The viability of the welfare state in Botswana: a Gramscian response to Botlhale and Molokwane

ABSTRACT

This short piece is a Gramscian inspired response to Emmanual Botlhale and Thekiso Molokwane’s article entitled “The viability of the welfare state in Botswana”. Contrary to Botlhale and Molokwane’s uncritical approach, I argue that as with other welfare states in capitalist societies, Botswana’s welfare state is an instrument used by the ruling bourgeois classes to construct hegemony or renew it (hegemony) when it has been weakened. Furthermore, I argue that Botswana's welfare state, as with other welfare states in contemporary capitalist societies, is threatened by neo-liberalism.

KEYWORDS:

• Botswana
• welfare state
• hegemony
• passive revolution
• neo-liberalism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kebapetse Lotshwao

Kebapetse Lotshwao (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Botswana. His areas of research interest are political economy and Gramscian theory.