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A vision for South Africa's National System of Innovation (NSI) was articulated some three decades ago in the White Paper on Science and Technology (1996). The idealism that inspired a nation in rebirth also found expression in policy for the science and innovation sector. Since then, the NSI has been moulded and re-moulded in light of domestic and global experiences. This volume, Why Innovations Live or Die: South Africa's innovation system, interrogates the systems and the issues surrounding them. Contributing authors argue that the fundamental question is about the relevance of innovations to the country's citizens, and whether the system promotes economic growth, social inclusion and initiative across all sectors of the population. The authors examine lessons from some highly promising research endeavours that fell by the wayside. Importantly, the book interrogates the successes of South African innovations that have impacted positively on people's lives. Various chapters trace the journeys of undertakings such as the Joule electric car; the Square Kilometre Array, the Pebble-bed Modular Reactor and transdisciplinary efforts on HIV and Covid-19.The contributors argue that the philosophical outlook that informs innovation policy, the attitude of mind in both the public and private sectors, and the content and timeframes attached to national development planning, among other factors, are as important as technical issues related to scientific expertise, training pipelines and resource allocation. In other words, the authors make a case for a system of innovation that functions as a holistic domain, straddling a variety of disciplines and spatial issues. The book also underlines the importance of broadening the vistas of research and avoiding path dependency. The volume proffers policy recommendations aimed at stimulating reflection and practical actions on a matter that is fundamental to South Africa's socioeconomic progress.

South Africa still faces low economic growth and high unemployment, coupled with the persistent challenges of poverty and inequality. These exert pressure on South Africa to foster structural transformation that will facilitate a more inclusive and resilient economy.Authors apply multiple theoretical and empirical perspectives to take stock of the historical and contemporary structure of the South African economy, its evolving nature and possible future pathways. The explore how South Africa's structural transformation agenda is affected by the global context, and discuss debates on the extreme social impacts of globalised and financialised economic structures.Contributors offer technical and analytical discussions of the overlapping structural faultlines that produce uneven economic performance. They explain the changes and continuities of South Africa's economic structure, bound by an analytical thread that centres power relations and political settlements. Varied chapters explain how poor governance and corruption have slowed down structural reform. This has been further exacerbated by the inconsistent availability of energy and the deterioration of logistics.The book details the structural reforms and policy regimes necessary for increasing productive capacity in South Africa's agriculture, manufacturing, agro-processing. retail and services, energy and mining industries. It also reflects on the role that micro- and informal enterprises can play if afforded the necessary support. The technical details and analyses in the book highlight the need for a radical review of macroeconomic policy to reduce the country's chronic vulnerability to poverty and inequality.

Popular protest has become a regular feature of post-1994 South Africa. As a young democracy born out of resistance, we may understand the contemporary manifestations of protest as extensions of this broader history. However, it is notably in the context of formal democratic institutions that popular protest has become an increasingly normalised mode of influencing policy, demanding service delivery and forcing change. Protest is constitutive of South Africa's democratic politics, but also reflective of it.Protest in South Africa: Rejection, reassertion, reclamation explores the underpinnings of contemporary protest and both its short-term causes and structural drivers. Focusing on the surge of protest from the mid-2000s, this edited volume provides an overview of the complexity of protest action, the diversity of protest spaces and actors, and responses to protest from both citizens and state. The volume situates its analysis against the backdrop of the global wave of protest witnessed since the turn of the 21 century, while examining protest in South Africa's local and historical contexts.Contributors to the volume examine protests in relation to, among other factors, provision of infrastructure and services, contestations around socio-economic development, issues of citizenship, and demands for inclusive democratic governance. Chapters also examine the role of women in protest action, the policing of protest, and the intersection of protest action with spaces of formal politics. The volume also alerts us to the darker side of protest, and the destruction and division it may foment. It thus considers the prospects of South Africa's evolving, sometimes violent, protest terrain for social and state stability and democratic progress.In the diversity of spaces, sectors and communities of interests in which collective action has emerged, Protest in South Africa: Rejection, reassertion, reclamation shows how protest is underpinned by a rejection of the status quo, a reassertion of interests, and a reclaiming of the political and democratic space.

South Africa is characterised by a youthful population, and the challenges and possibilities that characterise the young generation are both warning signs and beacons of hope for a nation founded on social justice. Youth in South Africa: Agency, (in)visibility and national development takes stock of the nation's development as it affects young people.Authors offer both personal and professional insights into the ways in which the youth navigate their own pathways to adulthood. These include formal and informal engagements with politics, as well as protest, (un)employment, entrepreneurship, education, religion, experiences with sexuality and violence and a multitude of other life experiences.Contributors paint a picture of the initiative, agency and resilience of the youth, as well as the challenges before them. Authors also identify the state of "waithood" faced by those unable to make the transition out of youth into full adulthood as a result of their socio-economic circumstances and political context.By engaging these experiences and insights, and primarily informed by the inputs of young people, the authors highlight the limitations of existing youth policies and frameworks. The case is made for policy instruments to be informed by the lived experiences of the youth as they navigate a complex macrosocial environment, and by the messages the youth communicate about the limitations of current approaches.

Leap 4.0: African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities the 4IR presents to South Africa and the rest of the African continent, especially to workers and marginalised sectors of society.Authors examine the prerequisites for the successful introduction of the 4IR, including infrastructure, skilled personnel and appropriate regulation. They underline the importance of inclusive innovation, with a deliberate objective to create net new jobs and reduce inequality.The 4IR is well established in many parts of the world, with technological advances driving profound social and economic change. However, for many developing countries, particularly countries in Africa, the 4IR may not offer the anticipated 'leap' forward. There is a danger that the continent may find itself dictated to by experiences that are not in tune with its social contexts.

Land in South Africa: Contested Meanings and Nation Formation, examines how land and agrarian reform impacts nation building, citizenship, and identity formation. The publication draws attention to the limitations of reducing land to a commodity, and how this approach perpetuates social conflict and inequality in land reform policy implementation.The book posits an alternative policy paradigm, which discusses contested meanings of land and their relation to nation formation. It brings to the fore citizen stakeholder perspectives from former labour tenants, citizens residing in communally owned land, women subsistence farmers, peasant movements and land reform civil society groups.The chapters investigate the diverse and contested meanings of land to elevate how South Africans perceive land justice and reform, while also including several international case studies. The publication argues that land power relations and policy debates are constitutive components of nation building. And, importantly, that land shapes essential pillars in nation formation such as citizenship, political identity, heritage, a sense of belonging and social disparities.

News footage of disease in Africa is a familiar sight. Yet these outbreaks are often presented out of context, with no reference to the conditions that have triggered them. MISTRA's new book, Epidemics and the Health of African Nations, aims to redress that. Researchers and practitioners from within the continent explore why Africa is so vulnerable to disease, and show how this vulnerability is closely linked to political and economic factors. They demonstrate how these same factors determine the way epidemics are treated.Authors extract lessons from case studies in different parts of Africa; challenge conventional frameworks about disease to argue for a 'syndemics' approach that takes into account the interrelationship between disease and political and socio-economic contexts; explore challenges of Africa's future. They argue that a well-functioning health system is at the core of a country's capacity to counter an epidemic.This volume brings African experts together to probe possible solutions to the continent's heavy burden of disease. The insights offered will be helpful in devising policy for the control of disease and the combatting of epidemics in Africa.