Politicsweb.co.za 14 December 2017 Shawn Hagedorn says without economic growth we’re trapped Locating SA within a global context 13 December 2017 Despite a modest debt load, SA’s credit rating is set to be junk rated for many years. Credit agencies have been explicit that this stems from the absence of a workable growth model. This…Continue reading Escape from junk status

14th December 2017 Despite a modest debt load, SA’s credit rating is set to be junk rated for many years. Credit agencies have been explicit that this stems from the absence of a workable growth model. This requires liberating exporting opportunities from redistribution focused regulations. The underlying blockage is that SA’s politics place the country within a…Continue reading Strap yourselves in for a long junk-status ride

Politicsweb.co.za 28 November 2017 Shawn Hagedorn says we are a society unable to think its way out of its current predicament With the ANC’s pivotal elective conference less than a month away, Parliament released its High Level Panel’s report on “Assessment of Key Legislation” and “Acceleration of Fundamental Change”. The report mixes some worthwhile ideas…Continue reading South Africa’s introspection deficit

Politicsweb.co.za 4 November 2017 Shawn Hagedorn says Zuma’s corruption will force us to make the hard choices soon Jacob Zuma created a massive patronage network without benefit of a complicit finance minister. Viewing this through morality-focused lenses forfeits necessary insights. The ANC’s policy prescriptions had become hopelessly misguided long before the Zuma era arrived. SA’s…Continue reading Gigaba personifies SA’s growth and atonement challenges

27th September 2017 During apartheid, the dominance of government and business was split between Afrikaners and English South Africans, respectively. Dave Steward, former chief of staff to President de Klerk, can be heard on YouTube making the point that if you put sociologists in charge, you get social engineering. HF Verwoerd was killed over fifty years…Continue reading KPMG trigger for real radical economic transformation, starting with accountants

Politicsweb.co.za 16 August 2017 Shawn Hagedorn says the other scenarios are rapidly becoming unworkable Shawn Hagedorn | 16 August 2017 Shawn Hagedorn says the other scenarios are rapidly becoming unworkable Jacob Zuma’s two key challenges now appear far more elusive than he, or anyone else, could have anticipated a year ago: First, he needs his camp…Continue reading Why the anti-Zuma camp must break from the ANC

25th July 2017 The ANC’s prospects to remain united and achieve an electoral majority in 2019 are steadily dimming. Yet a national coalition government risks a repeat of 1994 where a new regime is morally legitimate but factional interests preclude effective policy making. What the IMF and credit agencies have in mind when they stress the need for sweeping…Continue reading Looming SA coalition, no bed of roses

By CNBC Africa -May 9, 2017 Can Russia be a good fit as a strategic economic partner for South Africa? To answer that question, CNBC Africa spoke to Independent Strategy Adviser, Shawn Hagedorn and discussed the potentials in this partnership.

25th April 2017 Considering President Zuma’s partnering prospects from Russian President Putin’s perspective helps to explain SA’s complicated, and largely dysfunctional, economic and foreign policies. Neither Putin nor Zuma should be underestimated in terms of political cunning. Yet both men have worldviews and economic notions which are irreconcilable with today’s key trends and success factors. BRIC…Continue reading Can the Putin-Zuma bromance survive? It’s complicated

15th March 2017 SA’s per capita income growth has been negative in recent years. Unless the national dialogue is upgraded to inform broad policy shifts, this will become routine. There is remarkably little awareness that seeking to reduce SA’s unemployment or poverty when the economy has entered a period of prolonged stagnation is counter-productive. The order of…Continue reading Under ANC, SA has experienced wealth destruction on a massive scale