South African policy makers and industrial planners are centrally concerned with identifying strategies and programmes that maximise and broaden the economic linkages that naturally arise from the need to extract, process and refine the country's mineral resources (DST, 2002; DTI, 2002). At an industry level these linkages encompass 'downstream' (beneficiation)…

The study applies an augmented gravity equation to South Africa's exports of motor vehicles, parts & accessories (SIC 381-383) to 76 countries over the period 1994 to 2003. The study employs a dynamic panel data model to estimate long-run and short-run coefficients. First, it is shown that it takes about…

This paper investigates whether African manufacturing exporters are more productive than non-exporters and whether these productivity differences precede entry into the export market. We find at expoters are more productive but that productivity does not matter for entry into t export market - suggesting that learning by exporting is important.…

The current implementation of a free trade area in SADC has given rise to concerns that the present location of industry in the region will be adversely affected. Specifically, many of the smaller and less-developed countries fear that this change will result in a loss of their industry towards the…

This paper examines the characteristics of short-term fluctuations/volatility of the South African exchange rate and investigates whether this volatility has affected the South Africa's exports flows. In particular the paper investigates the impact of exchange rate volatility on aggregate South African exports flows to the rest of the world, as…

In household surveys, earnings data typically can be reported as point values, in brackets or as 'missing'. In this paper we consider South African household survey data that contain these three sets of responses. In particular, we examine whether there are systematic differences between the sample of the employed with…

Understanding firm competitiveness and product development is crucial to industrial development. The plastics sector provides a good case in which to explore these issues. The plastics sector has been one of the better performing sectors in recent years in terms of output and employment. Plastic products are increasingly replacing metal…

The last few years have witnessed two major shifts in global trading and industrialisation patterns. The first is the rise of China (with the South East Asian region in tow) as the dominant force reshaping the relations between developing and developed countries as well as the competitive dynamics within the…

This paper evaluates how tariff liberalisation affected households in South Africa over the period 1995, 2000 and 2004, focussing specifically on the incidence of tariffs over the expenditure distribution. Results suggest that trade liberalisation has reduced the tariff burden for households across the expenditure distribution, implying significant welfare improvement to…

Between January 2002 and July 2005, the South African exchange rate has appreciated by more than 30 per cent. At the same time, there has been widespread news coverage of the decline in several manufacturing sectors, notably clothing and textiles. Over the same period, commodity prices have risen substantially. The…

Using a constructed data series and another data series based on AMPS (the All Media and Products surveys), this paper explores trends in poverty and income distribution over the post-transition period. To steer clear of an unduly optimistic conclusion, assumptions are chosen that would tend to show the least decline…

Pricing tradable goods in the domestic market at import parity is evaluated to determine whether it can be characterized as a competitive constraint on pricing, or as a source of market power. The policy of import parity pricing (IPP) is also assessed in terms of the South African Competition Act.…

Improving commuter rail service delivery is a high-priority programme of the Department of Transport (DOT). Faced with a failing business, the DOT has launched a reform programme for commuter rail, foreseeing increased public investment and possibly an extended role for the private sector. The object of this working paper is…

This paper considers the role of provincial governments in supporting small enterprise development. It is based on research conducted by the University of Cape Town's (UCT's) Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). It was sponsored by TIPS (Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies), an independent non-profit research institution that is committed…

Alan Hirsch is Professor of Development Policy and Practice and has directed the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice at UCT since 2013. He was born in Cape Town and educated in Economics, Economic History and History at UCT, Wits and Columbia. After teaching economic history and economics at the University of Cape Town, he joined the South African Department of Trade and Industry in 1995, managing industry and technology policy. He worked at the South African Presidency from 2002 to 2012 where he managed economic policy, represented the Presidency at the G20, and was co-chair of the G20 Development…

Course Leaders: Dirk Ernst van Seventer (dirk@tips.org.za) | Rob Davies (rdavies@hsrc.ac.za) Course Material: The course was taught using a mixture of lectures and hands-on computer lab exercises. Because the emphasis was on developing an understanding of CGE modelling as a practical tool, many sessions involved both lectures and exercises. We…

Description In his paper, Albert Berry - professor of economics and director of the Latin American programme at the Centre for International Studies of the University of Toronto - identifies the impacts of globalisation and liberalisation on inequality. He finds that data deficiencies and a lack of in-depth analysis of…

Morne Oosthuizen - deputy director of the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) at the University of Cape Town - contributed a paper that first appeared in the Western Cape Treasury's Provincial Economic Review: Outlook 2006.' The research presents a closer analysis of the Western Cape labour market, providing both an…

Prof. Simon Roberts, previously the director of Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development (CSID) at the University of the Witwatersrand and now chief economist at the Competition Commission in this paper explains the importance for industrial development of technological capability development across all economic sectors. The sector studies discussed here indicate…

Ryan Hawthorne, Reena Das Nair and Keith Bowen of Johannesburg Economics presented this paper at the TIPS/DPRU/UNU-WIDER Forum 2005. It finds that there may be reasons other than high commodity prices for the general lacklustre growth in manufacturing output, the decline in manufacturing employment and the increase in employment in…