Abstract not available. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The main purpose of this paper was to explore the role economic partnership agreements play in regional integration. The whole paper was premised on identifying the nature of economic partnership agreements that is conceived as a free trade arrangement. Therefore the paper discussed the feasibility of the reciprocal principle between the European Union and ACP countries, and further indicated that there is no need to implement the principle of reciprocity at present. The paper also discovered that, due to the fact that unequal trade relations between the EU and the ACP countries still exist, the implementation of the EPAs is most likely to generate the complementary but non-competitive trade relations between the EU and the ACP countries. Such a situation could result in the ACP countries over-independence on the EU's market. ACP countries are not expecting to such integration. In addition the paper ascertains that the EPAs themselves could contain the intrinsic negative impacts such as discrimination against the third countries on regional integration.

No abstract available / Development Studies / D.Admin.

Over the past decade, road construction has come to represent Chinese engagement with Ethiopia. This study considers the lives of Chinese workers at the lower end of one such project in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. By examining the ways in which Chinese road workers tried to make sense of daily life on the construction site, I reveal the inherent contradictions of a state rhetoric that promoted 'win-win cooperation' ('huying huli hezuo') and 'friendly collaboration' ('youhao hezuo') between China and Africa, and demonstrate the local manifestations of the much-debated 'China Model'. Initial expectations coloured by state narratives, as well as the migrants' own experiences with domestic development, stood in sharp contrast to realities on the ground. Convinced of the goodwill nature of their activities, Chinese workers were puzzled by and resentful of the apparent ingratitude of local Ethiopians, their lack of cooperation, and, worse, repeated attempts to sabotage the construction work. Chinese workers' struggles with development in Africa, I argue, should be understood in relation to their background as upwardly mobile rural migrants at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy, successors of engineers dispatched under Mao Zedong who had enjoyed a respectable reputation at home - a reputation current workers felt they were about to lose - and as citizens aware of their country's status in the world as superior to Africa and inferior to the West. The workers sought to live up to Chinese ideals of development by demonstrating and promoting the virtues of self-development, simultaneous development, and entrepreneurialism. Ethiopians, however, did not concede to these ideas, and their lack of cooperation stirred resentment and expressions of self-pity on the part of the Chinese, who blamed the Ethiopian labourers, their suzhi (human quality), and wenhua (culture) for the limited success of the projects. What Chinese workers failed to realise was that the attitude of Ethiopians was in fact a response to asymmetrical and contested power relations that did not allow for win-win cooperation and friendly collaboration.

China’s economy has been experiencing high growth since 1979. The growth of China’s economy is attributed to the growth in its international trade. China’s economic growth affects trade growth of other nations because of the combination of its huge size, rapid growth and openness. This study investigates the direct effect of China’s growth on its imports from South Africa. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

This study is about the economic diplomacy of Namibia, as a small state, for the period 1990 – 2015. Liberalism, as a theory of International Relations (IR) studies, is the adopted analytical framework. Namibia’s economic diplomacy is anchored in the foreign policy principles enshrined in article 96 of her constitution, which advocate, inter alia, the maintenance of mutual beneficial relations. Namibia, further enacted laws and adopted policies that serve as domestic instruments of economic diplomacy. The stakeholders in Namibia’s economic diplomacy include both state and non-state actors. The study adopts a population of 8 million as the benchmark for small states, plus one of the following characteristics of small states: small size of the territory; low economy and the perception by the government leaders and nationals. Namibia’s bilateral economic diplomacy covers over one hundred countries. Her major trade partners, in terms of export trade and inward investments are Angola, Canada, China, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, The United Kingdom and the United States. Bilateral economic diplomacy is further pursued through the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) exports. The Namibian Government pursues multilateral economic diplomacy with the European Union, as part of the Africa Caribbean Pacific states and with regional and international economic and trade organisations such as the Southern Africa Customs Union, the Southern Africa Development Community, the United Nations Conference in Trade and Development and the World Trade Organisation. Namibia also adopts conference diplomacy as a form of multilateral economic diplomacy. The study makes an epistemological contribution to the study of IR, that the world is constructed under the hierarchical order that constrains power-based relations and minimises conflicts in international trade. A minimal trend of pursuing interests is, however, observed. The study further makes an ontological contribution to the study of IR, that the behaviour of state and non-state actors are inclined to cooperation on the continuum of conflict and cooperation. The study concludes that, contrary to the assumptions in small states literature, that small states have limitations of capacity and play an insignificant role in multilateralism, Namibia has skilled negotiators who have led negotiations in regional and international organisations. / Political Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (International Politics)

Overall the conclusions drawn about South Africa’s negotiating style and tactics were arrived at by analysing a number of reports (that closely followed the evolution of the negotiations) and then paralleling this case study’s findings with the conjectures made by the theoretical frameworks (i.e. works by Putnam, Zartmann and Churchmann) about how negotiations proceed. In the final analysis, the findings of this case are intended to provide insight for the south about how to approach any future trade negotiations with the North (or more specifically with the EU).

The thesis explores the reasons why states cooperate rather than fight over transboundary water resources. Through a mixed-method research involving both quantitative and qualitative analytical tools, the research shows that states tend to cooperate with one another when (a multidimensional conceptualisation of) interstate power relations are more symmetric, amongst other power-asymmetry arguments. They also tend to cooperate more than others when there exist a high disparity in the level of development between riparian states, and when their relations are characterised by high levels of economic interdependence. / Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

M.Comm. / The fundamental purpose of the dissertation was a descriptive analysis and a theoretical evaluation of the petroleum industry and its functions in South Africa, as well as the relevance of toll roads in South Africa. Toll roads provide the opportunity whereby an urgently needed road can be built at an earlier date than would be the case normally. The strategic management of businesses under normal market conditions has been studied extensively. Less importance has been given to the strategic management of businesses affected by external market forces such as quotas, import tariffs, restricted licenses and toll roads. South Africa has more than 200 000 kilometers of roads and more than seven million cars. Therefore demand for petrol has grown substantially over the last few years. There are ten different petroleum companies in South Africa; namely Afric Oil, BP, Caltex, Engen, Exel, Sasol, Shell, Tepco, Total and Zenex and there is no discernible difference between the fuels from the different oil companies. In May 1996, the governments of South Africa and Mozambique announced their vision and their objectives for the Maputo Development Corridor. In particular they expressed their belief that the corridor initiative held substantial opportunities for both the public and private sectors. The Trans African Concession (TRAC) was awarded the concession to develop the corridor. Concession grants the private sector a right to collect tollfees, which are used to service the loans incurred for: designing, construction, operations and maintenance of toll roads in the Maputo Development. The concessioning right usually extends for a period of 30 years after which the road is handed back to the South African National Road Agency. The first of five toll roads opened on the 8 December 1998 between Witbank and Middelburg. Tollfees are collected (R20,60 per car) by Plaza operators, and tariffs are adjusted annually. Toll Roads affect businesses, such as petrol stations, restaurants etc., due to high tollfees. Thereby some motorists use alternative routes. The study focuses on the petroleum industry, and more particularly on the retail of fuel and related products in the Maputo Development Corridor. An external market force in the form of the N3 toll road is affecting this market and industry. Consequently the strategic management of Shell Ultra City Middelburg and other affected businesses have to adapt from the task model to allow for the influence of the toll road. The toll road functions and annually toll tariff adjustments, formed the crux of this study. General strategic considerations are developed in the study to counter the effect of the toll road. Furthermore, a specific action plan is formulated to practically implement these general strategic considerations.

In the last few decades the European Union (EU) and its members have emphasized the importance of human rights and the need to improve human rights conditions in Third World countries. In this research project, I attempted to find out whether the European Union and its members practice what they preach by giving precedence to countries that respect human rights through their Official Development Assistance (ODA) program. Furthermore, I tried to analyze whether European integration occurs at the foreign policy level through aid allocation. Based on the literatures on political conditionality and on the relationship between human rights and foreign aid allocation, I expected that all EU members promote principles of good governance by rewarding countries that protect the human rights of their citizens. I conducted a cross-sectional time-series selection model over all recipients of ODA for each of the twelve members for which I have data, the European Commission, and the aggregate EU disbursements from 1979 to 1998.