The briefings listed on this page was commissioned by the Mandela Initiative to help inform a synthesis report on its work since the 2012 national conference, Strategies to Overcome Poverty and Inequality, organised by the University of Cape Town.

The Initiative’s work has relied on collaborations between academics and researchers, government, business leaders, civil society, the church and unions, and the synthesis report serves as a framework for reporting on the work at a national gathering on 12 – 14 February 2018. The MI Think Tank has identified the objectives for the national gathering as being:

• to anchor the contributions of the MI within an analysis of the current South African political and economic context;
• to share the recommendations emanating from the MI-related work streams at a policy/strategic level to advance the goal of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality;
• to critically engage with the potential impact of the recommendations on eliminating structural poverty and inequality; and
• to discuss ways of promoting popular conversations and debate about what needs to be done to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality, beyond the Mandela Initiative.

The synthesis report was produced to assist participants to prepare for the national gathering. The report drew on findings from the sectoral research projects of Think Tank members; the MI’s Action Dialogues; a report on an MI Community of Practice workshop with research chairs from different universities to identify cross-cutting themes emerging from the MI’s research programme; and the work programmes of others who have expressed an interest in contributing to the goals of the MI.

A revised synthesis report will be compiled after the workshop to serve as the consolidated report of the Mandela Initiative.

Report by the Nelson Mandela Foundation