Lessons in Progress: What 30 Years of Education Policy Teach Us
Thirty years ago, South Africa’s education system emerged from apartheid with a mission to dismantle entrenched inequalities. Since then, policy has undergone major reforms to promote equality, strengthen foundational learning, and smooth the transition from secondary school into the workplace. In today’s podcast, ERSA’s host is joined by Professor Martin Gustafsson, Associate Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, to unpack his research “Basic Education Policy in South Africa: From 1994 till now”, co-authored with Kholosa Nonkenge from the Department of Basic Education. They explore how education has evolved since 1994: Where does South Africa stand internationally on foundational learning? What […]
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Tariff Turbulence: The Consequences of Recent US Tariff Increases for South African Exports
Awaiting the outcome of a trade deal between the United States and South Africa, reciprocal tariffs of 30% are set to be imposed on South African exports on 1 August 2025. With the USA being South Africa’s second biggest bilateral trade partner, after China, these tariffs are bound to impact the automotive, aluminium and steel industries especially. Over 80% of all products exported by SA to the US, will face the full brunt of the 30% reciprocal tariff increase. With such a profound impact on our economy it is important to explore how policy can respond such that it is […]
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Beyond GDP: South Africa’s Sustainable Future
In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Brent Cloete and Bradley Kent, to discuss their research on environmental policy in South Africa: From 1994 till now – A Climate for Development. Since our democracy in 1994, South Africa’s approach to sustainable development has reflected the shifts in the global sustainable development framework. Where policy initially prioritized economic growth and social development as a separate function to the environment, it evolved to recognize the interdependence with the environment. How does South Africa rank internationally and who does climate change impact the most? What can we learn from past policies and […]
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Competition Crossroads: Decoding 30 Years of Enforcement
Since our democracy in 1994, South Africa’s competition policy has received positive international attention. The Competition Act of 1998 was ahead of its time, recognizing that credible competition law and effective structures are necessary for an efficient functioning economy. 30 years later, how has South Africa’s competition policy evolved? In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Prof Willem Boshoff, who is a Professor of Economics and Co-Director of the Center for Competition Law and Economics at Stellenbosch University to discuss his research on “Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: Merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over three decades”. […]
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Targeting Inflation Insights
Shortly after the April MPR, ERSA’s host sat down with Dr Chris Loewald, the Head of the Research Department at the Reserve Bank, and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee to discuss inflation targeting amidst the increasing international trade tensions, global uncertainty and concerns of stagflation. As a relatively complex and small economy that trades with both advanced economies and emerging markets, adopting the inflation targeting regime has served South Africa well over the last 25 years. With increasing global uncertainty, what is working and what isn’t working with this monetary policy regime? What can we learn from other […]
Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) is a platform that supports the development of economic policy by connecting economic research to national policy debate and identifying areas of future research. Our network draws a broad and representative range of economic researchers and policy makers from a variety of academic, financial and government institutions. In this way, ERSA encourages the creation, dissemination and discussion of independent and expert economic policy-oriented research.
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