Country Studies — Forging Resilient National Social Contracts

Forging A Resilient National Social Contract: The Case of Zimbabwe

Executive Summary This paper provides an analysis of findings from a Zimbabwe case study of an 11-country research and dialogue project that examines what drives a resilient national social contract in countries affected by conflict, fragility or with unresolved political settlements. It examines the value of three proposed ‘drivers’ of a resilient national social contract, and their intersections, and how this contributes to peace. The paper argues that Zimbabwe’s attempts at political settlement have failed to address core issues driving conflict emanating from the colonial rule. They have also failed to provide an inclusive basis for a nationally owned social contract. International actors have played a part in this, by among other things supporting agreements and processes that compromise the forging of robust institutions, limit ability to address CCIs and deliver services. The paper concludes by suggesting critical pathways towards this end, including transforming Zimbabwe’s deep state and related institutions, harnessing Zimbabwe’s resilience capacities and strengthening social cohesion.

Supporting Resilient Social Contracts in Times of Crisis: Emerging Lessons from COVID-19

Project and Document Summary COVID-19 has brought crisis to the doorstep of every country in the world, spotlighting politicalincoherence and failed policy visions, deep vulnerabilities of systems and institutions acrosssectors, and polarised state and societal relations. This is occurring in underdeveloped anddeveloped countries alike. At the same time, there is growing awareness that such crises also createopportunities to refashion the rules of the game in transformative ways. This paper unpacks the question of how COVID-19 and the crisis-driven responses to addressthe pandemic can contribute to wider national goals relating to forging or strengthening nationalsocial contracts – that tie bold new policy visions to robust and resilient systems and institutionalarrangements, that transform harmful structural legacies and strengthen social contracts – that canadapt, evolve and sustain in the face of crisis, and that hold promise for ever-greater levels of well-being for all in society. To investigate this topic, the paper first introduces the discussion of buildingback better from crisis, and