Sub-state diplomacy and the foreign policy-development nexus in South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID5725019
AuthorsFritz Nganje (0000-0001-9992-2547, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume23
Issue1
Pages1-20
Publication date2016-01-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth African Journal of International Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1022-0461 • E-ISSN: 1938-0275
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10220461.2016.1154889
OpenAlexW2316439236
LanguageEN
Citations received6

This article examines the role of sub-state diplomacy, defined as the transnational linkages of sub-national governments, in bridging the gap between foreign policy and the domestic development agenda in South Africa. It argues that, as territorial sub-state actors, provinces and municipalities are strategically positioned to use their international relations to make foreign policy more responsive to domestic socio-economic priorities. In the South African case, however, this potential is yet to be fully realised, mainly because of institutional fragmentation of the foreign policy apparatus, but also owing to enduring challenges in the foreign activities of sub-national governments. The article concludes by making the case for a new diplomatic paradigm in South Africa, one that actively promotes and harnesses the foreign activities and capacities of different national stakeholders, including those of sub-national governments, in the interest of the domestic development agenda

Diplomacy · Economic Diplomacy · Economic growth · Economics · Foreign policy · Foreign relations · International relations · National interest · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration · Law · Leadership, Human Resources, Global Affairs · Legal Issues in South Africa · Public Administration

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