The Economy-Wide Effects of Price-Reducing Reforms in Infrastructure Services in South Africa
Prices of infrastructure services in South Africa may be higher than in other countries because of imperfect competition, non-tariff barriers to trade, or inefficiencies in production. A static computerised general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to analyse the economy-wide effects of reducing telecommunications and transport prices by reforming each of these three factors. This modelling…
read more >>The Impact of Electricity Price Increases and Rationing on the South African Economy,
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 Effect of Exchange Rate Volatility on Trade and Employment: A Brief Review of the Literature
This paper forms part of the Human Sciences Research Council’s project on exchange rates and employment (MACRO006), which seeks to understand the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on employment in South Africa. The explanation of the factors determining the volatility of exchange rates is interesting, but from the policy perspective of this project, not an…
read more >>Mineral Prices and the Exchange Rate: What Does the Literature Say?
This paper forms part of the Human Sciences Research Council’s project on exchange rates and employment (MACRO006), which seeks to understand the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on employment in South Africa. It reviews the literature on the relationship between commodity prices and the exchange rate, and its implications for labour-intensive export manufacturing. It focuses…
read more >>Exchange Rate and Employment Project: Overview
Ngandu summarises the Human Sciences Research Council’s project on the relationship between the exchange rate and employment outcomes, and its possible policy implications. While there appears to be consensus that the currency is too volatile, little attention has been paid to what an employment-inducing exchange rate would be. The suite of papers in the exchange…
read more >>Exchange Rate and Employment: The Experience of Fast-Growing Economies
This paper forms part of an Human Sciences Research Council project on exchange rates and employment, which seeks to understand the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on employment in South Africa. Ngandu examines the exchange rate policies of countries that achieved rapid, labour-absorbing growth. While exchange rates are only one instrument in an employment and…
read more >>Social Grant for Youth – some policy options: Framework On Social Security For Youth In South Africa
South African youth experience extremely high levels of unemployment and poverty. Currently there is no social assistance for low-income young adults, unless they are disabled. Interventions are needed that can achieve widespread poverty alleviation, as well as facilitate economic participation to improve lifelong earnings. Altman et al. consider six examples of social security policy options,…
read more >>Strategic interventions to support youth employability
Altman and Marock outline a proposed approach to improving the employability of young people in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. These Strategic Interventions for Youth Employability (SIYE) will become a subset of Tshwane‘s Youth Employment Strategy which is in the process of being designed. These early interventions will therefore focus on specific target groups that have…
read more >>Youth Labour Market Challenges in South Africa
Altman identifies labour market challenges facing South African youth, in view of the high chance of long-term unemployment among young people. She assesses labour market dynamics, questioning whether the economy is creating low-skill jobs, whether education improves people’s chances in the labour market, and whether graduate unemployment is a problem because young people study inappropriate…
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