State of the Nation: South Africa 2012–2013 offers 32 diverse angles on poverty and inequality in contemporary South Africa in one compelling and comprehensive collection. Five sections dealing with politics, economics, society, health and environment and the global context, each start with an introduction followed by chapters which analyse burning issues and highlight long-term and recent trends, with a focus on policies and practice. The in-depth analyses deal with ideology and modern and traditional leadership; the role of national, provincial and local government in poverty alleviation; development, economic growth, employment creation and housing; the media; social cohesion; HIV and AIDS; the proposed National Health Insurance; Millenium Development Goals; climate change; regionalism and continental power relations; South African security interventions in Africa; Chinese in South Africa; and the impact of global economics on South Africa.