Turning SA into a developmental state would require much more political mobilization than the African National Congress (ANC) has been able to muster so far. This is because the success of a developmental state in the 21st century requires stronger and more effective linkages between the state and civil society, linkages that are at best weak – and at worst nonexistent – in SA.

Peter Evans, a professor of sociology and international studies at the University of California (Berkeley), writes in a new book that the 20th century developmental states of east Asia were founded on state-business linkages, which are a challenge to manage today because of capital’s global integration.

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