Ideologies that South Africa can borrow from selected high-growth nations in efforts to re-establish its developmental state model

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This article examines the philosophies that South Africa can adopt from specific high-growth nations to reinstate its "developmental state" paradigm. In the post-Apartheid period, following South Africa's liberation from the governing National Party, numerous initiatives were suggested to rejuvenate the nation and enhance its presence on both national and global stages. The newly established ANC government, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, formulated and implemented several people-centric policies and strategic initiatives. The administration embraced "developmental state" ideals, believing that state economic engagement may improve its ability to address the legacy of apartheid, especially the challenges of poverty, unemployment, and widespread inequalities. Nevertheless, despite three decades of democracy, the purported "developmental state" continues to exhibit numerous governance and socioeconomic issues, including elevated poverty rates, social inequality, disparate land access, unemployment, and disparities in public service availability. The discourse on South Africa's status as a "developmental state" persists, along with enquiries into how the nation may realign itself to achieve its goal of being a "developmental state." This document seeks to compile methods that South Africa could use based on examples from selected high-growth nations. This paper will examine how South Africa might reverse its economic decline, the necessary institutional and structural reforms, and the social and political contexts required to establish itself as a more credible "developmental state". This research utilises a qualitative secondary analysis of existing textual data regarding the relationship between South Africa, the "developmental state," and the chosen high-growth countries.