Zimbabwe occupies a special place in African politics and international relations, and has been the subject of intense debates over the years. At independence in 1980, the country was better endowed than most in Africa, and seemed poised for economic development and political pluralism. The population was relatively well educated, the industrial and agricultural bases were strong, and levels of infrastructure were impressive. However, in less than two decades, Zimbabwe was mired in a deep political and economic crisis. Towards the end of its third decade of independence, the economy had collapsed and the country had been transformed into a repressive state. How can we make sense of this decline? How can we explain the 'lost decade' that followed? Can the explanation be reduced to the authoritarian leadership of Robert Mugabe and role of ZANU-PF? Or was something defective about in the institutions through which the state has exercised its authority? Or was it the result of imperialism, the West and sanctions? Zimbabwe's Lost Decade draws on Lloyd Sachikonye's analyses of political developments over the past 25 years. It offers a critique of leadership, systems of governance, and economic strategies, and argues for democratic values and practices, and more broad-based participation in the development process.

This collection of essays investigates how structural adjustment and economic liberalisation have impacted upon labour regimes - e.g., trade unions; and upon state and civil society relations, and processes of democratisation. The studies resulted from a conference hosted by the Institute of Development Studies, University of Zimbabwe, in co-operation with the Department of Political Science, University of Stockholm. Cases and responses of the seven African countries in attendance - Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are documented. Examples include: liberalisation and the case of Senegalese industrial relations; trade unions and capacity building in the Nigerian textile industry; the labour exodus in a liberalising South Africa; and authoritarianism and trade unions in Egypt.

In the struggles for democratisation that emerged in the late 1980s and 1990s in Africa, labour movements often played a central role in the development of opposition politics. This book examines the emergence of labour as a strong organisational and political force in the struggles against an increasingly authoritarian state in Zimbabwe. Written by specialists in the labour movement from a variety of different perspectives, the chapters discuss the political, economic, global, organisational, legal, gender and sectoral challenges faced by the Zimbabwean labour movement in its move from the margins of liberation movement politics to a pivotal role in the post-colonial struggle for a more responsible and accountable civil society and government.