UKZN academics have published a book titled Contemporary South Africa and the Political Economy of Regional Development (Routledge, 2025) which offers a critical exploration of the challenges and opportunities shaping regional development in the country.

Published in February, the book is edited by Dr Methembe Mdlalose, Professor Ernest Khalema, and Professor Isaac Khambule and brings together contributions from leading scholars in the field.

Khalema – formerly Dean and Head of School of Built Environment and Development Studies and now Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the College of Law and Management Studies at UKZN – and Khambule of the Department of Political Economy at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) – collaborated with Mdlalose, a senior lecturer and academic co-ordinator for Master’s Programmes in the Discipline of Development Studies within the School of Social Sciences at UKZN.

Mdlalose was the main editor of the book.

‘This book is a collective interdisciplinary effort to engage with pressing issues in regional development,’ said Mdlalose. ‘South Africa continues to face economic and spatial disparities, and through this volume, we aim to contribute to the discourse on how policy and governance can address these challenges.’

The book contextualises issues relating to three main trends in global discourses on development significant for South Africa i.e. the impact of globalisation, regionalisation, and the marginalisation of South Africa and indeed the African continent in the global economy, thus unpacking the possible role that South Africa might play in regional development.

The book features a foreword by the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) Chair at UKZN for Inclusive Cities Professor Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu as well as insights from Professor Patrick Bond, Professor Ernst Drewes, Professor Christian Rogerson and Professor Mary Rogerson, Professor Mariske van der Aswegen, Professor Trynos Gumbo, and several other scholars who examine regional economic policy, governance, and spatial transformation. Also included are other distinguished UKZN academics from various disciplines who have contributed to make the book a success.

To mark its release, an online webinar will be hosted by Routledge’s Regions and Cities Series on 16 April, providing an opportunity for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to engage with the themes of the book.

‘This publication serves as a valuable resource for academics, policymakers, and development practitioners looking to understand the complex intersections of economic policy, governance and regional planning,’ said Khalema.

More information will be announced on the webinar and upcoming discussions.