Abstract
This chapter intends to have answer the questions: How did Ian Smith structure his government and economy and survive sanctions for sixteen years (1965-1979) and become innovative? Why, under almost similar conditions, did Robert Mugabe fail to bring the economy do its toes? In cases, what was the role of knowledge societies and what role did they play to bridge the gap between society and them towards meaningful development? The study uses desktop review as the basis of getting data and information useful in building this theoretical case study of Zimbabwe in the period 1965 to 2018. The robustness of an economy under a stringent economic environment is a function of its ability to tap and harness the prowess of its knowledge societies. It is recommended that strong links between the private, public, and knowledge sectors are required and this must happen in an environment with trust, transparency, accountability, rule of law, and commitment translating into a powerful connubio for transformation.
TopConceptual Framework
National developments encompass governmental activities that promote socio-economic growth. Thus, these developments are mostly public goods that cannot be provided for by the private sector due to their basic characteristics of non-rivalry and non-excludability. Consequently, the government provides for such public amenities, such as infrastructure (both soft and physical) and security. Transport infrastructure, such as road and railway networks is critical for economic development in the sense that they connect one place to the other, one country to the next one, that is a pre-requisite for trade. In this vein, in this era of globalization, the development of communication infrastructure is also a necessity if a nation is to develop economically. Sustainability, as a concept, chose conservatism of resources, that is, the present beneficial enjoyment of resources with the future generation factored in as a beneficiary also. If a government initiates sustainability agenda, national resources, economic growth and social development are guaranteed
Key Terms in this Chapter
Trust: Earned conviction.
National Developments: Activities that ensure national wellbeing.
Transparency: Openness.
Public Sector: State-owned enterprises.
Knowledge Sector: Higher education institutions.
Connubio for Transformation: Amalgamation of forces that result in total change.
Rule of Law: A situation where the law is observed without exception.
Knowledge Creation: Knowledge designing.
Sustainability: A condition that propels the use of a particular resource.
Financial Discipline: Restraint in the use finance.
Endogenous Arrangements: Commitments by a nation that are independent of outside influence.
Commitment: A conscious effort aiming for success of a pledge.
Innovation: Discovery of new ideas and initiatives.
Economic Sanctions: Measures resultant from severed foreign economic relationships among countries.
Community Workers: People who engage the community for development.