Sarah head’s the State Reform Programme at PARI. Her research interests are in the historical development of the state, public sector reform, and the governance of school education. With twenty years’ experience as a social science researcher, she has lead research projects for government organisations, international donors and local non-governmental organisations. Sarah has worked for a number of policy think tanks and a survey company before joining PARI.  Sarah has published on the topics of patronage, civil service reform, education governance and access to public education in South Africa, and recently co-edited a book with Federica Duca exploring state-society relations around the world through the lens of Covid-19. Sarah holds a PhD and Masters from the University of Witwatersrand, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Cape Town.

Email: sarahmg@pari.org.za

Publications

Duca, F. and S. Meny-Gibert (eds) (2023) State-society Relations Around the World Through the Lens of the Covid-19 Pandemic. New York, NY and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2022) ‘”Mutual Accommodation”: Clientelist Politics in South African School Education’. Transformation: Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa, 110: 62-75.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2019) ‘State “Infrastructural power” and the Bantustans: the case of education’. African Historical Review, 50(1-2): 46–77.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2018) ‘Shifting power, shifting rules in the South African state: the case of the Eastern Cape Education Department’. Working Paper No.2. Presented at University of the Witwatersrand.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2018) ‘The Public Service Human Resource Development Strategic Framework’. Commissioned by PSETA for the Department of Public Service and Administration. Pretoria: Department of Public Service and Administration.

Ledger, T. and S. Meny-Gibert (2018) ‘The Challenge of Prioritisation and Alignment in Public Sector Planning and Implementation: Literature Review’. A PARI and Twende Mbele report. Pretoria: Twende Mbele.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2017) ‘Review Report: In Support of the Development of an Updated Public Service Human Resource Development Strategic Framework. Commissioned by PSETA for the Department of Public Service and Administration. Pretoria: Department of Public Service and Administration.

Meny-Gibert, S (2017) ‘Shifting power, shifting rules in the South African state’. Working Paper No. 1. European Conference on African Studies, Basel, July 2017.

Meny-Gibert, S., M. Buthelezi, I. Chipkin and S. Powell (2016) ‘National Anti-Corruption Strategy: Diagnostic Report’. Commissioned by GIZ for the government steering committee established for the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (under the Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee (ACIMC), Pretoria.

Meny-Gibert, S., M. Buthelezi and I. Chipkin (2016) ‘Discussion Document: Towards a National Anti-Corruption Strategy’. Commissioned by GIZ for the government steering committee established for the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (under the Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee (ACIMC), Pretoria.

Meny-Gibert, S. and R. Brunette (2016) ‘Case Study Report: Reflections on a GTAC Project to Improve Supply Chain Management in a Provincial Education Department (project pn714)’. A GTAC report. Johannesburg: The Government Technical Advisory Centre.

Ledger, T., C. Barberton, G. Tshimomola and S. Meny-Gibert (2014) ‘Expenditure and Performance Review: National Language Services’. Commissioned by the National Treasury, Pretoria.

Meny-Gibert, S. (2013) ‘Living Together Separately in the New South Africa: the Case of Integrated Housing in Mogale City and Lehae Project’. Prepared by PARI for the Ahmed Kathrada Foudation. Johannesburg: Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

Meny-Gibert, S. and I. Chipkin (2013) ‘SADC Protocol Tracker Report on Corruption’. A diagnostic/review report. Gaborone: Southern African Development Community Council of Non-governmental Organisations.

Chipkin, I. and S. Meny-Gibert (2013) ‘New and Contemporary Spaces in South Africa,’ in Social Dynamics, 39 (2): 151–58.

Meny-Gibert, S. and B. Russell (2013) ‘South Africa’s School-Going Culture?’, in S. Motala, V. Dieltiens and Y. Sayed (eds) Finding Place and Keeping Pace, pp. 1–9. Pretoria: HSRC Press.

Chipkin, I. and S. Meny-Gibert (2012) ‘Why the Past Matters: Studying Public Administration in South Africa’. Journal of Public Administration, 47(1): 102–12.

Dieltiens, V. and S. Meny-Gibert (2012) ‘In Class? Poverty, Social Exclusion and School Access in South Africa’, Journal of Education, 55: 127–44.

Meny-Gibert, S., I. Chipkin and T. Ledger (2012) ‘Diagnostic Research Report on Corruption, Non-Compliance and Weak Organisations’. Prepared by PARI for the Technical Assistance Unit. Pretoria: The National Treasury of South Africa.