Late last year, a colleague and I published a peer-reviewed journal article trying to identify whether southern Africa was afflicted by “premature deindustrialisation”. Harvard economist Dani Rodrik (2016) identified this pattern of manufacturing decline in developing...
It can seem trite to state that corruption has deleterious effects on economic growth and development. But it does. The key question, of course, is how best to generate incentives that move people away from engaging in corruption, and credible deterrents that...
Budgets are the single most important signal that a government can send to the market. The prevailing wisdom in international finance is that the optimal signal for governments to send is one of fiscal prudence. In other words, demonstrating discipline with respect to...
The 30th Invest in African Mining Indaba was held in Cape Town this week. It is no secret that Africa is abundantly blessed with mineral resources. It is, similarly and sadly, no secret that in too many contexts on the continent, mineral wealth is correlated with...
The United States remains the most powerful country in the world in terms of "hard power"—economic and military might. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (the final value of goods and services produced within one year) was US$20.93 trillion in 2022, measured in constant...
A new class action lawsuit being brought against Exarro puts the role of coal in our society firmly in the spotlight. Depending on how one measures it at any given time, South Africa depends on coal for over 80 percent (or 42GW) of its electricity needs. The national...
Youth unemployment is a significant global concern. It is especially concerning across African economies, given relatively high fertility rates and declining employment prospects. According to the United Nations, Africa will be home to four billion people by 2100. The...
The world is awash with talk of net zero, low-carbon growth, and dreams of a circular economy. Renewable energy technology and electric vehicles are at the forefront of such dreams. Desirable and laudable dreams they are too. Realising them, however, will require a...
On 24 August, coinciding with a controversial election being held in neighbouring Zimbabwe, the latest BRICS summit concluded in Johannesburg. The BRIC acronym was originally coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001. Original member countries developed a...
Spare a thought for the monetary policy committee (MPC) members who manage monetary policy for South Africa. The Reserve Bank is, thankfully, fully independent of the state. It has a mandate to target inflation (to keep it under 6% per year). Inflation is typically...
Late last year, a colleague and I published a peer-reviewed journal article trying to identify whether southern Africa was afflicted by “premature deindustrialisation”. Harvard economist Dani Rodrik (2016) identified this pattern of manufacturing decline in developing...
It can seem trite to state that corruption has deleterious effects on economic growth and development. But it does. The key question, of course, is how best to generate incentives that move people away from engaging in corruption, and credible deterrents that...
Budgets are the single most important signal that a government can send to the market. The prevailing wisdom in international finance is that the optimal signal for governments to send is one of fiscal prudence. In other words, demonstrating discipline with respect to...
The 30th Invest in African Mining Indaba was held in Cape Town this week. It is no secret that Africa is abundantly blessed with mineral resources. It is, similarly and sadly, no secret that in too many contexts on the continent, mineral wealth is correlated with...
The United States remains the most powerful country in the world in terms of "hard power"—economic and military might. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (the final value of goods and services produced within one year) was US$20.93 trillion in 2022, measured in constant...
A new class action lawsuit being brought against Exarro puts the role of coal in our society firmly in the spotlight. Depending on how one measures it at any given time, South Africa depends on coal for over 80 percent (or 42GW) of its electricity needs. The national...
Youth unemployment is a significant global concern. It is especially concerning across African economies, given relatively high fertility rates and declining employment prospects. According to the United Nations, Africa will be home to four billion people by 2100. The...
The world is awash with talk of net zero, low-carbon growth, and dreams of a circular economy. Renewable energy technology and electric vehicles are at the forefront of such dreams. Desirable and laudable dreams they are too. Realising them, however, will require a...
On 24 August, coinciding with a controversial election being held in neighbouring Zimbabwe, the latest BRICS summit concluded in Johannesburg. The BRIC acronym was originally coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001. Original member countries developed a...
Spare a thought for the monetary policy committee (MPC) members who manage monetary policy for South Africa. The Reserve Bank is, thankfully, fully independent of the state. It has a mandate to target inflation (to keep it under 6% per year). Inflation is typically...