Lesotho gained its independence from Britain in 1966. There followed distinct political periods, characterized, in turn, by multiparty democracy (1966-1970), one-party state (1970-1986), military dictatorship (1986-1993) and the return of multiparty democracy (1993). The last competitive elections were held in May 2012 and involved 18 parties. These elections were free and fair and resulted in an effective peaceful transfer of power from the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha Mosisili, to a coalition government headed by Prime Minister Motsoahae Thabane.
Although corruption is a major problem in Lesotho, there have been remarkable improvements since 2011, thanks to the creation of independent institutions such as Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences. EESE survey data reveals that enterprises in Lesotho are usually considered to be socially responsible, especially larger multinational companies.
Despite scanty data, cooperation in labour-employer relations are comparable to those of neighbouring countries such as Botswana and Namibia. Social dialogue is codified by the country’s labour code, but union activities are in effect curtailed. Lesotho has ratified all main international standards with regards to labour and human rights, but either lacks the capacity to domesticate these international pieces of legislation or the capacity to implement them.
Economic elements
In 2003 Lesotho launched a long-term development plan called National Vision 2020. The National Vision’s overarching objective is that by 2020 Lesotho will be a stable democracy and a united, prosperous nation at peace with itself and its neighbours; that it should have healthy and well-developed human resources; and that its economy would be strong, its environ...
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...ion (LNDC) and commercial banks. Referred to as the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS), the agreement aimed to fund local business initiatives and promote and grow entrepreneurship. Banks are nevertheless deemed the most likely to provide credit.
Lesotho has very large and unexploited hydropower potential yet remains a net importer of electricity from South Africa. The unreliable and inadequate power supply is the most severe infrastructure constraint on business development. The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, a joint institution between Lesotho and Republic of South Africa, has just launched the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II, a project for the development of a water delivery system and is undertaking feasibility studies for the development of the Kobong project to generate electricity for export to South Africa and for local consumption.
Works Cited: Ferguson, James. (1990) The Anti-politics Machine: ‘Development’, Depoliticisation, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Cambridge. University Press McMichael, Philip. The. (2000) “Development and social change: a global perspective.”
The injustice that transpires within these workspaces evoke disparate responses from concerned citizens. From reading Bob Jeffcott’s article “Sweat, Fire, and Ethics,” the reader is challenged to urge their governments and educational institutions to condemn the exercise of exploitation of sweatshops be demanding evidence of improvements in working conditions. In Jeffrey D. Sachs excerpt “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” the working conditions of the women factory workers in Bangladesh is revealed yet the reader is persuaded to support these sweatshops because it is the only opportunity that these women have to gain a better life for themselves and their families. Upon reading both pieces, it is evident that sweatshops do not necessarily need to end completely, yet the business strategies employed within these facilities that negatively affect the workers must be monitored and addressed by the government in order for these companies to abandon labor
Union efforts to improve the lives of workers consistently met with resistance, oftentimes violent, from businesses, police and the government throughout their turbulent history; and yet unions have persevered and were able to improve working conditions. The National Labor...
Factories were known for their ill treatment of their employees, long hours and dirty and unsafe conditions. In 1866, unions started to form to improve working conditions for the workers. A fundamental problem faced by democratic societies is as long as people live their lives individually and go their separate ways and be selfish individuals, they are unlikely to meet collectively to resolve issues. There needs to be meaningful unity among people to alleviate this problem to get people obliged to one another, so there is a willingness to sacrifice for shared goals. Bonding of its citizens creates a democracy. Unions seemed to offer the middle class a chance to become a crucial part of fostering institutions of constitutional democracy. The unions have went through several transitions, but have always worked for the working force. I will discuss the history of the various unions, their wins and losses, and the struggle of the employee to achieve democracy in the workplace.
Corruption consists in the illegitimate agreement between a corruptor and a corrupted, in which they abuse of their public power in order to obtain personal benefit. Bribery and corruption is something that has been going on for years. According to Allen, “officials perceive themselves as immune to any penalties for demanding and receiving bribes” which she states that it is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption in underdeveloped countries. According to Transparency International, an organization committed exclusively to end corruption, three of the most corrupt countries in the world are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. This does not mean that corruption is only seen in underdeveloped countries. In international business, corporate employees often find themselves dealing with corruptors in foreign countries and, in most cases, they will give in.
Chetwynd, Eric, Frances Chetwynd, and Bertram Spector. "Corruption and Poverty: A Review of Recent Literature." Management Systems International (2003): n. pag. Print.
Many unsolved problems in many African countries, but the issue of the rise of corruption are disturbing, and the amends it has done to the polity are vast. The fear of fraud leads to restrict movement of documents in offices, slow traffic on the highways, port congestion, ghost workers syndrome, queues at passport offices, police extortion tollgates and gas stations, vote irregularities among others. Even the nutty people on the road remember the devastation caused by bribery - the funds allocated for their success disappear into some people pockets. Thus, some people believe corruption is the bane of many African countries. Corruption is the main obstacle to slow down, and knock African economy growing. The problem keeps happening in Africa, and the issue will hardly be solved.
This is a paper about the development in Botswana. Thus it is going to start by looking at the country’s history. The countries history will bring a better view or better understanding of the countries development process taken. However it is also going to talk about the development policies that were enforced by the colonial government. Contradicting with the colonial rule, the paper will also look at the policies that were enforced or came with the independence government.
Global Challenge: Building the New Worldwide Enterprise. McGRAW-HILL Book Company Europe. NEELANKAVIL, James P. (2003). International Business Corruption: A Framework of Causes, Effects, and Prescriptions. Hofstra University Press.
50). The book also states that instances such as entrepreneurship leads to a struggling growth because these entrepreneurs will risk money investments where corrupt officials interfere, leaving their investments to struggle. Corrupt officials are also less likely to initiate projects that will help the greater good and public welfare of some of these African countries, but instead only interfere in ones that will benefit them as a leader. They deal with bribes and diverting funds, resulting in the countries inability to grow. If this corruption furthers on, then this will continually be a consistent struggle for Africa as it lessens their progression to a stronger
The role of the government on industrial relations is very important as it sets the legal framework that industrial relations operates in. Appropriate industrial relations legislation should recognize the requirements of both employers and employee’s. Both the employee and the employer want to profit from each other but are also reliant on each other. This means that the equal bargaining power of employers and workers must be recognized (Peetz, David. 2006). Appropriate industrial relations laws should address any imbalance of power and give both groups an equal degree of control. Appropriate industrial relations should not only allow a mixture of both collective and individual bargaining but also facilitate employee participation in day to day workplace decisions. After all it’s the structure and framework of the employment relationship, which is governed by legislation that leads to good Industrial Relations.
The theory holds work to be governed by a wide range of formal and informal rules and regulations, which cover everything from recruitment, holidays, performance, wages, hours, and a myriad of other details of employment. It asserts that these rules are what industrial actors try to determine, that their establishment is influenced by the wider environmental context in which the actors operate, and that the actors themselves share an interest in maintaining the processes of negotiation and conflict resolution. On the back of these assertions four elements are held to make up the system of industrial relations rule-making. The first is industrial actors, which consists of employers and their representatives (i.e., employer associations), employees and their representatives (i.e., trade unions), and external agencies with an interest in industrial relations (i.e., government departments and labour courts). The second is the environmental context, which
Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Amr Taha El Baba Lebanese American University SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that corruption could cripple the progress in South African societies. Crime and corruption are not relevant to the degree of poverty present in a country as some of you might think. Corruption is a social phenomenon that every society deals with, regardless of the level of development in the country. What makes corruption a dangerous social phenomenon is its ability to adapt to the conditions present in any country.
The World Bank has had many projects fail, almost becoming known for them in continents like Africa. These projects almost always negatively affect those that live near them, causing many to be forced out of their homes, to make room for the project's construction. These projects essentially make people give up what little they have, for something that will most likely never benefit them. Most if not all of these projects cost millions, or billions of dollars to complete. When or if they fail, these projects can cause chaos in the country, such as destroying its economy, and leaving it's citizens homeless. One of the largest billion dollar failures was called the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
Corruption and fraud is a relevant topic in South Africa and will continue to be so until it is able to be limited. Corruption is committed mainly by people in power as they neglect and take advantage of this power in order to better themselves at the expense of others. Fraud and corruption is the wrongful or criminal deception that results in financial or personal gain. Government officials, police officers and some unexpected individuals such as law officials have been known to commit corruption and fraud. There have been cases of corruption in the 2014 elections and the political parties have seen that it is something the community is concerned over. Each party has addressed this concern and suggested ways in which to limit this corruption. Not only is corruption morally wrong, but it causes trust problems between the community and people in power, the people who are meant to help society. (1)