A Comparative Overview of Elements of Political Economy of Urban Governance in the Global South: The cases of eThekwini Municipality (South Africa) and Cochin Municipality (India)

With rapid urbanization and migration to cities, particularly in developing nations, the focus and emphasis on city governance, politics, institutional capacity, and sustainability issues have become paramount in critical analyses and policy discussions. This paper examines the functional complexities of two large Municipalities in two port cities located in South Africa and India, specifically eThekwini (the city of Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal) and Cochin (in the state of Kerala). Following a brief overview of the characteristics of the two Municipalities, the paper delves into the system of governance, level of autonomy, participatory structures in place, the extent to which they can respond to the service delivery demands of the public in an inclusive manner, and approaches to addressing climate change concerns. The paper is contextualised with reference to the theoretical concept of the Right to the City

The Role of the African Union in Continental Peace and Security Governance

This article traces the evolution of the African Union as a successor organisation to the Organisation of African Unity in terms of its mandate for conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking and peace-building. The Union has established a continent-wide peace and security architecture through its Peace and Security Council. The paper looks at the different elements of this architecture with special focus on peacekeeping operations and institutions such as the Early Warning Mechanism, Peer Review Mechanism, Panel of the Wise and the Standby Force, which together constitute the support structure of the Council. The regional economic communities are the building blocks of this architecture creating something like a ‘multi-layered security community’. They function synergistically by acting as conduits of policy implementation of the Union. Finally, it also identifies some of the hurdles ahead of the organisation to realise a robust peace and security architecture on the continent. </jats:p

Robert W. Cox and Critical Theory of International Relations

Robert W. Cox’s contribution to International Relations theory places the discipline in a transformational framework. Building on Gramsci’s ideas and a variety of other sources eclectically, his theory goes beyond the neorealist statecentric framework and brings out the connections between material conditions, ideas and institutions in what he terms the formation of ‘world orders’. How people organize themselves in the sphere of production not only determines their own life but also that of their states and the world order. In saying that change can come from any one of the spheres (material conditions, ideas and institutions), he denies and goes beyond the base–superstructure thesis of Marxism. Cox identifies creation of a vibrant civil society, emergence of organic intellectuals representing the marginalized, development of community-level solidarity, participatory democracy, non-violent methods of conflict resolution, pluralism and multilateralism as key elements of his transformational agenda. This essay explores Cox’s main ideas relating to transformational international relations and the strategies envisaged for transformation. </jats:p

A comparative study of English Literature teaching strategies in Kerala, India before, during and after the coronavirus pandemic

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5566656*es