South Africa's Dominant-Party System in Comparative Perspective

Pierre du Toit ； Nicola de Jager

《Taiwan Journal of Democracy》 10卷2期 (2014/12) Pp. 93-113

並列摘要

This essay serves as an analysis of South Africa's dominant-party system. We address three questions. First, what accounts for the sustained electoral dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) and what does the ANC's current decline in voter support indicate? Second, what can we learn of the nature of South Africa's dominant-party system in comparison to its southern African neighbor, Zimbabwe (an illiberal dominant-party system of the most malevolent kind)? The third question explores how the nature of the ANC's dominance affects the quality of government in South Africa. We find that the implication of the decline in support for the ANC-that South Africa may be moving toward a more competitive political system-is potentially positive, as competition should encourage greater accountability and pressure to deliver. But also it is potentially negative. The ANC's response and the resources on which it depends for power and for governing are key determinants of this trajectory. If the ANC embraces quality of government on the basis of impartiality, its material resources will be both sustainable and a benefit to society as whole. If, however, the ANC becomes conflated with the state in the minds of those deriving benefit from political appointments as well as material resources (as happened in Zimbabwe), South Africa will become vulnerable to radicalism and populism.

並列關鍵字

South Africa ； African National Congress (ANC) ； dominant-party System ； Zimbabwe ； Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)

參考文獻

South Africa, Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996

Stellenbosch University, “Research on Socio-Economic Policy (RESEP),” 2013, http://resep.sun.ac.za (accessed July 20, 2014).

Institute of Race Relations, South Africa Survey 2013 (Johannesburg: South African Institute of Race Relations, 2013), 645-647

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey Quarter 1, 2014, March 5, 2014

Gross Domestic Product Regional Estimate 2003-2013, Statistical release P0441, November 26, 2013