Zimbabwe: The Link Between Politics and the Economy: The Link Between Politics and the Economy

by Godfrey Kanyenze

Overview

In this accessible and authoritative book, Godfrey Kanyenze provides a comprehensive and far-reaching analysis of the socio-economic development in Zimbabwe in light of the expanding authoritarianism and the ongoing destruction of democratic institutions during the four decades after independence. Kanyenze describes the various phases of the socio-economic development starting with 1980 when the people of Zimbabwe saw their hard-won independence and new democracy as a promise for a "better life for all". Kanyenze highlights how by dismantling all barriers of economic and legal restraint, and that despite being necessary, The land reform programme put the political and financial interests of the elite before those of the people which continues to this day. Kanyenze reveals the governmental attacks on civil society, and notes how economic policy was not even part of an "authoritarian bargain", an implicit arrangement between ruling elites and citizens whereby citizens relinquish political freedom in exchange for public goods. And he concludes this analysis with a current update of Zimbabwe today, where citizens have nothing -neither political freedom nor public goods. This impressive and gripping account of an authoritarian capitalist system and a country in decline is a must-read for students, researchers, policymakers and those who want to better understand how politics and the economy, interests, conflicts, and power work together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781779224071
Publisher:	Weaver Press
Publication date:	03/31/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	478
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

GODFREY KANYENZE is a scholar and development practitioner with over 35 years of experience. He is the Director of the Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (LEDRIZ), a research think-tank of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). Prior to this he was an economist with the ZCTU and statistician with the Central Statistical Office (CSO) in Harare. Godfrey has worked extensively at both national and regional levels, including assisting governments develop National Employment Policies (NEPs). He currently also serves as Chairman of the Poverty Reduction Forum Trust and is a member of the Technical Committee of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF). He received his B.Sc in Economics at the University of Zimbabwe, his Masters in Economics at the University of Kent at Canterbury, and completed his Ph.D in Development Studies at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex (UK).

Table of Contents

1.   Introduction, Methodology and Structure

2.   The First Decade of Independence, 1980-90

3.   The Period of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme: 1991-1996

4.   The Crisis Period, The Lost Decade of Development, 1997-2008

5.   Period of the Government of National Unity, 2009-June 2013

6.   Post-GNU Period under Robert Mugabe (August 2013-November 2017)

7.   The Post-Mugabe Period, November 2017 to December 2020

8.   Synopsis, Synthesis, Factors Underlying the Persistent Crises and the Way Forward