GGA's Pranish Desai was recently interviewed by Newzroom Afrika. The topic related to ongoing political issues within the City of Johannesburg metropolitan council and the consequences this has had for service delivery in the city. Watch below: ...
Pranish Desai
Pranish is a Senior Data Analyst within the Governance Insights & Analytics programme. He holds a Master of Arts in-Science obtained with distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand. This degree formed part of the Department of Science and Innovation's National e-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform. His research interests include comparative politics, local governance, quantitative social analysis and political geography.
South African politics: Uncertainty prevails
At the time of last year’s local government elections, it appeared we were at the end of a political age in South Africa. Since then, however, little evidence has emerged to suggest that this was, or is, the case. It is November 2022, and the African National...
Governance measurement in Africa gets more refined
Last month, the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators project released an update of their composite measures of governance performance. There have been more than 20 updates to the project since it began with the entire database stretching back to 1996. The...
New local councils must prioritise indigent households
A key takeaway from the recently published Non-Financial Census of Municipalities (NFCM) is the need for the nation’s newly elected local government councils to prioritise service delivery provision for indigent households. Statistics South Africa publishes the report...
Surviving childhood in Africa
A persistent theme within commentary on policymaking across Africa is an emphasis on the “negative lessons” we can draw from policymaking failures. Questions are asked about what led to the negative consequences of policy on issues such as youth unemployment or corruption, with these policymaking deficiencies used as an example of what policymakers should not do.
GGA’s Pranish Desai on the state of local government in South Africa
Following the release of the latest Auditor General report into the state of municipal finance, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke with SAfm about what is needed to improve the state of local governance in South Africa. Listen below: ...
GGA’s Pranish Desai interactions with Zambian media
On a recent trip to Zambia, GGA's Pranish Desai gave two media interviews about the work GGA does. One was as part of a documentary feature produced by the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) televised on Africa Day, 25 May 2022. The other was a...
Building from the ground up: on interventions needed following the KZN floods
Multi-sectoral interventions, including community-based organisations, business councils, industry associations, trade unions, and Chapter 9 institutions, will be crucial in addressing the aftermath of the KZN floods.
Policymaking without data – a rudderless ship
In recent years, it has become commonplace to draw analogies between data and natural resources. One often encounters the phrase “data is the new oil”, while the competition over the acquisition and harvesting of data has been likened to the gold rush. Amidst these...
Why South Africa Census 2022 matters
The fourth national census in South Africa’s democratic history commenced on 2 February 2022. For the first time, and partly as a response to the complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 census contains a large-scale online component, with South...
FOLLOW US
Recent Posts
Past Webinars
GET YOUR FREE EDITION
Pranish Desai
Pranish is a Senior Data Analyst within the Governance Insights & Analytics programme. He holds a Master of Arts in-Science obtained with distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand. This degree formed part of the Department of Science and Innovation's National e-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform. His research interests include comparative politics, local governance, quantitative social analysis and political geography.
GGA’s Pranish Desai on political issues in metropolitan councils.
GGA's Pranish Desai was recently interviewed by Newzroom Afrika. The topic related to ongoing political issues within the City of Johannesburg metropolitan council and the consequences this has had for service delivery in the city. Watch below: ...
South African politics: Uncertainty prevails
At the time of last year’s local government elections, it appeared we were at the end of a political age in South Africa. Since then, however, little evidence has emerged to suggest that this was, or is, the case. It is November 2022, and the African National...
Governance measurement in Africa gets more refined
Last month, the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators project released an update of their composite measures of governance performance. There have been more than 20 updates to the project since it began with the entire database stretching back to 1996. The...
New local councils must prioritise indigent households
A key takeaway from the recently published Non-Financial Census of Municipalities (NFCM) is the need for the nation’s newly elected local government councils to prioritise service delivery provision for indigent households. Statistics South Africa publishes the report...
Surviving childhood in Africa
A persistent theme within commentary on policymaking across Africa is an emphasis on the “negative lessons” we can draw from policymaking failures. Questions are asked about what led to the negative consequences of policy on issues such as youth unemployment or corruption, with these policymaking deficiencies used as an example of what policymakers should not do.
GGA’s Pranish Desai on the state of local government in South Africa
Following the release of the latest Auditor General report into the state of municipal finance, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke with SAfm about what is needed to improve the state of local governance in South Africa. Listen below: ...
GGA’s Pranish Desai interactions with Zambian media
On a recent trip to Zambia, GGA's Pranish Desai gave two media interviews about the work GGA does. One was as part of a documentary feature produced by the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) televised on Africa Day, 25 May 2022. The other was a...
Building from the ground up: on interventions needed following the KZN floods
Multi-sectoral interventions, including community-based organisations, business councils, industry associations, trade unions, and Chapter 9 institutions, will be crucial in addressing the aftermath of the KZN floods.
Policymaking without data – a rudderless ship
In recent years, it has become commonplace to draw analogies between data and natural resources. One often encounters the phrase “data is the new oil”, while the competition over the acquisition and harvesting of data has been likened to the gold rush. Amidst these...
Why South Africa Census 2022 matters
The fourth national census in South Africa’s democratic history commenced on 2 February 2022. For the first time, and partly as a response to the complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 census contains a large-scale online component, with South...