Participants to the workshop resolved that there was a need to formulate policies that have positive welfare implications, create quality employment and guarantee people’s access to socio-economic rights (basic needs). To achieve this, an analytical approach that uses the equity growth models to derive/develop alternatives to the neo-liberal policies was proposed. This approach is based on the conviction that, the nation State has the capacity to redistribute and allocate resources within the economy (amongst its sectors) in a way that increases equity between the sectors of the economy and classes. It was highlighted that growth and development in the non-formal economy could be elevated to match that in the formal sector, whilst at the same time achieving equity.

This framework provides the possible way in which economic growth can be transformed into human centred development and improved welfare. In such a framework, the two sectors in the economy (the formal and non-formal sectors), feed into each other (form backward and forward linkages). In this case, the state is expected to support the production process of the non-formal economy to boost its incomes. This intervention could be in the form of national policies such as land reforms, redistribution policies, empowerment initiatives, provision of resources and an enabling macro-economic environment. Thus, a key objective of the equity growth model would be to transform the non-formal economy into a formal one, so that it equally benefits from national policies and from an equitable resource allocation system. This equity growth approach, which addresses the inherited enclave and dual economies of Southern Africa, is – with major input from the late Guy Mhone – elaborated on in Chapter 2.

Such a development approach is informed by a holistic approach that fuses together a global perspective to the national growth and equity approach. In this regard, whilst seeking to strengthen Southern African states in the international global systems, alternative national policies that are pro-poor are formulated to immediately work towards poverty reduction.

Thus, a holistic approach that looks at developing alternatives to neoliberalism on all fronts namely, the global (the Imperial factor), the State (the Governance factor) and the people (the Social factor) would be most ideal. In a nutshell, the alternative framework adopts a holistic approach, is driven by people’s principles and values, relies on the mobilisation of the people around daily struggles, acknowledges the role of agency in development (a strategic developmental state) and the state as a site of struggles and undertakes a regional perspective. The strategy walks on two legs, namely, analysis and research (synthesis of sectoral studies from a holistic regional and anti-globalisation perspective) and training and advocacy / networking. This all is aimed at engaging people and the regional States in mobilisation around daily struggles (such as access to water or economic rights and defence of regional integrity) in a common pursuit of alternatives to neo-liberalism.