Assessing industrialisation in South Africa with special reference to textile and clothing trends during the 1990s

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:As the wave of globalisation sweeps across the countries of the world, the economiesof these countries are increasingly opening. The industrial and trade strategy approachis shifting to greater openness due to the pressures of international competitiveness.This means that domestic economic activity alone cannot sustain the nationaleconomy. One of the features of this openness is trade liberalisation. Trade betweenvarious countries is becoming more important as a way of earning foreign currency toaddress balance of payment problems and as well as to boost the domestic economy.This has great potential, in the long run, to generate employment opportunities.Immediately after South Africa ushered in a democratic dispensation in 1994 it had tocontend with global pressure to liberalise its trade and put in place economicfundamentals that synchronize with the global economic order.The political economy of global trade structure is characterized by bargaining powerinequalities amongst the developed countries (North) and the developing countries(South). Trade relations between the developed and developing countries has ~element of power-play that advantage developed countries and the terms of trade arestill skewed in favour of developed countries due to the power that developedcountries wield in the global economic system.This study uses the structuralist development theoretical perspective (dependencytheory) and the combination of qualitative and quantitative paradigms inunderstanding the trade relations between the developed countries. The study, throughthis theoretical paradigm, seeks to examine the degree of success or failure of theUruguay Round of trade negotiations in particular with regard to tariff reductioncommitments, and opportunities or constraints created thereof. A case study oftextileand clothing industry will be used, and this will highlight some of the negativeimplications of the Uruguay Round commitments.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University