Twenty-first century digital communications technology is one of the marvels of our age, and its social, cultural and economic benefits are probably immeasurable. But of course, it also has major downsides. One of these can be seen very clearly in the way that social media, artificial intelligence and other new technologies are misused as political […]

One of the hallmarks of the state capture era was the politics of patronage – numerous senior politicians, President Jacob Zuma chief among them, built up loyalty networks through the distribution of jobs in government and positions in public office, and by offering access to tenders and other forms of state spending. Democracy Digest 16 […]

Organisations like the CPLO and others that regularly make submissions to Parliament are often asked whether they ‘actually’ or ‘really’ influence legislation; does their work result in identifiable changes to the wording of laws? Democracy Digest 15 Influencing Legislation by Mike Pothier