The Political Economy of South Africa’s Post-apartheid Transition: The Rejection of Alternatives to Neoliberalism. Critical Reconstructions of Political Economy: Vol.7

Fine, Ben

Abstract

South Africa’s post-apartheid transition has proven disastrous. It is marked by the emergence of a black elite of enriched capitalists out of the globalisation, neoliberalisation and financialisation of the economy in general and of its Minerals-Energy and Financial Complex in particular. By contrast, inequalities, poverty and failing social provision have persisted. Recent attention has shifted to how this disastrous trajectory was initiated, some suggesting a lack of available alternative policy options at the time of transition. This is shown to be false with a full range of progressive alternatives being rejected with corresponding consequences, from “state capture” to electoral defeat.

Citation

Fine, B. (2025). The Political Economy of South Africa’s Post-apartheid Transition: The Rejection of Alternatives to Neoliberalism. Critical Reconstructions of Political Economy: Vol.7. Brill Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004731653

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 15, 2025
• Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers
• Series Title: Studies in Critical Social Sciences,
• Series Number: 318
• Series ISSN: 1573-4234
• ISBN: 9789004731646
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004731653