As part of the DFID-funded South Africa Trade and Poverty Programme and its objective to promote informed dialogue on South Africa's trade policy amongst key stakeholders, TIPS in 2005 implemented a seminar series under the auspices of Nedlac. These seminars provided a platform for government and civil society representatives (business, labour and broader social interest groups) to discuss critical issues concerning the role of trade policy in fostering poverty reduction and human development in South Africa.
Frank Flatters, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Queens University, Canada and consultant to regional organisations and governments in Southern Africa, discussed the economics of the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) at this workshop. To assist in understanding the widely regarded success of the programme and contribute to the current review of its future, Flatters presented an analysis of the way in which the programme operates and some of its actual and alleged benefits and costs. He also reviewed some of the implications of this analysis for MIDP's use as a model for other sectoral industrial policies in South Africa.
The seminar is part of the the South Africa Trade and Poverty Programme (SATPP) funded by the Department For International Development (DFID-SA), and is organised by NEDLAC and TIPS.