South Africa to host BRICS+ Agricultural Investment and Trade Summit: why it...
South Africa is due to host the BRICS+ Agricultural Investment and Trade Summit this year, which may be a significant step towards fostering sustainable agricultural development and enhancing trade...
View ArticleFiscal consolidation: facing up to reality
If tax increases are to be avoided in this year’s revised Budget, there will have to be clear commitments to expenditure adjustments. In this Econ3x3 opinion piece, former Treasury official Andrew...
View ArticleIs South Africa spending enough on agricultural research?
Technological improvement is a primary catalyst for the growth of the South African agricultural sector. Thus, it is critical that the country continue to spend money on research and development to its...
View ArticleSouth Africa must push agricultural exports within BRICS
South Africa has an export-led agricultural sector, with exports having been a major catalyst in the sector’s growth over the past three decades. But rising geopolitical tensions have introduced new...
View ArticleThe Just Energy Transition and the labour market in South Africa
How will the Just Energy Transition affect livelihoods in households dependent on the coal industry in South Africa? Here is a measure of how many jobs depend on the industry and possible transition...
View ArticleThe role of Public Employment in the climate crisis
Public Employment Programmes can play a key role not only in alleviating the crisis of widespread unemployment. They can also be harnessed to help to combat a range of social and environmental...
View ArticleWatts happening to work? The labour market effects of loadshedding
Expanded access to electricity has been a boon to development in many low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa, but erratic supply has proved a major constraint to economic growth. Now,...
View ArticleWhat does Saudi Arabian membership of BRICS mean for South African...
The inclusion of Saudi Arabia in the BRICS alliance presents a significant opportunity for South Africa to expand its livestock exports, particularly in the lucrative live-goat market. Despite the...
View Article30 Years into democracy: How has South Africa's agricultural sector performed?
The agricultural sector has grown measurably in the 30 years of democracy -South Africa is now ranked 59th out of 113 countries in the Global Food Security Index and is the only African country within...
View ArticleInclusionary housing: A novel approach to building integrated cities
Inclusionary housing policy offers a new way of addressing the urban housing crisis in South Africa. It involves private developers contributing to the production of well-located affordable housing in...
View ArticleHow does malaria impact education and gender equality? Evidence from Rwanda
The recent Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the negative socioeconomic impacts associated with disease. But malaria has impacted the health and economic outcomes of people in the tropics for several...
View ArticleIs South Africa heading for a fiscal crisis?
Are budget cuts the only option to reduce the deficit and cut the national debt? Or has the main economic challenge been misstated? The Institute for Economic Justice argues that the county’s main...
View ArticleWhat has happened to the personal income tax base since 2011?
The number of personal income taxpayers and aggregate taxable income increased strongly between 2011 and 2017 despite a slowing economy. These both declined during the Covid period and have since...
View ArticleRealizing socioeconomic rights with a limited budget
The South African constitution is considered progressive and transformative in intention due to its inclusion of socioeconomic rights, such as the right to education, food, and healthcare. However,...
View ArticleWill the avian influenza fuel food inflation?
The avian flu currently spreading across South Africa has raised concerns about the potential uptick in food inflation. However, it may be too early for such fears, and it is not clear how long or...
View ArticleTrade unions and the new economy: 3 African case studies show how workers are...
Has the new technology that has given rise to thousands of “digital” workers destroyed the traditional collective power of worker organisation? A new book, Recasting Workers Power: Work and Inequality...
View ArticleWhy the township economy matters
Nearly half the working-age population and nearly two-thirds of the unemployed live in areas designated as townships under apartheid spatial laws. Originally developed as “labour dormitories”, they...
View ArticleHow to tackle low labour utilisation in South Africa
South Africa’s low labour utilisation rate is a stark outlier by international standards, made even more unusual because achieving job creation and high employment rates appear to be well understood in...
View ArticleWhy SA needs to boost exports
South Africa’s exports have lagged behind the rest of the world over recent decades, and this has likely constrained overall economic growth. To address the inherent bias against exporting, South...
View ArticleNew vaping tax misses the mark
The vaping industry has vociferously opposed a new tax on vaping products. But only the largest containers of e-liquid will feel hefty price increases – more than double in some cases. Young people who...
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