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Associate Professor
Name: Elias Phaahla
Department of Politics and International Relations Staff Staff Members
Contact Details:
Email: eliasp@uj.ac.za
About Prof Elias Phaahla
Elias Phaahla is an Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg where he specialises in comparative politics and the politics of social transfers with specific focus placed on the welfare regimes of South Africa and Mauritius. Of particular interest regarding the aforementioned welfare regimes is the intersection between developmental state ideals and the welfare consensus defining Mauritius and South Africa’s pensions-focused pro-poor policies and the tightrope often walked by states in the Global South as they pursue growth-focused economic policies against those of egalitarian orientation. His forthcoming book, Social Forces and Divergent Welfare Paradigms in the Global South: The Case of South Africa and Mauritius, explores the historical antecedents shaping modern-day welfare paradigms of the two countries with the role of social forces placed at the centre of discussions. He is also working on research assessing the impact of Covid-19 on pro-poor policies of economies in distress with South Africa and Mauritius serving as case studies. His secondary research interests explore the developmental states of Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Botswana as well as China-Africa relations in the context of BRICS. A list of his publications is provided below:
PEER REVIEWED AND OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS
2021 “Reflections on the proceedings of the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Sino-Africa and Sino-NRICS relations”, in Strategic Review of Southern Africa, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 191 – 210
2020 “What the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) means for China-Africa Relations and BRICS”, in Management and Economics Research Journal, Special Issue S5: BRICS – The Emerging Block, pp. 1 – 6
2020 “Social Justice and Sustainable Development and Quality of Life”, in Revista Tempo do Mundo, Iss. 22, pp. 75-94
2019 “Mauritius’ competitive party politics and social democratic outcomes since independence”, in Strategic Review of Southern Africa, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 1-18
BOOK CHAPTERS
2019 “Electoral experiences and (social) democratic expectations in Mauritius, 1968 -2005”, in Gray, R., Rupiya, M., Teffo, L., and Gutto, S (eds.), A Glass Full or Half Empty: The Challenges of Political Succession and Elections in Africa, Ssali Publishers: Cape Town, pp. 94 – 115
2017 Phaahla, Elias et. al (2017), “Social Justice and Sustainable Development and Quality of Life”, in Viswanathan, H.H.S., and Soni, Shubh (eds.), Realising the BRICS Long-Term Goals: Road-maps and pathways – A proposal by the BRICS Think Tanks Council, Observer Research Foundation: New Delhi, pp. 50 – 67
BOOK REVIEW
2015 “Review: Religion without Redemption: Social Contradictions and Awakening Dreams in Latin America, in Latin American Review, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 99-101
FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS
2022 Social Forces and Divergent Welfare Outcomes in the Global South: The Case of South Africa and Mauritius, Palgrave MacMillan