TIPS recently completed a study investigating how South Africa can improve the strategic use of its technical infrastructure (which include SABS, NMISA, SANAS, and NRCS) in a way that maximises enforcement by creating linkages with other measures such as import controls, consumer protection and customs and administrative procedures in order to…

TIPS recently completed a study investigating the impact of the controversial Eskom electricity supply agreement with Aluminium mining conglomerate BHP Billiton using a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) methodology to assess the costs and benefits to society of cancelling the special pricing agreement (SPA) that Eskom has with BHP Billiton. The CBA considered…

Business Day - August 1, 2014

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  Alice Amsden Memorial Lecture Speaker – Professor Stephanie Seguino How Economies Grow: Alice Amsden and the  Real World Economics of Late Industrialisation 4 September 2014 - 18:30 for 19:00 (light dinner served)   ABOUT THE SPEAKER Stephanie Seguino is Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont, USA; Professorial Research Associate…

The presentation will explore the viability of shale gas in South Africa from an economic lens. By focusing on issues such as geology, decline rates and breakeven costs of wells and exploring the relationship between gas prices and cash-flows, the presentation will seek to answer the core question of whether…

One of the major international economic developments in recent years has been the growth in regional trade agreements (RTAs). However, with the exception of a few, there are criticisms that RTAs have not yielded the expected benefits. The focus of this paper is to determine the impact of engaging in…

During the upcoming APORDE 2014 a series of public evening seminars will be held:   1. Taking Inequality Analysis beyond the Gini Co-efficient Speaker: Gabriel Palma Date: Tuesday 2 September 2014 Time: From 19h00 (refreshments from 18:30) Venue: IDC conference centre,  Co-host: IDC   RSVP: lorrainep@idc.co.za   2. African Development…

Promoting exports to develop manufacturing remains a key growth strategy in the National Development Plan. Super-exporters dominate almost all South Africa's export sectors. They are the main drivers of export growth and they define the country's export structure. However, despite their dominance, super-exporters have been losing dynamism and competitiveness, with…

SABC News - September 4, 2014

Paper presented at the Alice Amsden Memorial Lecture, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa as part of the African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics 2014 public lectures. Memorial lecture co-hosted by TIPS.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephanie Seguino is Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont, USA; Professorial Research Associate…

Gillian Chigumira joined TIPS in 2014. She has a Masters in Commerce – Development Theory and Policy. She has an Honours in Commerce, an Honours in International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand. Gillian has more than eight-and-a half years of experience as an economist, policy advisor and strategy analyst in the field of industrial development and inclusive economic growth for South Africa and the greater SADC Region. Her work fundamentally targets research and policy development for government departments, regional and international organisations. Her expertise cuts across national masterplans…

In 2014, South Africa remained one of the most unequal countries in the world, an outlier by global standards in terms of both overall inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient and levels of joblessness. For proponents of industrialisation as central to long-term development, this situation raises two questions. First,…

Sandy Lowitt holds a Master of Commerce from Wits University in Economics. She established the Economics Department in the Gauteng Provincial Government in 1995 and remained at GPG until 2006. While specialising in economic research and industrial policy and strategy she also created and ran Blue IQ which delivered large infrastructure projects such as the Gautrain, the Innovation hub and the automotive supplier park. Sandy is active in public policy research and strategy development working for the Presidency, the dti, DST and National Treasury.

Special economic zones (SEZs) emerged internationally as a policy to support industrial development in particular by providing for the introduction of targeted incentives and infrastructure. Internationally, despite their name, they are often effectively delinked from specific geographic areas in order to achieve these aims. This is especially useful where government…

TIPS is pleased to announce a workshop on Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Modelling Pretoria from 13 – 17 April 2015 CGE modelling is one of a number of approaches to economy-wide analysis that have become accessible and practicable as data and computer based techniques have developed. An increasing number of…

TIPS is pleased to announce a workshop on Green Economy: Principles and Practices Pretoria 4 – 5 March 2015 Have you ever wondered: What is a green economy? Why is a green economy necessary? What are the intellectual origins of the concept of green economy? How is green economy related…

Twenty years after the end of apartheid South Africa is a different place. It has a well-institutionalized democracy. Significant gains have been made in social equity and in reducing extreme poverty. Yet poverty, unemployment and inequality remain South Africa's most pressing problems. Social change and enhanced access to rights have…

South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer (REIPP) procurement programme is hailed worldwide as a model for renewable energy procurement. Its success is far from experimental and haphazard and points directly to lessons acquired prior to, and during, the launch and running of the programme. This article explores the journey…

International Conference on Manufacturing Led Growth for Employment & Equality  The South African Economic Development Department, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, in partnership with the European Union Delegation to South Africa, hosted a conference on Manufacturing Led Growth for Employment & Equality on 20 and 21 May 2014 at Emperors…

Closing Plenary