South Africa: The Continuing Politics of Basic Income

  • Jeremy Seekings
  • Heidi Matisonn
Chapter
Part of the International Political Economy Series book series (IPES)

Abstract

South African government ministers routinely profess their commitment to mitigating poverty and inequality, including — if necessary — through broad and expensive welfare programmes. The South African state redistributes approximately 3.5 percent of GDP through non-contributory social-assistance programmes, paying out in 2010 more than 13 million grants every month, in a country whose total population was about 50 million. No other major country in the global South spends as much on social assistance or reaches as high a proportion of the population. Yet, many poor people remain beyond the reach of the public welfare system, and many of these poor people vote for the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC). This would seem to be fertile ground for the introduction of a basic income grant (BIG) reaching all citizens (and voters). Indeed, in 2002, a government appointed committee of enquiry recommended (albeit tentatively) the introduction of a BIG.

Keywords

Social Assistance Welfare Reform African National Congress Basic Income Treatment Action Campaign 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Jeremy Seekings and Heidi Matisonn 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jeremy Seekings
  • Heidi Matisonn

There are no affiliations available

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