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Practising Strategy A Southern African Perspective Pdf Download







































Practising Strategy: A Southern African Perspective is a book about the importance of strategy in international, national, and regional politics. It focuses on the need for southern African countries to find ways of developing policies that are coherent with one another. The work includes chapters that explore the impact of globalization on southern Africa, as well as analysis of how governance structures should be reshaped to address issues including poverty and inequality. The final chapter looks at potential strategies for decision-making in southern Africa under various policy scenarios. Through this blog post I hope to convey an understanding of how strategic thinking can contribute to development in Southern Africa. 1. What is strategy? This chapter opens with Peter W. Rose’s quote, “Strategy is the manner in which wars are fought, but it is also the manner in which we make love, conduct politics and wage commerce”. The author goes on to explain that strategy requires four elements: a goal, a match between means and ends, a process for pursuing the goal as well as what to do when things go wrong. In addition to these elements there has to be an assessment of risk and sensitivity. 2. Becoming Strategic: A Practical Guide for Southern Africa The author uses this chapter to explore conceptual tools that help with understanding strategy. The discussion has four elements: time, space, objectives and development of the organisation. The idea is to help with understanding the different types of strategies that are appropriate in different contexts. 3. Peacekeeping in Southern Africa This chapter discusses some of the key attributes of peacekeeping that are suggested to be useful for southern African countries to consider when they decide on what type of peacekeeping they would like to have. These include the type of conflict that is being mediated, how it was originally begun, who are involved in it and its possible outcomes. Then there is an assessment on long-term costs and benefits for achieving peace with respect to several factors including operational effectiveness, political objectives and sustainable development goals. 4. A Regional Strategy for Poverty Reduction This chapter discusses how it is impossible to implement poverty reduction strategies without the proper tools. The chapter goes on to explore the problem of measuring growth and its relationship with poverty alleviation. After this, it focuses on aspects of regional economic development that are necessary for reducing poverty in southern Africa. These include institutional development, information sharing between countries, policies aimed at structural transformation as well as regional trade. Then there are three possible scenarios after which different strategies can be used for addressing these issues. 5. A Southern African Growth and Development Strategy The author begins by discussing how there is a need for both growth and development in order to reduce inequality. Then there is an analysis of how political leaders can respond to these challenges. Finally, the chapter moves on to discuss how leaders can develop strategies to address challenges that they have in their countries. One challenge that is explored concerns how politicians have a tendency to focus on issues that are going to get them re-elected instead of a broader strategy for development. The book was awarded a prize in 2012 for being the most notable intellectual contribution by a Zambian citizen in any discipline.  The recipient was congratulated by President Michael Sata when he received it from the hands of Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba at State House Lusaka in June 2012. eccc085e13

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