Impact of Globalisation on Africa

GLOBALISATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE STATE Spring 2005 Mondays, 8.10 p.m. to 9.50 p.m. Prof. Ahmad Kamal, former Ambassador of Pakistan OVERVIEW This course will examine the critical and rapidly changing role of the state at the beginning of a new millennium as a result of internal and external factors, paying special attention to the state as a central player in ensuring the provision of public services, as well as facing the new challenges emerging around the world. It will enable students to: • assess the impact of global economic liberalisation and information dissemination on governments and their constituents; • engage in specific analyses of the changing role of the state, the different actors and stake-holders involved, the mechanisms of governance at different levels; and the emerging frustrations and violence. • identify the capacities of and constraints facing governance processes; • critique the manner in which reforms undertaken by governments impact social, cultural and economic development; and • analyse the challenges faced by governance with regard to democratisation; To accomplish this, the course is divided into three thematic areas: 1. The State and the People - (internal factors): Under this first part of the course, students will identify the basic components of state-craft, the different actors who come into play in decision making, the relative importance of each over the course of history, the constants in different geographic contexts, etc. With the advent of fresh economic, social, and environmental challenges, there is a strong sense among governments that their scope for autonomous public action is being reduced by the forces of globalisation and the consequent growth of inter-dependence among states. Sound governance in the public sector is a critical factor for continued progress. A determined effort is thus required by governments in refocussing the capacities of the public sector to meet the emerging challenges, and to grasp the