even harder to settle on how much to help without compromising on your own quality of life.

In We Need More Tables, Norma Young provides guidance on how to find a balance between alleviating poverty and yet maintaining a measure of the privilege one may have been born with. By exploring assumptions such as the myth of hard work and the fallacy of meritocracy, as well as historical methodologies of philanthropy in Africa, and suggesting the practice of impactful altruism – such as paying a living wage, building a solidarity economy or choosing regenerative investing – she shares an outline of how those with privilege can play a role in social justice.

Drawing on indigenous knowledge – fables, proverbs and learnings from African academics – We Need More Tables presents a framework of what is required to bring more of our communities to participate at the tables where decisions are made.

Norma Young’s insightful book provides us with realistic and practical ways of moving towards eradicating poverty in South Africa.

Skills and inequality have long been a central theme in analyses of social structure and economic development. A Research Agenda for Skills and Inequality offers an insightful cross-disciplinary framework for research on how unequal living conditions form, persist and change in interplay with human skill formation and development. Drawing on prominent new advances in the field, this incisive Research Agenda builds a forward-thinking framework for research. Spanning an extensive eighteen chapters, each examining a specific but major aspect of the general theme of skills and inequality, the book provides a comprehensive overview of links between the two. Against the backdrop of established insights from related but separate fields of inquiry, including economics, sociology, demography, human resource management, political science, philosophy and psychology, the Research Agenda presents an exciting overview of recent advances in analyses of skills and inequality. Opening vistas for future research based on extensive literature reviews and new findings, this Research Agenda offers compact, ground-breaking essays for students, policy makers, and advanced researchers in many disciplines including social policy, business management, and employment relations.

MaZwane has become a legend in South Africa as a pioneering entrepreneur – and an inspiration for those who ask questions about opportunities in the informal township economy. Her answer to those who doubt whether they can make it, is that you do it through perseverance, sacrifice, seizing opportunities, and offering superior products and service.

In 1989 Phumlaphi (‘Rita’) Zwane left KwaZulu-Natal to find work in Johannesburg after becoming a teenage mother. She could count on the love of her family, a matric certificate and her faith, but had no job prospects, and no knowledge of the business world or life in the big cities. Her memoir takes the reader from the tough times of finding her feet in Johannesburg, through a variety of jobs and life experiences, to finally fighting her way to success as a respected member of the township economy and starting the successful Imbizo Shisanyama business. MaZwane tells how she progressed from having virtually no income or permanent home to becoming the first person to formalise and commercialise shisanyama in the townships – and provide a comfortable home and legacy for her children.

Along the way, she befriended many people who contributed accommodation, job opportunities, advice, and companionship. With them cheering her on, she learned how to navigate the different and difficult aspects of the hospitality industry – and slowly reach her desired place of independent security. Conquering the Poverty of the Mind shows the true grit of a Zulu girl who believed in herself – and did it against all odds.

In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. Focusing on two romances--Jessica's dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and Coco's first love with Jessica's little brother, Cesar--"Random Family" is the story of young people trying to outrun their destinies. Jessica and Boy George ride the wild adventure between riches and ruin, while Coco and Cesar stick closer to the street, all four caught in a precarious dance between survival and death. Friends get murdered; the DEA and FBI investigate Boy George; Cesar becomes a fugitive; Jessica and Coco endure homelessness, betrayal, the heartbreaking separation of prison, and, throughout it all, the insidious damage of poverty.
Charting the tumultuous cycle of the generations--as girls become mothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation--LeBlanc slips behind the cold statistics and sensationalism and comes back with a riveting, haunting, and true story.

At the northern entrance to Prince Albert in the Great Karoo lies Northend, a neighbourhood home to a special group of people. They have a very special way of communicating with others through their stories, which indicate an inherent joy of life. However, judging by their environment and circumstances, it is clear that they have experienced many hardship, and for an outsider it is an enriching experience to meet them.

Every picture in Slow Down Look Again tells a story and is supported by explanatory text. These enable the reader to gain insight into the past and the present of this unique neighbourhood and its residents.

The joy and sorrows of the residents of Northend - as well as their scant earthly possessions - are illustrated through Louis Botha?s excellent choice of photographic backgrounds. And yet the absolute neatness of their homes illustrates a certain pride - poverty without dilapidation. The intimacy of the photographs ultimately leaves the reader enriched. We become witnesses not only to the extraordinary character of a close-knit community, but also of its trusting relationship with the person whom they have allowed to tell their story. Louis Botha was born in Bloemfontein in 1955 and grew up on a small-holding north-east of Pretoria. After school he studied finance and followed a career in the Financial Services Industry. At the age of 40, and encouraged by his wife he pursued his hobby more seriously. He?s held several exhibitions and lives in Prince Albert.

Putco Mafani, from humble beginnings in Bhofolo in the Eastern Cape, has become household name in South Africa. From Radio Ciskei, he went to Umhlobo Wenene FM where he anchored the biggest breakfast show in the country. The former Kaizer Chiefs PRO and sought­after marketing consultant will soon be launching his own radio station.

Things have not always been smooth sailing for Putco. In this memoir, he writes about the hurdles he has had to overcome. He has been detained in solitary confinement, endured a traumatic divorce and found himself unemployed at one stage. He openly talks about some of the mistakes he made as a young person, and also shares his successes and moments of fame and what these taught him.

With contributions from a wide range of people who know and admire Putco, as well as take­home lessons called Putco's Padkos, this book tells an inspirational, authentically South African story.

Foreword by Timothy M. (Tim) Smeeding, Founding Director of the Luxembourg Income Study and Lee Rainwater Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics, University of Wisconsin, US This insightful book addresses the urgent need for robust evidence on recent trends and factors contributing to poverty and inequality in East Asia. Using data from international projects, including the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), as well as national data, expert contributors monitor trends in poverty and inequality within and between countries, while also identifying the factors that are driving them, both nationally and regionally. Chapters explore labour market and demographic developments, changes in family and household structures and roles, and changes in policy settings. Investigating how these factors act both independently and interactively to generate nationally and regionally unique features of poverty and inequality, the book highlights how inequality has been rising on a global scale and suggests how welfare states should respond. Poverty and Inequality in East Asia will be a valuable resource for researchers and students studying Asian development and social policy, comparative social policy, labour policy and family policy. Drawing on state of the art data to compare experiences in selected Western economies against those in East Asia, the book will also be a useful resource for policy makers.

Engaging and accessible, The Entrepreneurial Solution to Poverty and the Science of What is Possible examines the systematic practice of poverty alleviation. Using the science of informational economics (IE), based on leveraging specific information, as well as decades' worth of experimental evidence, James Fiet demonstrates how poverty may be mitigated through entrepreneurial practices. This visionary book suggests a number of key practical methods by which poverty can be alleviated, even without resources or personal connections. Classifying IE as 'the science of what is possible', Fiet demonstrates how to substitute information - the lowest common denominator of what individuals already possess or can acquire - for resources. The book employs 30 years of experimental results as the basis for its entrepreneurial approach to poverty alleviation, inviting its readers to extend the science of what is possible and succeed regardless of their circumstances. Holding the potential to alter how work is approached and carried out in the area of poverty alleviation, the innovative ideas explored in this book will be of significant interest and inspiration to researchers and students, but also beyond academia to government agencies, foundations, and charities, as well as individuals and organizations invested in solving the problem of poverty.

The Fifth Edition of this established and handy guide to the Rules of the CCMA (including the 2018 amendments) includes the CCMA’s Guidelines on Misconduct Arbitrations, as well as a useful Practical Guide for an Unfair Dismissal Claim in the CCMA.

It includes a useful Practical Guide for an Unfair Dismissal Claim in the CCMA.

This publication is both a legal text for practitioners, with reference to legal precedents, and a handbook for the person in the street who wants to use the CCMA. It is published in a pocket-size for quick reference and easy use in CCMA hearings.

Point Place stands near the city centre of Durban, South Africa. Condemned and off the grid, the five-storey apartment building is nonetheless home to a hundred-plus teenagers and young adults marginalised by poverty and chronic unemployment. Emily Margaretten draws on ten years of up-close fieldwork to explore the distinct cultural universe of the Point Place community. Her sensitive investigations reveal how young men and women draw on customary notions of respect and support to forge an ethos of connection and care that allows them to live far richer lives than ordinarily assumed. Her discussion of gender dynamics highlights terms like nakana - to care about or take notice of another - that young women and men use to construct `outside' and `inside' boyfriends and girlfriends and to communicate notions of trust. Challenging the idea that Point Place's residents need `rehabilitation', Margaretten argues that these young men and women want love, secure homes and the means to provide for their dependents - in short, the same hopes and aspirations mirrored across South African society.

Poverty remains a problem in Europe, raising the need for new solutions. In this thought-provoking book the contributors delve deeply into the everyday lives of poor households to see which practices and resources they apply to improve their situations. One of the key findings is that social resilience requires a functioning welfare state operating as a warrantor of common and public goods, on which poor households can build up resilient practices. This insightful book illustrates that in addition to sufficient welfare transfers, there is a need for low-commodified common goods, including public health services, access to housing, education infrastructures and public space. These need to be made available not only for the registered poor but all low-income households. Drawing on over 400 interviews with families and experts across Europe, the chapters demonstrate the need for social policy to become more tolerant towards various forms of small additional income generation and non-commodified values and lifestyles. Poverty, Crisis and Resilience will be a key resource for students and scholars of social policy, poverty research and sociology, while also being of value to social policy practitioners within the charity sector, welfare state administration, social work, politics and counselling.

On the 80th anniversary of Beveridge's report on the 'Five Giants' confronting societal progress in the 1940s, this innovative book examines the 'New Giants' confronting us today: inequality, preventable mortality, the crisis of democracy, job quality, and environmental degradation. Ian Greener uses Qualitative Comparative Analysis and cluster analysis across 24 countries to analyse which countries are the highest performing in relation to each of the New Giants, and what they have in common. The book indicates that confronting the New Giants requires more participative modes of governance, as well as a greater commitment to redistributing wealth and achieving higher levels of education. Greener also highlights how higher levels of globalization, so long as they are combined with these factors, can be compatible with confronting the New Giants. The book further considers how these factors combined in countries with lower levels of mortality in the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be critical reading for social policy and politics scholars and policy makers interested in comparative analysis. The clear explanation of the research methods used in the book will be useful to advanced level students and researchers in the field.

The challenge of including youth in the labour market is a problem which many European countries are facing. Examining the transition from education to employment, Youth, Diversity and Employment combines insights from law and the social sciences to link the challenges and specific barriers facing young and vulnerable people today. Based on original research, this book presents ways in which social protection policies in Europe can utilise the synergy between redistribution and regulations to combat economic inactivity and exclusion of young people. Drawing on the experiences of Nordic countries, which represent cases of high theoretical and political relevance, and systematically examining the significance of social regulation on the employment opportunities for young adults, this book develops an original approach to social protection policies. This book focuses on ways to strengthen the demand for the work capacity of European youth, identifying principles which will make the best progress in policy making to assist youth transitions into work. Arguing that gender, ethnicity, and disability are increasingly important factors to consider, chapters reveal how to ensure that the full use of skills that young adults have can be brought to the workforce effectively. This book will be a valuable tool for students and scholars of social policy, sociology, employment and human rights law, and cultural studies, as well as for researchers, who will find the analytical framework and new data useful for future research into youth transitions, policy, and social protection policies. Contributors include: O.M. Arnardottir, O. Backman, R. Halvorsen, M.J. Hotvedt, B. Hvinden, C. Hyggen, V. Jakobsen, K. Jokumsen, L. Kolouh-Soederlund, S. Kuivalainen, T. Lorentzen, S. Niknami, K. Nousianen, T. Olsen, E. OEsterbacka, J.G. Rice, M.A. Schoyen, L. Schroeder, M. Seeleib-Kaiser, T.F. Spreckelsen, J. Tagtstroem, R. Traustadottir, M. Ventegodt, E. Wadensjoe

What meaning does my life have? What hope is there for the Church? How can I see beyond the media hype and false images I am bombarded with every day? Where can I find God in all this noise and turmoil? Combining moving stories from the inner city with a fresh approach to the Gospel, Faith in Dark Places explores the revolutionary idea that the good news of God's love is being spoken to a tired and damaged world by those rejected as worthless: the homeless and the poor. This radically revised edition, incorporating powerful new insights and reflections, draws on recent theological research and the author's own experience of urban poverty. It examines key biblical texts, such as the Lord's Prayer as a prayer for the poor (in particular the implications of kingdom, bread and trespasses); the Magnificat; and the causes of the crucifixion.

This timely book introduces a fresh perspective on youth unemployment by analysing it as a global phenomenon. Continuously-escalating rates of youth unemployment have become endemic, normalised features of contemporary society. Ross Fergusson and Nicola Yeates argue that only by incorporating analysis of the dynamics of the global economy and global governance can we make convincing, comprehensive sense of these developments. The authors present new substantial evidence spanning a century pointing to the strong relationships between youth unemployment, globalisation, economic crises and consequent harms to young people's social and economic welfare worldwide. The book notably encompasses data and analysis spanning the Global South as well as the Global North. The authors' innovative exploration is holistic in approach and committed to analyses that span histories, territories, academic disciplines and policy contexts. Providing new statistical examination of the incidence, distribution, impacts and putative causes, this book presents a highly original interpretation of youth unemployment and its global governance. It calls for urgently-needed robust responses on a global scale. Global Youth Unemployment is essential reading for students and academics within the fields of social, labour, public and economic policy as well as policy makers within the youth employment and unemployment sectors.