From politics, economics, and society to health and environment, this volume presents 31 diverse angles on the inequality and poverty in contemporary South Africa and places them in a global context. Designed and written as a reflection of critical issues, this study provides an emerging picture that shows the need to accelerate the pace of poverty eradication and to change the developmental trajectory of South Africa. The in-depth analyses deal with topics that include ideology and modern and traditional leadership; the role of national, provincial, and local government in poverty alleviation; development, economic growth, employment creation, and housing; the media; social cohesion; HIV and AIDS; climate change; regionalism and continental power relations; and the impact of global economics on South Africa. This accessible and fascinating research is aimed at the general interest reader as well as the specialist and is destined to become the research reference for the next decade.

Democracy and delivery - Urban policy in South Africa tells the story of urban policy and its formulation in South Africa. As such, it provides an important resource for present and future urban policy processes. In a series of essays written by leading academics and practitioners, Democracy and delivery documents and assesses the formulation, evolution and implementation of urban policy in South African during the first ten years of democracy in rigorous detail. The contributors describe the creation of democratic local governments from the time of the 1976 Soweto uprising and the intense township struggles of the 1980s, the construction of 'developmental' planning and financial frameworks, and the delivery of housing and services by the new democratic order. They examine the policy formulation processes and what underlay these, debate the role of research and the influence of international development agencies and assess successes and failures in policy implementation. Looking to the future, the contributors make suggestions based on experience with implementation and changing political priorities.