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The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.

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Main Author: Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
Other Authors: Nel, Philip
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
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access_status_str Open Access
author Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
author2 Nel, Philip
author_browse Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
Nel, Philip
author_facet Nel, Philip
Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
author_sort Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52573
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:41:00.180Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2012
publishDateRange 2012
publishDateSort 2012
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52573 The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha Nel, Philip Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political science . Free trade -- South Africa Free trade -- European Union countries European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries South Africa -- Economic policy South Africa -- Commercial treaties Dissertations -- Political science Theses -- Political science Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the democratisation of South Africa's foreign trade policy, by evaluating the negotiations surrounding the establishment of a free trade area between South Africa and the European Union (EU). Democracy here is defined as a form of government that rests on three components namely, public participation in and public debate over policy formulation and a governing elite that is responsive to the needs of the majority of the population. The thesis firstly outlines the process of negotiation itself, looking at the developments that shaped the years of talks. It examines the nature of the final agreement, called the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA). It focuses on the Co-operation Agreements that were concluded, South Africa's partial accession to the Lomé Convention and the details of the free trade agreement. It finds that although the negotiations took very long to complete and the EU proved to be a tough negotiator, there are a number of opportunities for South Africans in the TDCA. In the second section the internal process in developing a South African negotiating mandate is examined. This is done to conclude whether or not South Africa's foreign trade policy is being formulated in a democratic manner. However, first of all the question why the democratisation of foreign trade policy formulation is important is addressed. Two possible theories are advanced. Firstly, globalisation has forced countries to lure foreign direct investment (FDI) as a matter of urgency. Seeing as FDI is mostly tied up with western nations that prefer democracies, states are opting to democratise. The focus is to a large extent on satisfying international actors. Or alternatively, the very survival of the nascent democracy today depends on the consultative nature of domestic economic and international economic policy formulation. This is not a question of choice with an external focus, but rather a matter of urgency with purely an internal focus. Four actors in foreign policy formulation, namely parliament, government, the bureaucracy and civil society, are examined in order to understand whether they had access to the process and whether these institutions themselves have been democratised since 1994. The thesis finds that the process was to a large extent democratic in nature. However, the thesis also finds that no matter how democratic policy formulation is in South Africa, the options for policy are limited by a number of international elements. These include globalisation, regional trading blocs like the European Union, and international organisations like the World Trade Organisation. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis evalueer die demokratisering van Suid-Afrika se buitelandse handelsbeleid deur die onderhandelingsproses tussen die Europese Unie (EU) en Suid-Afrika rakende die sluiting van 'n vryhandelsooreenkoms te ontleed. Demokrasie word in die tesis definieer as 'n tipe regering wat rus op drie komponente, naamlik deelname in en debat oor beleidsformulering en 'n regerende elite wat die behoeftes van die meerderheid van die burgers in ag neem in beleidsformulering. Eerstens omskryf die tesis die gebeure wat die onderhandelingsproses beïnvloed het. Die finale ooreenkoms word oorweeg teen die agtergrond van die samewerkingsooreenkomste wat tussen die partye gesluit is, Suid-Afrika se gedeeltelike deelname aan die Lomé Konfensie en die vryhandelsooreenkoms. Die gevolgtrekking word bereik dat ten spyte van die feit dat die onderhandelings oor 'n hele aantal jare gestek het, en alhoewel die EU 'n uitgeslape onderhandelaar was, die orreenkoms talle geleenthede vir Suid-Afrikaners skep. In die tweede instansie word die interne proses wat tot Suid-Afrika se onderhandelingsmandaat gelei het, ondersoek. Dit is gedoen om vas te stel of die beleid op 'n demokratiese manier geformuleer is. Daar word egter eers bepaal waarom die demokratisering van buitelandse handelsbeleid belangrik is. Twee moontlike teorie word geformuleer. Die eerste stel dit dat globalisering lande forseer om direkte buitelandse beleggings aan te lok. Siende dat buitelandse beleggings van westerlike state afkomstig is, wat verkies om met demokratiese state sake te doen, word ontwikkelende lande as te ware geforseer om veral hulle buitelandse beleidsformulering te demokratiseer. In die alternatief kan dit betoog word dat die voortbestaan van die demokrasie self afhang van 'n ekonomiese beleidsformulering wat beide binnelandse en internasionale prosesse insluit. Dit is nie 'n kwessie van keuse met 'n eksterne fokus nie, maar 'n noodsaaklikheid met 'n interne fokus. Vier groeperinge wat buitelandse beleidsformulering beïnvloed word ondersoek, naamlik die Parlament, the regering, die burokrasie en die burgerlike samelewing, om vas te stelof hierdie instansies toegang tot die proses gehad het en of hierdie instansies self sedert 1994 gedemokratiseer is. Die tesis kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat al is die formulering van buitelandse beleid hoé demokraties, word die moontlikehede vir beleidsformulering beperk deur globalisering, streeksorganisasies soos die EU, en internasionale organisasies soos the Wêreld Handelsorganisasie. Vir Chris, Gitti, Thomas en my ouers, sonder wie hierdie nooit klaar sou gekom het nie. Baie dankie ook aan Prof Philip Nel vir sy hulp, leiding en ondersteuning. Masters 2012-08-27T11:35:03Z 2012-08-27T11:35:03Z 2001-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52573 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 92 p. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Free trade -- South Africa
Free trade -- European Union countries
European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa
South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries
South Africa -- Economic policy
South Africa -- Commercial treaties
Dissertations -- Political science
Theses -- Political science
Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha
The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title_full The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title_fullStr The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title_full_unstemmed The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title_short The SA-EU trade, development and co-operation agreement : democratising South Africa's trade policy
title_sort sa eu trade development and co operation agreement democratising south africa s trade policy
topic Free trade -- South Africa
Free trade -- European Union countries
European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa
South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries
South Africa -- Economic policy
South Africa -- Commercial treaties
Dissertations -- Political science
Theses -- Political science
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52573
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