New South Institute

23/08/2026

Have you registered for yet?

Here’s one more reason to join the conversation: democracy depends on much more than elections.

Free and fair elections remain one of democracy’s defining features, but democracy is sustained long after ballots have been counted. It depends on institutions that uphold the rule of law, public administration that serves citizens effectively, and leadership that acts with integrity and accountability.

Strong democracies require capable institutions that can continue to function, adapt and respond to changing circumstances.

At Statecraft 2026, we’ll bring together perspectives from across the world to consider what this means in practice, and what South Africa, the Global South and the broader international community can learn from one another.

When: 22-23 September 2026
Where: In person at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), 26 Melville Road, Illovo, Johannesburg, or join us online.

Register: Attending in person or online? Reserve your place by registering here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3MKTURwJoTZfchhdajTXVhX4dT-zuReogarGD9Lcr0LibJQ/viewform

Programme: View the full programme and speakers here: https://nsi.org.za/statecraft/

20/08/2026

Non-alignment is not simply about choosing not to choose.

In the latest contribution to the New South Institute’s Missing Voices: Critical Thinking in Times of Polycrisis series, Jelena Vidojević, NSI Co-Founder and Head of the South-South Dialogues Programme, speaks with scholar Paul Stubbs about the Non-Aligned Movement, the Global South and the changing international order.

Stubbs draws an important distinction between “Non-Alignment” as an institutional form and “non-alignment” as a set of principles and strategic choices. While the former may hold less relevance today, he argues that the latter remains highly relevant.

That distinction matters in a world where non-alignment can easily be reduced to “hedging your bets” between competing powers. For Stubbs, a principled non-alignment must be grounded in something more: equitable development, equality, climate action and the reform of multilateral institutions.

“The values still have to matter.”

The interview has also been republished by Brave New Europe.

Read the full conversation: https://nsi.org.za/project_activity/non-alignment-global-south-nam-nieo-paul-stubbs/

South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) Progressive International The Africa Institute

20/08/2026

The future of democratic governance cannot be shaped by one sector alone.

The International Congress on Democracy and Public Institutions brings together policymakers, reform thinkers, governance practitioners, institutional leaders and academics from around the world, with a particular focus on South Africa and the Global South.

By bringing together diverse perspectives and practical experience, the Congress will create space for meaningful dialogue on institutional reform, public administration, democratic resilience and government capability.

The challenges facing democratic institutions are shared. The opportunity to learn from one another is equally important.

Explore the programme and panels: https://nsi.org.za/statecraft/

Registration is free, but please register as soon as possible. You can join us in person in Johannesburg or virtually.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3MKTURwJoTZfchhdajTXVhX4dT-zuReogarGD9Lcr0LibJQ/viewform

18/08/2026

South Africa’s migration debate is also a debate about the economy, about access to jobs and opportunities, how scarcity is experienced, and where responsibility for the country’s economic difficulties ultimately lies.

Speaking to Nigeria’s News Central TV, Alan Hirsch, Head of the New South Institute’s Migration Governance Reform in Africa (MIGRA) programme, reflects on the economic and policy questions beneath growing hostility towards migrants in South Africa.

The evidence complicates widely held assumptions about migration and employment. Yet where unemployment is high and opportunities are scarce, perceptions of competition for jobs and public services remain powerful.

The conversation also considers migration governance, South Africa’s relationship with its neighbours, and a harder question: how much of the anger directed towards migrants is rooted in problems that migration policy alone cannot solve?

Watch the full conversation with Alan Hirsch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz36ZY-WYas

The Africa Institute South/South Movement Southern Voice Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University IOM - UN Migration

South Africa’s growing anti-immigrant sentiment is raising concerns...

17/08/2026

Good public administration is rarely noticed. It is reflected in functioning institutions, reliable public services and systems that people trust. It creates stability, supports economic growth and strengthens confidence in democratic governance.

When these systems work well, they become part of everyday life. When they begin to fail, their absence is felt across communities, businesses and government alike.

Building capable institutions requires more than good policy. It requires leadership, accountability, professional public administration and a commitment to continuous reform.

These are some of the questions at the heart of Statecraft 2026: The Machinery of Democracy, which will bring together leading thinkers, reformers and practitioners from South Africa and around the world for an ambitious international conversation on civil service reform, democratic resilience and the institutions on which effective government depends.

We invite you to be part of that conversation.

Read more about the Congress: https://nsi.org.za/news/statecraft-media-statement/

Explore the programme and register: https://nsi.org.za/statecraft/

14/08/2026

Democracy doesn’t fail overnight. It is tested when institutions weaken, when accountability falters, and when the systems people rely on every day are no longer able to serve them effectively.

Public administration is often overlooked because, when it works well, it quietly enables society to function. It supports the delivery of services, strengthens public confidence, gives effect to policy, and helps ensure that democratic institutions continue to serve citizens. Its value is often recognised most clearly when these systems begin to falter.

The International Congress on Democracy and Public Institutions will explore what it takes to build capable public institutions that strengthen democratic resilience and support long-term government capability.

International Congress on Democracy and Public Institutions

📅22-23 September 2026
📍Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), 26 Melville Road, Illovo, Johannesburg, South Africa

Attend in person or online https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3MKTURwJoTZfchhdajTXVhX4dT-zuReogarGD9Lcr0LibJQ/viewform

Join the conversation. Registration is free, with the option to attend in person or online, wherever you are.

Visit our website to register and find out more: https://nsi.org.za/statecraft/

13/08/2026

12/08/2026

A generation of senior public servants is approaching retirement. Who comes next?

South Africa’s public service is approaching a significant generational transition. The question is not simply who will replace today’s senior managers, but whether the public service is building the leadership pipeline, institutional capability and succession systems needed for what comes next.

Our new report, Retiring the 1994 Generation: The Senior Management Service, asks what this generational transition means for the future of South Africa’s public service, and whether the next generation of senior leaders is being prepared to take its place.

Read the report: https://nsi.org.za/publications/retiring-1994-generation-senior-management-service/

Register for tomorrow’s discussion: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=OX6CQe2R30Oizpnel4p6_K7zJhFzkuVHrFsGLEp4gydUQkpaREk2WkhPRkxLQlRSOFdIWUdKQlRETC4u

11/08/2026

Where does the idea of “state capture” come from - and what does South Africa’s experience teach the world about how it works?

A newly published review in Government and Opposition, published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, traces the concept back to scholarship on post-Soviet political economies, including the influential work of Joel Hellman and Daniel Kaufmann.

It then turns to South Africa.

The authors draw on Ivor Chipkin and his co-authors’ Shadow State to explain how capture takes shape in practice: through networks that stretch across government, public institutions, SOEs, business, political organisations and other centres of influence.

At Statecraft 2026, Daniel Kaufmann will join the conversation on Political Patronage, Corruption, and Informal Power.

Ivor Chipkin will speak on Protecting Civil Service Independence in South Africa, as well as Training, Professionalisation, and Leadership Development.

From the scholarship that helped name state capture, to the South African research that helped explain its institutional architecture, these are not abstract questions.

They are questions about how power really works - and how capable, independent public institutions can be protected from it. That conversation continues at Statecraft 2026 - and we invite you to be part of it.

Date: 22-23 September 2026
Venue: Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), 26 Melville Road Illovo, Johannebsurg, South Africa
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3MKTURwJoTZfchhdajTXVhX4dT-zuReogarGD9Lcr0LibJQ/viewform

Join Daniel Kaufmann, Ivor Chipkin and leading thinkers and practitioners for a conversation about the institutions, leadership and reforms needed to build a capable, professional and resilient government.

Attend in person or join us online.

Register now to secure your place, whether you’ll be joining us in the room or online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3MKTURwJoTZfchhdajTXVhX4dT-zuReogarGD9Lcr0LibJQ/viewform

Open Government Partnership University of Cambridge World Bank Group Open Secrets Corruption Watch Public Service And Administration, RSA Transparency International