State of the Nation

Abstract

Between 2003 and 2008 the HSRC published its annual flagship publication State of the Nation. Taking the South African national agenda as its organising framework, SoN provides an in-depth and independent analysis of the year under review. The publication stimulates contemporary debates on key issues in a significant way and received wide critical acclaim as a reference source that shaped public policies, political actions and individual and collective decisions. For each volume senior scholars are invited as volume editors and contributors of chapters in the areas of politics, economics, society, health and environment, and South Africa in a global context. In view of its historical high demand and the need for vibrant national and continental debates, the Human Sciences Research Council has decided to re-launch this authoritative annual publication from 2013. The 2012-13 volume addressed the issues of poverty and inequality, while the 2014 volume deals with 20 years of freedom and democracy. The 2018 volume is the first in a series of five that will focus on poverty and inequality as the major issues in the country. Its title is Poverty and Inequality: Diagnosis, Prognosis, Responses. The 2020 volume deals with the ethical approach to addressing poverty and inequality. The 2021 volume focused on Ethics and Politics of South Africa's Struggle against Poverty and Inequality. The volume is divided into six sections which each speak to the main theme, internally and in the volume at large. The 2023 State of the Nation titled ???Quality of Life and Well-Being: A Good Life???? builds of the previous volumes but further develops the overarching theme of Poverty and Inequality in new, fresh and relevant directions by turning to Quality of Life and Well-being.