Just over 30 years after South Africa’s first democratic elections, public opinion is divided over how to evaluate the post-apartheid, democratic state. Characterisations range from “failed or failing state”, to “mafia state” to the more optimistic “developmental state” committed to addressing historical patterns of injustice through decisive state intervention.

The characterisations vary so widely because interpretations of the state are shaped not only by a complex empirical reality but also by competing theoretical and ideological perspectives.

Download the full article below or read on The Conversation Africa.