Wynand Greffrath

The Arab Spring: theoretical perspectives on the regimes of North Africa and the Middle East.

This article is concerned with the Arab Spring as an example of regime change in authoritarian contexts. It investigates whether the institutional characteristics of authoritarian regimes may have influenced the development and outcomes of revolutionary instability in the affected states of the region. The causes and dynamics of the Arab Spring are evaluated theoretically according to the particular regime characteristics encountered in the geopolitical span of the phenomenon. Theoretical perspectives are provided on different regime types, according to a typology of authoritarian regimes, in addition to perspectives on the dynamics of revolutionary regime change in authoritarian contexts. Throughout, particular attention is devoted to the dynamic interaction between social forces and the institutions of state.

Self-help Governance and State Dysfunction: Exploratory Perspectives on the South African State and Civil Society

ABSTRACT This article explores the phenomenon of self-help governance initiatives that manifest in the context of state dysfunction in South Africa. It is argued that the inability of dysfunctional states to render adequate public goods and services prompts civil society to respond in protests. Such protest may be violent and destructive, or assume a constructive ‘do-it-yourself’ character. The latter forms the focus of the article and is explored through means of a case study at local government level. It is concluded that self-help governance is one of a range of civil society responses to state dysfunction, and the phenomenon is conceptualised and integrated into an analytic framework to facilitate further scholarly investigation.