Household Food Security Status in South Africa
by ALTMAN, M., HART, T & JACOBS, P., 2009Agrekon, 48:4, 345-361
Altman et al assess household-level food security in South Africa using publicly available household survey data from Statistics South Africa. The two datasets that are used in particular are the General Household Survey, an annual household survey that began in 2002, and the Income and Expenditure Survey of 2005/06. Because these surveys are not designed…
read more >>Education and Youth employment in Sub-Sahara Africa: linkages and policy responses
by ALTMAN, M., VOLKER, S. & RAMA, N., 2013"Human Sciences Research Council paper presented to the African Economic Research Consortium workshop on Youth and Unemployment, Kigali, Rwanda, March 21-22, 2013"
Young people in Africa find it increasingly difficult to transition into employment. Governments acknowledge the challenge of youth unemployment and underemployment and are looking for appropriate interventions. Investment in education is one of the main policy tools for addressing poverty and promoting economic growth. However, African countries grapple with a range of challenges. Many are…
read more >>The potential of social grants expenditure to promote local economic development and job creation
by JACOBS, P, BAIPHETHI, M, NGCOGO, N & HART, T, 2010Research Report. Centre for Poverty Employment and Growth, Human Sciences Research Council
South Africa’s publicly funded social safety net, which consists of multiple conditional cash grants, has expanded considerably since a child support grant was added to the old age pensions and disability grants in 2002. Jacobs et al draw together local and global evidence on the developmental potential of social grants, including a typology of social…
read more >>Policy Options to Leverage the System of Social Grants for Improved Access to Economic Opportunity
by ALTMAN, M. & BOYCE, G, 2008Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
The distribution of social grants in South Africa expanded considerably between 2001 and 2007. However, in a context of high unemployment, there is concern that unemployed household members depend on grants that are meant to target children, the aged or disabled. Thus grants are spread thinly, dramatically reducing their contribution to the intended beneficiaries. Moreover,…
read more >>Women’s Households and Social Exclusion: A look at the Urbanisation Dimension
by CROSS,C., 2008Agenda, 22(78), 106-119.
It is widely agreed that women-headed households are the most excluded constituency in South Africa. Government delivery aims specifically to empower poor women and their families to gain access to the developed economy in order to promote their escape from poverty, but how best to do this is not always clear. Poverty at household level…
read more >>Editorial: Studies towards understanding the homeless in South Africa
by CROSS, C and SEAGER, J., 2010Editorial, Development Southern Africa, 27:1, 1-2
Cross and Seager offer insight on homelessness in South Africa. They cover the historical origins of homelessness, the way homelessness in other countries compares with South Africa’s, who the homeless are, where they come from, what makes them leave home, and what role their families and personal histories play, the threats to their well-being and…
read more >>Social floor and a decent standard of living
by KOK, P., CROSS, C., & ROUX, N, 2010Development Southern Africa, 27:1, 21-37
Kok et al provide a demographic analysis of the Human Sciences Research Council homelessness survey. They offer a sketch the population dynamics of child and adult homelessness. The paper reviews research methodology, looks at the age, gender and employment status of the respondents, and identifies the foreign-born and citizen population elements. The data suggest that…
read more >>Social floor and a decent standard of living
by CROSS, C., SEAGER, J., ERASMUS, J., WARD, C., and O'DONOVAN, M, 2010Development Southern Africa, 27:1, 5-20
Homelessness on the streets has been of concern to governments and civil society for hundreds of years, and the number of homeless tends to rise when economic conditions take an adverse turn. Laying stress on questions of access to housing, livelihoods and services, this paper compares the historical causes of homelessness in Britain and Europe,…
read more >>Skeletons at the Feast? A review of the Homelessness Question in SA and Other World Regions.
by CROSS, C., SEAGER, J., ERASMUS, J., WARD, C., and O'DONOVAN, M, 2010Development Southern Africa, 27:1, 5-20
Homelessness on the streets has been of concern to governments and civil society for hundreds of years, and the number of homeless tends to rise when economic conditions take an adverse turn. Laying stress on questions of access to housing, livelihoods and services, this paper compares the historical causes of homelessness in Britain and Europe,…
read more >>