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For many, Johannesburg resembles the imagined spectre of the urban future. Global anxieties about catastrophic urban explosion, social fracture, environmental degradation, escalating crime and violence, and rampant consumerism alongside grinding poverty, are projected onto this city as a microcosm of things to come. Decision-makers in cities worldwide have attempted to balance harsh fiscal and administrative realities with growing demands for political, economic and social justice. This book investigates pragmatic approaches to urban economic development, service delivery, spatial restructuring, environmental sustainability and institutional reform in Johannesburg. It explores the conditions and processes that are determining the city's transformation into a cosmopolitan metropole and magnet for the continent.

National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high-income countries and faced several methodological challenges. In the present analysis, we use the highly standardised cause of death and risk factor estimates generated through the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to improve and expand the quantification of personal health-care access and quality for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We mapped the most widely used list of causes amenable to personal health care developed by Nolte and McKee to 32 GBD causes. We accounted for variations in cause of death certification and misclassifications through the extensive data standardisation processes and redistribution algorithms developed for GBD. To isolate the effects of personal health-care access and quality, we risk-standardised cause-specific mortality rates for each geography-year by removing the joint effects of local environmental and behavioural risks, and adding back the global levels of risk exposure as estimated for GBD 2015. We employed principal component analysis to create a single, interpretable summary measure–the Healthcare Quality and Access (HAQ) Index–on a scale of 0 to 100. The HAQ Index showed strong convergence validity as compared with other health-system indicators, including health expenditure per capita (r=0·88), an index of 11 universal health coverage interventions (r=0·83), and human resources for health per 1000 (r=0·77). We used free disposal hull analysis with bootstrapping to produce a frontier based on the relationship between the HAQ Index and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a measure of overall development consisting of income per capita, average years of education, and total fertility rates. This frontier allowed us to better quantify the maximum levels of personal health-care access and quality achieved across the development spectrum, and pinpoint geographies where gaps between observed and potential levels have narrowed or widened over time. Between 1990 and 2015, nearly all countries and territories saw their HAQ Index values improve; nonetheless, the difference between the highest and lowest observed HAQ Index was larger in 2015 than in 1990, ranging from 28·6 to 94·6. Of 195 geographies, 167 had statistically significant increases in HAQ Index levels since 1990, with South Korea, Turkey, Peru, China, and the Maldives recording among the largest gains by 2015. Performance on the HAQ Index and individual causes showed distinct patterns by region and level of development, yet substantial heterogeneities emerged for several causes, including cancers in highest-SDI countries; chronic kidney disease, diabetes, diarrhoeal diseases, and lower respiratory infections among middle-SDI countries; and measles and tetanus among lowest-SDI countries. While the global HAQ Index average rose from 40·7 (95% uncertainty interval, 39·0–42·8) in 1990 to 53·7 (52·2–55·4) in 2015, far less progress occurred in narrowing the gap between observed HAQ Index values and maximum levels achieved; at the global level, the difference between the observed and frontier HAQ Index only decreased from 21·2 in 1990 to 20·1 in 2015. If every country and territory had achieved the highest observed HAQ Index by their corresponding level of SDI, the global average would have been 73·8 in 2015. Several countries, particularly in eastern and western sub-Saharan Africa, reached HAQ Index values similar to or beyond their development levels, whereas others, namely in southern sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and south Asia, lagged behind what geographies of similar development attained between 1990 and 2015. This novel extension of the GBD Study shows the untapped potential for personal health-care access and quality improvement across the development spectrum. Amid substantive advances in personal health care at the national level, heterogeneous patterns for individual causes in given countries or territories suggest that few places have consistently achieved optimal health-care access and quality across health-system functions and therapeutic areas. This is especially evident in middle-SDI countries, many of which have recently undergone or are currently experiencing epidemiological transitions. The HAQ Index, if paired with other measures of health-system characteristics such as intervention coverage, could provide a robust avenue for tracking progress on universal health coverage and identifying local priorities for strengthening personal health-care quality and access throughout the world. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

While much has been written on post-apartheid social movements in South Africa, most discussion centers on ideal forms of movements, disregarding the reality and agency of the activists themselves. In Living Politics, Kerry Ryan Chance radically flips the conversation by focusing on the actual language and humanity of post-apartheid activists rather than the external, idealistic commentary of old. Tracking everyday practices and interactions between poor residents and state agents in South Africa's shack settlements, Chance investigates the rise of nationwide protests since the late 1990s. Based on ethnography in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, the book analyzes the criminalization of popular forms of politics that were foundational to South Africa's celebrated democratic transition. Chance argues that we can best grasp the increasingly murky line between \"the criminal\" and \"the political\" with a \"politics of living\" that casts slum and state in opposition to one another. Living Politics shows us how legitimate domains of politics are redefined, how state sovereignty is forcibly enacted, and how the production of new citizen identities crystallize at the intersections of race, gender, and class.

Universities have become an integral part of society, contributing in no small measure to its sustenance, but they face the challenges of balancing academic nuances with social responsibilities. This study explores the partnership between an international student association, the Congress of Nigerian Students at the University of Johannesburg (CONSUJ), and the University of Johannesburg’s Community Engagement (UJCE) in advancing educational outreach and fostering inclusivity and societal impact. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, field notes, and participant observation. The findings reveal that such partnerships significantly enhance cultural diversity, expand educational opportunities, and foster global awareness within higher education institutions and the local community. These collaborations have created a more inclusive and culturally competent community, providing international students with practical teaching and leadership experience, while the local community have received much-needed academic support. The study underscores the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) commitment to community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity, aligning with the University’s Strategic Plan 2035 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 17 (Partnership for the Goal).

The nexus of climate change and cities is acknowledged as of growing importance for inter-disciplinary research. In this article the focus is upon the perceptions of climate change and responses by tourism stakeholders in Johannesburg, South Africa’s leading city and major tourism destination. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 tourism stakeholders an analysis is undertaken of the risk perceptions of climate change. Overall the results suggest a major disconnect between the climate change threats as openly recognised by Johannesburg city authorities and of the risk perceptions as revealed by local tourism stakeholders. The predominant view articulated by tourism industry stakeholders is that climate change responses and associated sustainability initiatives are something of a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity given current the current state of awareness and of climate change risk perceptions by businesses.

This article demonstrates and advocates the importance of theoretical frameworks which allow for nuance and complexity. Moving away from fixed ways of reading and analysing processes of urban renewal (such as gentrification, revanchism, neoliberal urbanism), it seeks to show how a diversity of imperatives and agendas are present and shape moments of urban change and the practices of actors involved in these. Drawing on research conducted in inner-city Johannesburg which focussed on private-sector-led regeneration, housing provision and security, it demonstrates that the process underway is characterised by a multiplicity of goals and practices. Regeneration is formulated within a neoliberal paradigm, yet through creative strategies and interventions is also achieving developmental goals and expanding the provision of affordable, centrally-located housing. The article details the strategies adopted by organisations specialising in financing social and affordable housing and demonstrates the ways in which these emphasise and are helping to achieve the expansion of housing provision to low-income households. It further discusses the habitus of housing providers in the inner-city and shows how these have been influenced by and respond to the developmental challenges and racial transformation which characterise the area. It thus demonstrates that local contexts, concerns and agendas influence the regeneration process and that putatively global processes such as gentrification, revanchism and neoliberal urbanism, whilst still relevant, need to be used in ways which allow for alternative, vernacular narratives and explanations to emerge too.

Background: Foundational learning spaces in South Africa, designed to nurture growth and development, continue to grapple with malnutrition, a persistent barrier to the health, cognitive potential, and wellbeing of preschool-aged children, amidst a nutrition transition. Aim: This study assessed dietary diversity, nutritional status, and their associations among children aged 2–5 years attending funded Early Learning Centres (ELCs) in Johannesburg (Region C). Methods: Using systematic random sampling across 33 nutrition-funded ELCs in Region C, we assessed the nutritional status of children aged 2–5 years with WHO Anthro software (z-score cut-offs for undernutrition: stunting, underweight, thinness; overnutrition: overweight, obesity). Dietary diversity scores (DDSs) were derived from a 24 h recall of 16 food groups, classified by primary nutrient contributions (some groups spanning multiple classes), and categorized as low (≤8) or normal (≥9). Associations between DDS and nutritional indicators were analyzed using Poisson regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). Results: Despite structured feeding practices, all ELCs reported inadequate nutritional funding, prompting calls for dietitian support. While 27% sourced groceries from wholesalers, most relied on supermarkets and spaza shops; all had cooking infrastructure, but only 12% had food gardens, and 88% expressed interest in establishing them to improve dietary diversity. The mean DDS was 9.47 (±1.07), and 83% of children had a normal DDS (≥9), with common consumption of cereals (100%), vitamin A-rich vegetables (100%), oils (100%), and leafy greens (96%), but limited intake of protein-rich foods like eggs (7%), legumes (19%), and fish (37%). A dual burden of malnutrition was observed: 31% of children were stunted and 30% were overweight or obese. Multivariable analysis showed that boys had significantly lower odds of stunting compared to girls (aPR = 0.38; 95%CI: 0.01–0.74), while younger age (aPR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.37–0.85) and low DDS (aPR = −0.15; 95%CI: −0.29–−0.06) were independently associated with increased risk of stunting. Age was positively associated with underweight (aPR = 1.27; 95%CI: 0.58–1.96), and thinness was strongly associated with boys (aPR = 17.00; 95%CI: 15.12–18.74), with a marginal association with age. Conclusions: Integrated nutrition strategies are critical to addressing the dual burden of stunting and being overweight in urban ELCs. Strengthening funding, professional dietetic support, and promoting food gardens can enhance dietary diversity and child health outcomes.

International organizations have highlighted the importance of consistent and reliable environment, social and governance (ESG) disclosure and metrics to inform business strategy and investment decisions. Greater corporate disclosure is a positive signal to investors who prioritize sustainable investment. In this study, economic and climate sentiment are extracted from the integrated and sustainability reports of the top 40 corporates listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, employing domain-specific natural language processing. The intention is to clarify the complex interactions between climate risk, corporate disclosures, financial performance and investor sentiment. The study provides valuable insights to regulators, accounting professionals and investors on the current state of disclosures and future actions required in South Africa. A time series analysis of the sentiment scores indicates a noticeable change in the corporates’ disclosures from climate-related risks in the earlier years to climate-related opportunities in recent years, specifically in the banking and mining sectors. The trends are less pronounced in sectors with good ESG ratings. An exploratory regression study reveals that climate and economic sentiments contain information that explain stock price movements over the longer term. The results have important implications for asset allocation and offer an interesting direction for future research. Monitoring the sentiment may provide early-warning signals of systemic risk, which is important to regulators given the impact on financial stability.