Masters Degrees (Political Science)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Political Science) by browse.metadata.advisor "Adams-Jack, Ubanesia L."

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    Influence of stakeholder interactions on policy: The broad-based socio-economic empowerment charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Day, Christopher John; Adams-Jack, Ubanesia L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African mining industry is complex, due to its role as an essential growth sector of the economy, its importance as a key employment provider to hundreds of thousands of South Africans, along with its historical role regarding labour exploitation of black South Africans. Since the democratisation of South Africa, government policies have worked toward rectifying structural constraints, caused by apartheid laws, that have negatively impacted the socio-economic welfare of the majority of South Africans. The Broad-Based Socio-Economic Empowerment Charter for the South African Mining Industry-more commonly known as the Mining Charter is an industry-specific response to the above and has the principal aim of rectifying various inequalities found within the industry. This is ensured by setting compliance targets for mining companies. Over the years, these compliance targets have increased, in order to promote meaningful participation of Historically Disadvantaged South Africans (HDSAs) within the mining industry. These increases have often been met with criticism and at times have been contested, with stakeholders making use of legal proceedings and other channels to refute changes of the Mining Charter requirements. With this in mind, the purpose of this thesis is to understand the influence that key stakeholder interactions have had on the development of the Mining Charter over the years. To address the research focus, a qualitative approach was taken, along with the utilisation of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) as an analytical tool for understanding stakeholder interactions. Furthermore, the research process consisted of semi-structured interviews and desktop research with the purpose of; contextualising the industry itself and the policies which allow for the Mining Charter to be enforced; discussing how key stakeholders make use of their resources to interact with one another; and the subsequent influence of their interactions on the development of the Mining Charter.The findings suggest that interactions between key stakeholders have influenced the development of the Mining Charter over the years. Moreover, stakeholders will vehemently advocate for a policy outcome that reflects how they would like the Mining Charter to function –which is often influenced by their position within the industry. This is not an ideal outcome for the development, or principal objective, of the Mining Charter. In the future, stakeholders will need to engage more effectively with one another and come to a consensus that will benefit all stakeholders, while ensuring that the policy outcome is sustainable in the long-run for the industry as a whole.