Deriving Policy for South Africa

Abstract

This essay explores the question of how one sets about the rational derivation of policy for our complex and divided society. The word ‘rational’ is stressed since the policies which are currently enforced, or which appear in the programmes of opposition parties, seem so rarely to be logically derived from assumptions that are openly stated, clarified and justified. Indeed, it is often far from clear what the underlying assumptions of these policies are, so that the task of evaluating them becomes difficult or impossible.