’n Verkenning van Suid-Afrika se veranderende posisie in die wêreldhandelnetwerk 1948–1994

Abstract

An exploration of South Africa’s changing position in the World Trade Network 1948–1994. The World Trade Network (WTN) has been studied as a network in numerous studies. However, countries with smaller economies are usually neglected in discussions of the WTN, and hence this article investigates the changing position of a much smaller country, South Africa, under different leaders from 1948 to 1994. It is shown, in particular, how the widespread sanctions incurred under the leadership of P.W. Botha (1978–1989) had a profound effect on South Africa’s position in the WTN. Using degree, closeness and betweenness centralities, as well as the country’s rankings on these centrality measures, it is shown that South Africa started as a peripheral country while still a colony of Britain, moved closer to the core of the WTN under H.F. Verwoerd and B.J. Vorster, but then sanctions pushed South Africa to the periphery under P.W. Botha, before South Africa again moved closer to the core during F.W. de Klerk’s presidency.