The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Visit the archives.
Justine Thody presents results of a study that detail the impacts of digital distractions on productivity in the workplace. Thody emphasizes that even in the age of Twitter and Facebook, email remains the greatest culprit. A University of Minnesota study found that if interrupted, people take up to 27% longer to complete the task they're doing and make twice as many mistakes.
Now that Osama Bin Laden has been killed, what does the future hold for America's Af-Pak strategy? Al Jazeera's "Empire" hosts a fascinating discussion with Middle Eastern experts, including progressive analyst Tariq Ali. The discussion examines the future of Al Qaeda, while reflecting on the origins of the organization and the Jihadi ideology. In addition, it examines the foothold that the Taliban has in the region and unpacks possible scenarios to achieve peace and stability...
Saliem Fakir -
The social grant is a wager with time. Its aim is to catch the indigent - those who have no chance of ever finding a job - within a social welfare net to soften the blow of poverty.
For others, it’s a respite during hard times. It lifts the spirits of those waiting for their fortunes to change. Well planned and executed social grants should also help break inter-generational cycles of poverty.
The thought that social grants create “dependency” is largely dictated by what...
Carmel deAmicis -
Crowd Surfing Without Tears
From a couple blocks away we could hear the screaming. It was a loud bellow rumbling through the spaces between skyscrapers, the unmistakable sound of a jubilant crowd at a sports stadium. Except this wasn’t a sports stadium – it was Ground Zero, minutes after Obama addressed the nation to tell us Bin Laden was dead. The people trickling towards the site began sprinting as they got closer, running straight into a teeming mass of young people. A wall of...
Brazil is bridging the gap between rich and poor with, Bolsa Familia, a social program which may prove to be one of its most valuable exports to the rest of the world.
After Lula’s eight years in office, more than 20 million of the vast poor have been lifted out of poverty, where jobs and social policies are bringing inequality down. Income for the poorest in Brazil has grown eight per cent a year, while for the richest it has grown only one-and-a-half per cent.
Read more on Russia...
Jane Duncan -
In a few weeks time, South Africans will go to the polls to vote in the local government elections. It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will increase its support during these elections.
The DA under the leadership of Helen Zille is a political phenomenon. It is winning more hearts and minds, including in working class communities that had previously shunned the party. Many people are desperate for an electoral alternative to the ANC. But as tempting as it may...
