The social consequences of diamond dependency in Botswana

Kenneth Good was a professor in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Botswana in Gaborone from 1990 until 2005 when he was expelled from Botswana, presumably because of his critical publications. His interests focus on the state in relation to development and class formation, democratization and corruption/mismanagement. He has published widely on political developments, socio-economic policies, the Bushmen, and the ‘diamond curse’. His recent publications include Bushmen and Diamonds; (Un)Civil Society in Botswana (Uppsala, Discussion Paper, August 2004) and Realising Democracy and Legitimacy in Southern Africa (Pretoria, 2004).

Discussant: Jan-Bart Gewald, African Studies Centre

Botswana in the 21st century is enjoying the definite but limited fruits of a diamond-based, undiversified, high-growth economy. However, the country has a highly centralized state system and an elitist and authoritarian form of liberal democracy. Revenue from the country’s diamond production is being successfully directed into national and infrastructural development but an over-concentration on diamonds has lead to the non-diversification of the economy, a worsening of poverty and inequalities, and the continuance of ethnic discrimination and other forms of social injustice. Botswana is a relatively rich country with the resources to deal with these problems but its centralized governmental system and its elitist, restrictive democracy are facilitating their continuance. In forty years of free, open but largely unfair or unequal elections in the narrowly based socio-economy, no change of government has occurred. Wealth, stability and apparent success have promoted complacency among the centralized elite, and this has resulted in social rigidity. Change can only come slowly, and from the bottom up.