Digital Democracy
While technology has definitely affected the way that people are able to communicate with each other, its effects can also be felt in many areas of our lives. That includes the areas of our lives concerned with political participation. In our review of the Namibian parliament for the year 2018, we highlighted that continued effort to digitise parliament is commendable and should ideally be complemented with much needed reform. These improvements would include making sure that new technology is easy to use, as well as making sure that information databases are synced with any new technology. These kinds of changes would prepare the government to be active participants in the e-participation (or electronic participation) process.
How to Participate in Government
There are three branches of government: the legislative (parliament), the judiciary (courts) and the executive (parliament). The constitution is the supreme law of the country, which contains principles that keep the branches of government from interfering with each other, as each branch is meant to function independently of the other.
The public can participate in some of the actions of these branches, but only up to a certain point. Firstly, of course, Namibian citizens have a constitutional right to vote in National Elections every five years, and therefore choose the members of the National Assembly. In this way, they are able to influence the composition of the legislature and the executive, as Cabinet members are traditionally chosen from the National Assembly.
Namibia QER Quarter 2 2019
The latest quarterly economic review from the IPPR examines economic developments that took place in the second quarter of 2019. This edition also includes a special focus on public debt. Produced with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Growth at Home Four Years On
Namibia’s plan for industrialisation, Growth at Home, was adopted in early 2015. The 52-page policy guide represented a clear interventionist-turn in the government’s economic policy. As if to indicate the new approach, the Ministry of Trade and Industry was renamed the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development (MITSMED) in the same year. But since […]
Gender Analysis and Policy
In Namibia, as in many other countries around the world, men and women receive different treatment due to their gender. In a variety of ways – including but not limited to institutional access, social biases, and cultural values – women are disadvantaged in comparison to men. To combat this gender-based inequality, it is important that […]
Spying on Speech
This paper examines Namibia’s approach to surveillance – in particular whether there is adequate legal oversight regarding Namibia’s intelligence services. In addition, there is a concern that Namibia’s spying services are operating in a legal vacuum as a crucial part of the Communications Act – dealing with surveillance – has not been brought into force. […]
The Budget 2019-20
A detailed analysis of Namibia’s 2019-20 budget – including a macroeconomic overview, a look at revenue and expenditure, debt and deficit considerations, and suggestions for the way forward
Public Procurement Tracker Namibia
Our latest public procurement bulletin examines the capacity issues facing the Central Procurement Board of Namibia, proposed amendments to the procurement legislation, and continuing issues around the lack of transparency about public procurement decisions
IJG Business Climate Monitor March 2019
The continued expansion of the Leading Indicator backed up by an improvement in the IJG BCM main index indicated that confidence in the economy is returning. However, the downward movement of the majority of indicators suggests that any recovery will be fragile and setbacks in the near future cannot be ruled out
Year in Review 2018
This Perspectives on Parliament bulletin takes a look at what was achieved in 2018 including short reviews of the various laws that were passed.