Economic Research Southern Africa

Thirty years ago, South Africa’s education system emerged from apartheid with a mission to dismantle entrenched inequalities. Since then, policy has undergone major reforms to promote equality, strengthen foundational learning, and smooth the transition from secondary school into the workplace. In today’s podcast, ERSA’s host is joined by Professor Martin Gustafsson, Associate Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, to unpack his research “Basic Education Policy in South Africa: From 1994 till now”, co-authored with Kholosa Nonkenge from the Department of Basic Education. They explore how education has evolved since 1994: Where does South Africa stand internationally on foundational learning? What […]

Awaiting the outcome of a trade deal between the United States and South Africa, reciprocal tariffs of 30% are set to be imposed on South African exports on 1 August 2025. With the USA being South Africa’s second biggest bilateral trade partner, after China, these tariffs are bound to impact the automotive, aluminium and steel industries especially. Over 80% of all products exported by SA to the US, will face the full brunt of the 30% reciprocal tariff increase. With such a profound impact on our economy it is important to explore how policy can respond such that it is […]

In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Brent Cloete and Bradley Kent, to discuss their research on environmental policy in South Africa: From 1994 till now – A Climate for Development. Since our democracy in 1994, South Africa’s approach to sustainable development has reflected the shifts in the global sustainable development framework. Where policy initially prioritized economic growth and social development as a separate function to the environment, it evolved to recognize the interdependence with the environment. How does South Africa rank internationally and who does climate change impact the most? What can we learn from past policies and […]

Since our democracy in 1994, South Africa’s competition policy has received positive international attention. The Competition Act of 1998 was ahead of its time, recognizing that credible competition law and effective structures are necessary for an efficient functioning economy. 30 years later, how has South Africa’s competition policy evolved? In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Prof Willem Boshoff, who is a  Professor of Economics and Co-Director of the Center for Competition Law and Economics at Stellenbosch University to discuss his research on “Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: Merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over three decades”. […]

Shortly after the April MPR, ERSA’s host sat down with Dr Chris Loewald, the Head of the Research Department at the Reserve Bank, and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee to discuss inflation targeting amidst the increasing international trade tensions, global uncertainty and concerns of stagflation. As a relatively complex and small economy that trades with both advanced economies and emerging markets, adopting the inflation targeting regime has served South Africa well over the last 25 years. With increasing global uncertainty, what is working and what isn’t working with this monetary policy regime? What can we learn from other […]

South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994 placed a fragmented, racially divided health system in the hands of the new ANC-led government. It quickly moved to transform the health administrations of 10 homelands and four provinces into a single national department and nine provincial departments, in line with the new constitution. However, thirty years later, South Africa still has a health system driven by inequalities; it is as if the income inequality has mapped its way into the duality of the health system. One of the latest approaches to addressing this issue, culminated in the formation of the 2024 National […]

Shortly after the long awaited 2025 Budget Speech, while US President Donald Trump is putting South Africa under the spotlight, ERSA’s hosts sit down with Dr Roy Havemann from the Bureau of Economic Research’s Impumelelo Growth Lab, to discuss the first Budget Speech under the newly appointed Government of National Unity, and his article co-authored with Claire Bisseker in the Business Day titled Make the SA Budget Predictable and Dull Again. At a time when South Africa finds itself with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 75%, declining GDP per capita, and tax revenue struggling to keep up with the mounting spending […]

South Africa’s trade policy is at a crossroads and this was before the tumultuous trade war that US President Donald Trump started within a couple weeks of being in office. In a country where inequality is extreme, the impact of a more open economy on employment and poverty in important. As global dynamics shift and domestic priorities evolve, the country faces both significant challenges and untapped opportunities. In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Professor Lawrence Edwards from the University of Cape Town to explore the complexities of industrial policy, tariffs and market access. How are industrial and trade […]

In conventional monetary policy, the aim is to stabilise inflation by adjusting monetary policy tools, mainly interest rates. One regime that has grown in popularity is inflation targeting and average inflation in both emerging and advanced economies is lower after the adoption of this regime. Yet, emerging markets have relatively worse performance regarding the deviations in their inflation rates. Are inflation targeters in emerging markets less committed to achieving their targets? Or is it that inflation targeting in emerging markets more challenging? In an attempt to better understand how monetary policy in emerging markets works, ERSA’s podcast host sits down […]

One month after COP28, we record our first podcast of 2024. As the global economy is becoming more mindful of climate change and the importance of reducing carbon emissions, we are reminded that South Africa is one of the most carbon and emissions intensive economies in the world. In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Gracelin Baskaran, who is the Research Director and Senior Fellow for the Energy Security and Climate Change program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Together, they discuss how three environmental policies from the USA and EU, will impact South […]

Running up to the elections next year, this was a difficult MTBPS to deliver. The global environment is inflationary, and growth forecasts have been revised down with lower revenue expected from our largest trade partner, China. Following on from last week’s podcast, ERSA’s host is joined by Isaah Mhlanga, a Chief Economist and Head of Research at Rand Merchant Bank to discuss expectations from the upcoming MTBPS. Together they discuss whether expectations were met and what the strained budget means for South Africa going forward. While there is no shortage of good plans, questions are raised about the ability to […]

This week, after much anticipation, the AGOA Forum was hosted in Nasrec, Johannesburg. It was attended by more than 30 ministers from Africa and the US. The theme of this year’s Forum is Partnering to Build a Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive AGOA to Support Economic Development, Industrialization and Quality Job Creation. In this podcast, ERSA’s host is joined by Gracelin Baskaran, who is the Research Director and Senior Fellow for the Energy Security and Climate Change program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Together, they discuss what AGOA’s impact has been on South Africa’s development […]

Prior to last year’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) there was a windfall in corporate income tax owing to a commodity boom. This year South Africa finds itself in a very different position. Not only has much changed internationally, but domestically despite fiscal consolidation efforts, there are many demands on a limited pool of funds. In this podcast, ERSA’s host, sits down with Isaah Mhlanga, a Chief Economist and Head of Research at Rand Merchant Bank to discuss expectations from the upcoming MTBPS. How may the wars between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Hamas impact the South African […]

Adopting a broader perspective of the macroeconomics of basic income support, this podcast captures the dynamic feedback mechanisms and trade-offs between redistribution, social relief and debt accumulation in the South African economy. Inspired by research in the Basic Income Support Research Project entitled “The macroeconomics of establishing a basic income grant in South Africa”, ERSA’s host speaks to two of the three co-authors of the paper, Hylton Hollander form Stellenbosch University and Daan Steenkamp, from Codera Analysitcs. Is a universal basic income or a targeted basic income is more effective on the margin? How does funding these social transfers through […]

This podcast adopts a refreshing view on what Universal Basic Income means for South Africa. Joined by Kelle Howson and Zimbali Mncube from the institute for Economic Justice, ERSA’s host delves into a broader sociological view which allows the benefits of a universal basic income to be explored beyond the well-known economic constraints like affordability. Using evidence from a pool of literature, we explore various misconceptions related to universal basic income. For example, how lazy does rolling out a universal basic income make people? Currently South Africans are fractionalized, unemployment is high, and the risks of social unrest are mounting. […]