Crucial that worlds of public policy and business strategy are aligned
The new cabinet to be appointed after the elections has an opportunity to align our national interests for the first time since the dawn of our democracy
In a mixed economy such as ours, we rarely talk of national strategy. Instead, we talk in government circles of policy, and of strategy in business circles. This represents both a systemic strength and a national weakness. It is a strength in that agile businesses get to decide where and when to invest their resources on the basis of their strategic options, within the ambit of the law and regulations that arise from the policy process. Government bureaucrats on the other hand get to make the rules, via the legislature, on the basis of the political and policy platform on which they were elected. However, the arrangement also constitutes a weakness, in that very often a misalignment arises between the strategic interests of business and the political interests of politicians. A perfect example, and perfect storm, has been the case of the Mining Charter over the past few years. The misalignment between business interests, worker interests and party-political interests have bogged dow...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.