Die politiek van transformasie : ’n analise van ekonomiese verandering in Suid-Afrika
Date
2008-03
Authors
Bosman, Frouwien Reina
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
For the sake of continued social stability in South Africa it is imperative that the country’s so-called
“partial transition” is completed through a process of meaningful socio-economic
transformation that addresses the consequences of its history of unequal development.
Transformation can thus be viewed as one of the primary challenges in the economic and
socio-political landscape in South Africa. It is the task of social sciences to contribute to the
general understanding of our social reality through systematic analysis and thereby promoting
effective responses to social challenges.
Current literature on the transformation process in South Africa focuses almost exclusively on
the country’s political transition (as a change in power relationships) and analyses of socioeconomic
inequality and descriptions of the successes and failures of policy measures that
have been adopted since 1994 to promote the redistribution of economic resources. Three
shortcomings in current literature on and the theoretical analysis of transformation were
identified, namely: (i) the apparent disregard of the status implications of the redistribution of
political and economic resources, (ii) the absence of analyses that problematise the
transformation process as such (and specifically the sector and industry specific initiatives
initiated to promote Black Economic Empowerment), and (iii) the lack of prescriptive
guidelines for the management of transformation processes.
It is the primary goal of this study to develop a theoretical framework in terms of which socioeconomic
transformation can be analysed. Socio-economic transformation is described as a
potentially contentious process and it is shown that the institutionalised and negotiated nature
of transformation in the South African context allows us to interpret it in terms of theories of
social conflict. Theory from the field of conflict studies, and specifically Social Identity Theory,
is used to analyse the impact of the redistribution of power and material resources on the
status of social groups and the concurrent implications for inter-group relationships. The
theoretical model is also used to identify specific circumstances under which the stability of
social relationships can be maintained amidst the redistribution of power and resources – i.e.:
circumstances in which parity of esteem is maintained through mutual acceptance of the
principles that underlie the distribution of resources, power and other sources of social status. A prescriptive model for the management of conflict that satisfies these requirements is
developed from the theory of conflict transformation and is presented as a model for the
management of transformation. This model suggests the achievement of social justice as the
desired outcome of conflict management. In the absence of a satisfactory definition of social
justice in the existing theory, John Rawls’s conceptualisation of justice is suggested as an
analytical elaboration of the theory.
A case study, namely the negotations on the Wine Industry Charter and the transformation of
a key institution in the South African wine industry, is used to illustrate how the chosen
theoretical model (and specifically the theoretical assumptions regarding the need for positive
self-esteem) can by used by analysts to interpret information processes. The case study is
also used to illustrate how the elements of the chosen prescriptive model for the management
of transformation has been utilised. The study confirms the fact that the chosen theoretical
model for the management of transformation was utilised in the formal transformation process
in the wine industry (and specifically in the successful development of the Wine Industry
Charter and the negotiations regarding the structure and nature of the South African Wine
Council).
Description
Thesis (DPhil (Political Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Keywords
Transformasie, Wynbedryf, Swart ekonomiese bemagtiging, Sosiale identiteit teorie, Structural adjustment (Economic policy) -- South Africa, Wine industry -- South Africa, South Africa -- Social conditions -- 1994-, South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-, Dissertations -- Political science, Theses -- Political science