A Tale of Two Countries: Theoretical and Analytical Framework in Comparative Social Inquiry

This chapter considers the theoretical foundations behind welfare divergence in Mauritius and South Africa. It introduces institutionalism and structuralism as theoretical departure points from which to account for strengths and limitations of democratic systems in relation to social forces that acted as agents of social change. It answers salient questions around the differences in welfare outcomes in the two societies despite their strong democratic roots. Not only are these theories relied upon to demonstrate the limits of democracy in engendering social change, they also demonstrate the transformative effect of cross-class mobilisation on social policy outcomes. The same theories reveal the extent to which policy choices can be reinforced overtime in democracies provided ceteris paribus conditions are in place.