Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the democratisation of South Africa's foreign trade
policy, by evaluating the negotiations surrounding the establishment of a free
trade area between South Africa and the European Union (EU). Democracy
here is defined as a form of government that rests on three components
namely, public participation in and public debate over policy formulation and a
governing elite that is responsive to the needs of the majority of the
population.
The thesis firstly outlines the process of negotiation itself, looking at the
developments that shaped the years of talks. It examines the nature of the
final agreement, called the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement
(TDCA). It focuses on the Co-operation Agreements that were concluded,
South Africa's partial accession to the Lomé Convention and the details of the
free trade agreement. It finds that although the negotiations took very long to
complete and the EU proved to be a tough negotiator, there are a number of
opportunities for South Africans in the TDCA.
In the second section the internal process in developing a South African
negotiating mandate is examined. This is done to conclude whether or not
South Africa's foreign trade policy is being formulated in a democratic
manner. However, first of all the question why the democratisation of foreign
trade policy formulation is important is addressed. Two possible theories are
advanced. Firstly, globalisation has forced countries to lure foreign direct
investment (FDI) as a matter of urgency. Seeing as FDI is mostly tied up with
western nations that prefer democracies, states are opting to democratise.
The focus is to a large extent on satisfying international actors. Or
alternatively, the very survival of the nascent democracy today depends on
the consultative nature of domestic economic and international economic
policy formulation. This is not a question of choice with an external focus, but
rather a matter of urgency with purely an internal focus.
Four actors in foreign policy formulation, namely parliament, government, the
bureaucracy and civil society, are examined in order to understand whether
they had access to the process and whether these institutions themselves
have been democratised since 1994. The thesis finds that the process was to
a large extent democratic in nature.
However, the thesis also finds that no matter how democratic policy
formulation is in South Africa, the options for policy are limited by a number of
international elements. These include globalisation, regional trading blocs like
the European Union, and international organisations like the World Trade
Organisation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis evalueer die demokratisering van Suid-Afrika se buitelandse
handelsbeleid deur die onderhandelingsproses tussen die Europese Unie
(EU) en Suid-Afrika rakende die sluiting van 'n vryhandelsooreenkoms te
ontleed. Demokrasie word in die tesis definieer as 'n tipe regering wat rus op
drie komponente, naamlik deelname in en debat oor beleidsformulering en 'n
regerende elite wat die behoeftes van die meerderheid van die burgers in ag
neem in beleidsformulering.
Eerstens omskryf die tesis die gebeure wat die onderhandelingsproses
beïnvloed het. Die finale ooreenkoms word oorweeg teen die agtergrond van
die samewerkingsooreenkomste wat tussen die partye gesluit is, Suid-Afrika
se gedeeltelike deelname aan die Lomé Konfensie en die
vryhandelsooreenkoms. Die gevolgtrekking word bereik dat ten spyte van die
feit dat die onderhandelings oor 'n hele aantal jare gestek het, en alhoewel die
EU 'n uitgeslape onderhandelaar was, die orreenkoms talle geleenthede vir
Suid-Afrikaners skep.
In die tweede instansie word die interne proses wat tot Suid-Afrika se
onderhandelingsmandaat gelei het, ondersoek. Dit is gedoen om vas te stel
of die beleid op 'n demokratiese manier geformuleer is. Daar word egter eers
bepaal waarom die demokratisering van buitelandse handelsbeleid belangrik
is. Twee moontlike teorie word geformuleer. Die eerste stel dit dat
globalisering lande forseer om direkte buitelandse beleggings aan te lok.
Siende dat buitelandse beleggings van westerlike state afkomstig is, wat
verkies om met demokratiese state sake te doen, word ontwikkelende lande
as te ware geforseer om veral hulle buitelandse beleidsformulering te
demokratiseer. In die alternatief kan dit betoog word dat die voortbestaan van
die demokrasie self afhang van 'n ekonomiese beleidsformulering wat beide
binnelandse en internasionale prosesse insluit. Dit is nie 'n kwessie van
keuse met 'n eksterne fokus nie, maar 'n noodsaaklikheid met 'n interne
fokus.
Vier groeperinge wat buitelandse beleidsformulering beïnvloed word
ondersoek, naamlik die Parlament, the regering, die burokrasie en die
burgerlike samelewing, om vas te stelof hierdie instansies toegang tot die
proses gehad het en of hierdie instansies self sedert 1994 gedemokratiseer
is.
Die tesis kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat al is die formulering van buitelandse
beleid hoé demokraties, word die moontlikehede vir beleidsformulering beperk
deur globalisering, streeksorganisasies soos die EU, en internasionale
organisasies soos the Wêreld Handelsorganisasie. Vir Chris, Gitti, Thomas en my ouers, sonder wie hierdie nooit klaar sou gekom
het nie. Baie dankie ook aan Prof Philip Nel vir sy hulp, leiding en
ondersteuning.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52573 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha |
| Contributors | Nel, Philip, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political science . |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 92 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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