Adv Gary Pienaar is a Senior Research Manager in the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) research division of the Human Sciences Research Council. He holds an MPhil in Values and Policy Studies (University of Stellenbosch) and a BA (Hons) LLB (University of the Witwatersrand ? Wits). His work at the HSRC has focused predominantly on constitutional law and human rights, public governance, corruption and ethics, democratic participation, transparency and accountability, and evaluations, in which areas he has extensive qualitative (particularly discourse analysis) experience.
Experience and special projects He was formerly project coordinator of the Money and Politics Project (MAPP) at the Open Society Foundation for South Arica (2012), before which he worked as a Senior Researcher: Governance and Public Ethics at Idasa (2008-2011); the Public Protector?s Western Cape Provincial Representative and Chief Investigator (2000-2008); Senior Investigator in the Office of the Public Protector (1997-2000); and as a consultant at IR Network and City Councillor in Johannesburg (1994-1997) after practicing at the Johannesburg Bar (1992-1994). He has drafted the proposals for and/or played managing and/or leadership roles in the following projects: Civil Society Regulatory Frameworks for the National Development Agency (2020); South Africa Country Scoping Study for the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST) (2019-2020); Development of a National Policy Framework for Participatory Democracy and Active Citizenship for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) (2018); Implementation Evaluation of the Integrated Justice System for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and DOJ&CD (2016-18); Twenty-Year Review of the work of the Commission for Gender Equality (2017); Final Evaluation of the Access to Justice and Promotion of Constitutional Rights Programme for the Foundation for Human Rights and DOJ&CD (2015-16); Constitutional Justice Project: Assessment of the impact on society of landmark socioeconomic rights judgments for DOJ&CD (2014-15).
Currently, he leads development of the HSRC?s Transformative Governance Index, which aims to encourage and facilitate the faster realisation of socio-economic rights (2016-2020); and development of a scorecard to assess South Africa?s compliance with the African Union?s Convention to Prevent and Combat Corruption.
Publications His publications include a co-edited book on the Constitution, several peer-reviewed book chapters, policy briefs, and numerous research papers and client reports. His latest publications are `Proactive Disclosure of Information and Elections in South Africa: An assessment of South Africa?s compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, issued by the African Commission on Human and Peoples? Rights? (University of Pretoria: Centre for Human Rights, September 2020); and a chapter entitled `Realising socioeconomic rights: A reconceptualised constitutional dialogue? in State of the Nation: Poverty and Inequality ? Diagnosis, Prognosis and Responses. Pretoria: HSRC (2019). Forthcoming publications include Cosser, M, Bohler-Muller, N and Pienaar, G `Separation of Powers and the Dangers of Judicial Underreach? in D Plaatjies (Ed) Making Institutions Work. Pretoria: HSRC Press; and Pienaar, G, Cosser, M and Davids, YD `A normative approach to the minimum core: Minimum requirements for a life of dignity? in State of the Nation 2020: Ethics and Politics of South Africa?s Struggle Against Poverty and Inequality. Pretoria: HSRC Press.
