Development Paths and Employment
by DAVIES, R. and VAN SEVENTER, D., 2009Research Report. Centre for Poverty Employment and Growth, Human Sciences Research Council
Intensive growth is defined as growth driven by productivity improvements. Productivity improvements are essential for rising incomes and poverty reduction, but can also have the effect of reducing employment ratios. Greater understanding of the role of productivity in development and growth is needed.Davies and van Seventer explore the meaning of intensive and extensive growth paths…
read more >>The Impact of Electricity Price Increases and Rationing on the South African Economy,
by ALTMAN,M., DAVIES, R. and WSP CONSULTING ENGINEERS, 2008Research Report. Centre for Poverty Employment and Growth, Human Sciences Research Council
Davies assesses the economic impact of electricity cuts on the South African economy. The paper investigates the potential economic impact of differently distributed pricing or rationing options to reduce peak electricity usage and electricity consumption. More specifically, it assesses the economy-wide impact of a reduction in electricity use of up to 10%, differently distributed across…
read more >>The Impact of Exchange Rate Movements on Employment: The Economy-Wide Effect of a Rand Appreciation
by NGANDU, S., 2006Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
The volatility of the exchange rate is a particular concern for South Africa, since the country must dramatically expand sustainable employment while also raising value added in production. These objectives are not necessarily complementary in a minerals-exporting economy. This paper, part of an Human Sciences Research Council project on the relationship between exchange rates and…
read more >>Wage Determination in South Africa: What Do We Know?
by ALTMAN, M., 2006Transformation: Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa , 60 , 2006, pp. 58-89
Wages play an important role in the broader economy from both efficiency and equity perspectives. This article considers the state of knowledge on wage determination in South Africa. It asks the following questions: Is wage setting appropriate for South Africa’s development needs? Are wages determined in alignment with employment and growth needs to achieve full…
read more >>Analysing Intersectoral Outsourcing in South Africa
by TREGENNA, F. , 2007Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
Tregenna examines whether services employment growth in South Africa can be explained by outsourcing or alternatively expanded activity. To do this, Tregenna develops a new methodology for quantifying the extent that outsourcing contributes to shifts in employment between sectors. Using occupational and sectoral data from the October Household Surveys (1997–1999) and Labour Force Surveys (2000–2005),…
read more >>Which Sectors Can Be Engines of Growth and Employment in South Africa? An Analysis of Manufacturing and Services
by TREGENNA, F. , 2007Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
Tregenna investigates whether manufacturing still has the potential to be the engine of growth in South Africa, or whether services can play this role in future. International comparisons reveal that while the share of manufacturing value added in South Africa is high for the country’s level of income, the share of manufacturing employment is less…
read more >>Manufacturing Exports and Employment Growth
by DAVIES, R. , 2006Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
Davies considers the role of manufacturing exports in creating employment. It looks at the potential and limitations of the sector itself, and also its interaction with other sectors. He assesses where export growth might occur, and the contribution of different sectors to such growth, given their labour intensity, backward and forward linkages, and export dependence….
read more >>Formal-Informal Economy Linkages and Unemployment in South Africa
by DAVIES, R. & THURLOW, J., 2009Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
South Africa’s high involuntary unemployment and small informal sector are attributed to an underperforming formal sector and barriers to entry into the informal sector. Davies and Thurlow examine the economy-wide linkages between the formal and informal economies, while accounting for different types of informal activities. A multi-region, empirically calibrated computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is…
read more >>Formal/Informal Linkages in South Africa: Some Considerations
by VALODIA, I., 2006Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
To know how the economy might meet the target of halving unemployment by 2014, the Employment Scenarios project investigated how the informal sector might grow. How much of the employment target is likely to be reached through growth in the informal economy? Is the informal sector likely to continue growing in the period leading up…
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