This month’s cartoon
2020 View Larger Covid-19 States and Societies Covid-19, States and Societies is a new series which presents texts from around the globe, detailing relationships between states and societies: how they...
News @ PARI
The latest news from and about our organisation
Dr Thokozani Chilenga-Butao, Research Associate at PARI and Sandile Swana, political analyst, spoke to SABC Morning Live on 22 September 2020 about the upcoming Public Procurement Bill. For more information...
Covid-19, States and Societies is a new series which presents texts from around the globe, detailing relationships between states and societies: how they have unfolded since the beginning of the...
On 16 September, Dr Tracy Ledger had a gripping conversation with Mark Heywood from Maverick Citizen, in a Jacana 'Don't Shut Up' session, about the state of the food system...
From Tuesday, 8 to Friday, 11 September, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) hosted a virtual Local Government Week. The programme was aimed at providing an opportunity for national reflection...
Achieving coherence in land governance remains a challenge in South Africa. Attempts to reconcile diverse claims involve trade-offs and compromises. South Africa finds itself locked in these policy processes to...
1 September 2020 Corruption Watch and the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) have submitted the following open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni, both of...
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT: WE ARE NOT 'IN THIS TOGETHER’, POOR WOMEN NEED LAND JUSTICE! Dear President Ramaphosa, We appreciate your efforts in trying to curb the rampant spread...
The End of the Road: A critical review of the local government fiscal framework A new study on municipal failure in South Africa Press Release [There is] a financial...
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi will be participating in this webinar, organised by PLAAS at the University of the Western Cape, on government roles and capacities in land reform. Watch the public...
Dr Tracy Ledger is quoted in the Daily Maverick article, Many Mothers Going Hungry For the Sake Of Their Children, New Data Shows, on her work on food security and...
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi and Professor Alex Van den Heever joined SABC Morning Live via Zoom this morning. Watch the full video below. South Africa's Public Health System has been allocated...
PARI’s state reform programme is centrally focused on the relationship between politics and the state administration, it seeks to reduce the influence of corruption and patronage on South African politics,...
The Zondo Commission responded on 15 June to the CSWG's open letter. Read both letters here. On the Civil Society Working Group's letter to the Zondo Commission, calling for...
Watch the full webinar video from Thursday, 18 June for the event Unpacking Infrastructure Delivery In Relation To The Draft Procurement Bill The PARI resources link, including NPC links, referred...
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi spoke to SABC on Morning Live on 29 May 2020. "The decision by the High Court in Pretoria to declare former South African Airways Board Chair Dudu...
Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa We, the undersigned organisations, commend you for the decisive action taken over the last few weeks in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. We note the efforts...
By Mbongiseni Buthelezi Nothing demonstrates how much we need a capable state like a crisis. Despite the wealthy and the middle class having checked out of using public services in...
By Dr Julie Smith and Dr Tracy Ledger If there is just one outcome from the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa that could be considered positive, it is this: for...
By Dr Tracy Ledger There are growing global calls for a debt write-off for developing countries because of Covid-19. Eskom received a $3.75-billion loan from the World Bank in 2010,...
Dr Tracy Ledger's work on food security provided insights towards this revelatory article by PLAAS on the state of access to food in the time of the Corona virus. "Around...
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) hosted a conference entitled: Civil Society – Defeating State Capture and Rebuilding the State on 23 October 2019. The...
Eusebius Mckaiser on Radio 702 hosted a one-hour panel and call-in show on rights to food security during the Covid-19 pandemic, with panellists Dr Tracy Ledger, Mervyn Abrahams, Mazibuko Jara...
78 economists - and at least 29 others in supporting fields, including PARI - say that government can do more to mitigate the economic harm of Covid-19. They have addressed...
DUE TO GLOBAL CONCERNS AROUND COVID-19, THE LAUNCH EVENT FOR THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT POSITION PAPER IS BEING POSTPONED UNTIL LATER IN 2020. The Position Paper will be made available online...
PARI has endorsed the following statement by Zwelenzima Vavi, General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU). The state isn’t pulling its weight! 24 March 2020 The...
The Public Affairs Research Institute presented some ideas on state capture and civil society at the RAITH Foundation's Brown Bag Sessions on 13 March 2020. Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi asks what...
The Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG) and Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) say it's practical solutions and actions that can rescue state-owned entities. SDG and PARI held a joint interactive dialogue...
MEDIA STATEMENT For immediate release; 16 March 2020 Johannesburg IT’S TIME FOR PRACTICAL SOE SOLUTIONS Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG) and Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) held a successful interactive dialogue...
Following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring Covid-19 a national disaster, please be advised that this event has been postponed. We will be in communication during this week about...
We, the undersigned organisations and individuals committed to justice for historical crimes and social justice in South Africa write in support of the South African History Archive. On Tuesday 03...
PARI is delighted to welcome some new faces to the Institute, and some old faces to new appointments. As 2020 takes off, we are looking forward to working together to...
The Nelson Mandela Foundation has just opened applications for #AFRE2020. If you are changemaker with a track record of impact, apply for this amazing opportunity!! https://racialequity.atlanticfellows.org/ PARI is a...
Dr Federica Duca presented at a conference at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, titled Breaking down the nation-state: retreat and belonging in upper class gated communities in Johannesburg....
This People's Guide to Archives in South Africa seeks to provide information and links to ways in which civil society, researchers and organisations can be empowered in order to gain...
From October 30 to November 1 2019, Tracy Ledger and Thokozani Chilenga-Butao attended a workshop co-organised by UNDESA and AU/APRM in collaboration with UNDP, titled African regional workshop on effective...
By Adriaan Kruger, Moneyweb, 22 October 2019 A research report by the Public Affairs Research Institute (Pari) on the financial state of South Africa’s municipalities has received very little attention...
On 4 October, journalist Theto Mahlakoana spoke to Joanne Joseph on Radio 702's Afternoon Drive, discussing PARI's latest report, Mind The Gap: Section 139 interventions in theory and in practise....
SENIOR RESEARCHER: LOCAL GOVERNMENT Closing date: 31 October 2019 The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) is a Johannesburg-based organisation that studies the effectiveness of state institutions in the...
SENIOR RESEARCHER: LAND SECTOR Closing date: 31 October 2019 The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) is a Johannesburg-based organisation that studies the effectiveness of state institutions in the discharge...
On 3 October, Dr Federica Duca appeared on a panel at the international doctoral workshop, The Question of Agency in Africa Studies. The workshop was held by the University of...
On 2 October, Thatshisiwe Ndlovu held a workshop at PARI offices to review an Ethical Global Research Toolkit produced by the University of Edinburgh. The Toolkit comes out of a...
On 25 September, the Centre for Governance Innovation held a workshop on ‘The State of Food Governance in South Africa’ at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria....
On 19 September, the Organisational and Institutional Studies Department at Wits University held an Open Day to inform potential Honours, Masters and PhD students about the courses on offer in...
What is the state for? Contestations around the definition of ‘good governance’ in post-apartheid South Africa – Tracy Ledger This paper will present findings from ethnographic work undertaken in various...
The August issue of Heinrich Böll Stiftung's Perspectives includes contributions from Dr Tracy Ledger and Crispian Olver. In the opening article, Tracy Ledger provocatively asks whether a different version of...
The Helen Suzman Foundation's recent report on independence and accountability in the criminal justice system included a contribution from Florencia Belvedere, who leads PARI's #AfterCapture state reform campaign. FLORENCIA...
It is with great sadness that PARI announces the passing of Head of Administration Mpho Mohapi on Thursday, 8 August. Mpho was one of PARI's very first employees, sporting a...
Executive Director, Johannesburg The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) is a Johannesburg-based organisation that studies the effectiveness of state institutions in the discharge of...
Joburg’s most cash-strapped residents can look forward to some relief soon, when a plan aimed at helping them and reducing the size of the city’s debtors book is introduced, says...
Organisational and Institutional Studies' first cohort of students proudly graduated at Wits University on 7 July 2019. Honours graduates are: Violet Molefe, Obert Nangara, Anivuyina Ketsiwe, Mabothlale Mbatane, Nosipho Manana....
On 25 July, Dr Federica Duca gave a lecture to University of Johannesburg's third-year Architecture students (UJ FADA). The title of the lecture was The Politics of Leisure and Exclusion:...
Organisational and Institutional Studies (OIS) is a multidisciplinary degree programme in the School of Social Sciences at Wits University. The department offers Honours and Masters levels, and introduces a new...
On 30 May to 1 June 2019, Dr Marcus Walton attended a conference held by the Watson Institute at Brown University, titled Cities, Citizens and Governance in the 21st Century....
PARI PhD Fellow and Wits Political Science Lecturer Thokozani Chilenga-Butao spoke to Cape Talk Radio about President Cyril Ramaphosa's new Cabinet, that was sworn in on Thursday, 30 May. While...
PARI has joined a collective call to the EFF political party to stop threats and intimidation, violent language, undemocratic assault in the media and racist pronouncements. The statement urges the...
The evolution of traditional leadership and its impact post-democracy THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED HERE We have seen a number of stories around developments in various royal households in...
You are invited to a panel discussion and launch of a digital guide on ‘Archives and Democracy’ Speakers: Yasmin Sooka (Foundation for Human Rights), Mbongiseni Buthelezi (Public Affairs Research Institute),...
Research Associate Thomas Lesaffre spoke to Radio Television Suisse (RTS) about former president Zuma and French arms company Thales going on trial for corruption. L'ancien président sud-africain comparaît aujourd'hui devant...
PARI is looking for an experienced Project Coordinator to provide coordination and support to the research teams so that projects are implemented efficiently and effectively. He/she should provide all the...
In the midst of national and provincial elections, research fellow Thomas Lesaffre talks to Radio Television Suisse (RTS) about the state of South Africa 25 years after the end of...
Wits University is experiencing a significant pushback against its victim-centered policies and procedures for dealing with gender-based harm (GBH). Against this backdrop, the members of the Wits Sexual Harassment Advisory...
Senior Researcher Dr Federica Duca participates in the Wiser/UMichigan Mellon collaborative seminar titled Spatial Typologies and the Built Environment: Navigating African Urban Landscapes. Dr Duca will talk on Monday, 6...
Research fellow Thomas Lesaffre speaks to 'Forum' on Schweitzer Radio und Fernsehen [Swiss Radio and TV] on Freedom Day, 25 years after the first democratic elections in South Africa: C’était...
The Organisational and Institutional Studies academic programme at Wits University has gotten off to a strong start in the first semester of 2019. After last year's pilot Honours programme, the...
The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies recently held a symposium on understanding inequality in the global South. The pre-conference event on 9 April 2019 featured a presentation by Dr Federica...
2019 has been a year of change for PARI as researchers and management alike called for transparency and good governance within the organisation, in keeping with the values underpinning the...
Lelethu Tonisi’s write up in the Daily Maverick (1 April, Young South Africans are politically engaged, but can’t see how the system works for them, studies find) quotes Dr Phadi’s assessment…
On Wednesday, 27 March, PARI fellow Thokozani Chilenga-Butao moderates a roundtable discussion unpacking the nature of elections, focusing on the challenges and opportunities African states face. The seminar will take...
Archives and Democracy: Testing the Archive The anticipated activities under the extended project title “Archives & Democracy: Testing the Archive: A Guide” are a result of discussions held between...
On March 11 and 12, Dr Tracy Ledger and Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi attended the South Local Government Association (SALGA)'s 2nd Local Government Research Colloquium that sought to strengthen SALGA's research...
Today PARI launched a new Masters degree to the Organisational and Institutional Studies academic programme at Wits University. For 2019, PARI has accepted 8 Honours students and 6 Masters students...
Gated Communities & Townhouse Complexes Workshop and Exhibition In collaboration with IFAS (French Institute of South Africa) and LAVUE (Université Paris, Nanterre), PARI co-hosts a workshop on 14 November...
PARI, in conjuction with FES_South Africa, hosts a workshop from 15-16 October 2018 at the Hilton Hotel Nairobi on Democracy, State-building and Taxation: The role of fiscal activism in sub-Saharan...
PARI, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, hosts a workshop from 29 - 31 October 2018. PARI will offer an engagement with the question of why the state and...
PARI's internal seminars have started up again, kicking off with Marcus Walton's presentation of his paper, On the Peripheries: Protest and Public Goods in Continental Africa. In his paper, he...
Download poster PARI researchers Thatshisiwe Ndlovu and Dr Sifiso Ndlovu collaborate on a roundtable “Governance through military operations: Violent pasts and prospects for national healing”. The roundtable on 17 October...
Federica Duca was in Paris on 28 September, attending a seminar on gated communities. This half-day workshop took place at Nanterre University to reflect on the evolutions of urbanism in...
The People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime will deliver its final findings to the public at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on 20 September 2018. This follows six months, in which implicated...
Mosa Phadi has been accepted in to the African Humanities Program from the American Council of Learned Societies. Through fellowship competitions, regional workshops, and peer networking, the African Humanities Program...
Crispian Olver spoke to talkshow host Eusebius McKaiser on 5 September about his book about the corruption in Nelson Mandela Bay, "How To Steal a City", published in 2017. Recent...
PARI introduces a new Masters programme at Wits University in 2019, in the field of Organisational and Institutional Studies in the School of Social Sciences. This follows a successful first...
This August 19th - 27th, PARI will host a group of Master in Public Affairs students from Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. The group can look forward to an...
Dr Federica Duca has become a member of the Scientific Committee of the African Tax Research Network (ATRN), placing her among a prestigious international group of policymakers, researchers and administrators,...
PARI's brand new Board of Directors convened their first meeting on 19 June 2018. After a few shuffles and changes over the course of 2018, the Board Chair is now...
Taxations and State-Society Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa: the cases of Cameroon, Mozambique and South Africa By Alice Soares Guimarães, Federica Duca and Thatshisiwe Ndlovu Download the report here. 1 1...
We Are Building a City: The Struggle for Self-Sufficiency in Lephalale Local Municipality By Dr Mosa Phadi and Joel Pearson Preface In 2006, Eskom unveiled plans for a new multi-billion...
Rethinking Democratization in Africa and Latin America, 19-23 March 2018, hosted by PARI and the New School, NY in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read more about the conference HERE. Share: #DemocratizationBA...
International Workshop | Conferencia Internacional RETHINKING DEMOCRATIZATION IN AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA: VIOLENCE, STATE, CITIZENSHIP, AND MARKETIZATION | REPENSADO LA DEMOCRATIZACIÓN EN AFRICA Y AMÉRICA LATINA: VIOLENCIA, ESTADO, CIUDADANÍA Y...
Debora Matthews worked for seven years as Archival Coordinator in the Struggles for Justice Programme at the South African History Archive (SAHA), an independent activist and human rights archive in...
Recently published is Mbongiseni Buthelezi's co-authored chapter on chieftancy in contemporary South Africa, in: Comaroff, J.L. and J. Comaroff. eds., 2018. The Politics of Custom: Chiefship, Capital and the State...
This Friday 23 February, PARI is delighted to host a seminar on state capture with Professor Joel S. Hellman from 13:00 to 15:00. Hellman wrote groundbreaking work on state capture...
Alliance for Rural Democracy On 19 February 2018, Mbongiseni Buthelezi attended the Rural Democracy Trust's National Campaigns Planning Meeting, hosted by the Alliance for Rural Democracy. Objectives of the meeting:...
The Mandela Initiative is a multi-sector platform to investigate and develop strategies to overcome poverty and inequality. The Initiative is a university-led national endeavour in partnership with the Nelson Mandela...
In partnership with Wits University's Department of Social Sciences, PARI launches its groundbreaking Organisational and Institutional Studies degree programme on Monday, 5 Feb. Venue: Wits Club, West Campus Time: 09h00–13h00...
To 'do something up brown' means to do it skilfully and effectively. PARI has certainly been both in making international connections, not least with the recent MoU with ivy league...
"... from a perspective that most scholars in the discipline are yet to consider" In a glowing recognition of PARI’s work, the report Mogalakwena Local Municipality of South...
In the last stretch of her Master's degree, PARI fellow Jolandi Swanepoel has accepted a position at the Small Enterprise Foundation — a microfinance institution supporting rural women. It is...
Ivor Chipkin takes ‘state capture’ and ‘elite populism’ on the road This October, Ivor Chipkin does a lecture tour in the US and Canada, and will present the Betrayal report...
PARI researcher and doctoral fellow, Crispian Olver, launched his controversial book, “How to Steal a City: The battle for Nelson Mandela Bay” on October 23. Olver was a government “fixer”...
A photo essay on the Mogalakwena Municipality by Leon Sadiki. Part of the PARI project on Mogalakwena Local Municipality. 1 1 View Larger View Larger View Larger View Larger View Larger View...
PARI was well-represented at the Archives and Democracy: Colloquium of Civil Society on 24 August, 2017. The day-long programme featured five panels discussing the apartheid era archives, the importance of...
PARI will shortly launch a major, new initiative on public sector reform. This comes in the context of the institute’s ongoing research into how government works and in the wake...
In The Media: Party Political Funding Since PARI’s 15 August submission to the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on political party funding, the committee has already met to review a draft...
From September 11-13, Federica Duca attended the RC21 Conference in Leeds, titled Rethinking Urban Global Justice: An international academic conference for critical urban studies. Duca convened a roundtable “Elites and...
