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1
Cherry, Michael. "South Africa endorses nonracial schools and increases subsidies." Nature 362, no. 6415 (1993): 8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/362008a0.
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Black, P. A., and A. D. Roux. "Regional subsidies and the decentralisation policy in South Africa." Development Southern Africa 8, no. 3 (1991): 305–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03768359108439591.
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GILBERT, A. "WHAT MIGHT SOUTH AFRICA HAVE LEARNED ABOUT HOUSING SUBSIDIES FROM CHILE?" South African Geographical Journal 82, no. 1 (2000): 21–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2000.9713681.
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Parnell, Susan. "Race, class, gender and home ownership subsidies in contemporary South Africa." Urban Forum 2, no. 1 (1991): 21–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf03036668.
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Mutula, Stephen, and Daisy Jacobs. "Knowledge Management Solution to Challenges of Higher Education in South Africa." International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy 1, no. 1 (2010): 1–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jide.2010091501.
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This article presents challenges facing higher education in South Africa and how knowledge management can be applied to ameliorate the situation. Some of these challenges include internal and external pressures for accountability and transparency in the management of the institutions; declining state subsidies; stiff competition from global counterparts; low graduate throughput; declining enrolments; inadequate facilities (e.g. space, ICTs and equipment); ill-prepared graduates for the job market; limited partnership with industry and government; brain drain; bureaucracy and general poor service delivery. The authors submit that South African universities have largely not embraced knowledge management practices and argue that KM integration within the universities’ strategic processes and operations can help address the challenges facing them. The article is largely based on authoritative secondary and primary sources complemented by the authors’ experiences working within university environments in Southern Africa.
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Afful, KB, and CC Okeahalam. "Considering barriers to investment in South Africa." South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 8, no. 2 (2014): 225–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v8i2.1230.
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This paper examines the effect of South Africa’s economic fundamentals on net direct investment and net portfolio investment. The results suggest that the main determinants of investment in South Africa are resource prices, input productivity and the economic performance of the domestic economy. The results illustrate that net direct investment and net portfolio investment are close but not perfect substitutes. In addition, we find that an increase in labour input costs reduces both net direct investment and net portfolio investment. Further, an increase in fixed capital productivity increases net direct investment. Further, also the results illustrate that subsidies increase both net direct investment and net portfolio investment. Moreover, an increase in exports increases both net direct investment and net portfolio investment. Policy recommendations are thus proposed that may increase foreign direct investment in South Africa.
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Ganiyu, Bashir Olanrewaju, Julius Ayodeji Fapohunda, and Rainer Haldenwang. "Sustainable housing financing model to reduce South Africa housing deficit." International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis 10, no. 3 (2017): 410–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijhma-07-2016-0051.
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Purpose This study aims to identify and establish effective housing financing concepts to be adopted by government in achieving its mandate of providing sustainable affordable housing for the poor to decrease the building of shacks, as well as proposing solutions to the housing deficit in South Africa. A rise in demand and shortage in supply of housing calls for the need to address issues of affordable housing in South Africa, and developing countries in general, to ensure a stable and promising future for poor families. Design/methodology/approach Literature has revealed that the South African government, at all levels, accorded high priority to the provision of low-cost housing. Thus, government has adopted subsidy payment as a method of financing affordable housing to ensure that houses are allocated free to the beneficiaries. This also addresses the historically race-based inequalities of the past, but unfortunately, this has not been fully realised. This study uses a sequential mixed method approach, where private housing developers and general building contractors were the research participants. The qualitative data were analysed using a case-by-case analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive statistical technique on SPSS. Findings The results of the qualitative analysis reveal a gross abuse of the housing subsidies system by the beneficiaries of government-funded housing in South Africa. This is evident from illegal sale of the houses below market value. This has led to a continual building of shacks and an increased number of people on the housing waiting list instead of a decrease in the housing deficit. The results from quantitative analysis affirm the use of “Mortgage Payment Subsidies, Mortgage Payment Deductions, Down-Payment Grant and Mortgage Interest Deductions” as viable alternatives to subsidy payment currently in use to finance affordable housing projects by the South African Government. Practical implications At the moment, the focus of the South African National Government is continual provision of free housing to the historically disadvantage citizens, but the housing financing method being used encourages unapproved transfer of ownership in the affordable housing sector. This study thus recommends the use of an all-inclusive housing financing method that requires a monetary contribution from the beneficiaries to enable them take control of the process. Originality/value The relational interface model proposed in this study will reduce pressure on government budgetary provision for housing and guarantee quick return of private developers’ investment in housing. Government must, as a matter of urgency, launch a continuous awareness programme to educate the low-income population on the value and the long-term benefits of the housing.
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Blignaut, J. N., and T. De Wet. "Some recommendations towards reducing electricity consumption in the South African manufacturing sector." South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 4, no. 2 (2001): 359–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v4i2.3295.
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This paper investigates the means of reducing electricity consumption in the South African manufacturing sector. It concludes that neither the price of electricity, nor taxes, subsidies or legislation are likely to bring about the required change. A change in the production structure using relatively more labour and less capital is also unlikely in the immediate future, given the socioeconomic and legislative milieu currently prevailing in South Africa. The only feasible solution that seems likely is a change in technology, which includes the more efficient use of electricity. Given the possible international agreement regarding global climate change commitments and procedures, clean development mechanisms may therefore yet provide the answer.
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Chou, Jacquelyn W., Darius N. Lakdawalla, and Jacqueline Vanderpuye-Orgle. "Public-Private Partnership as a Path to Affordable Healthcare in Emerging Markets." Forum for Health Economics and Policy 18, no. 1 (2015): 65–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/fhep-2014-0023.
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Abstract The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have experienced tremendous economic and health gains in recent decades. Two of the major health challenges faced by the BRICS and other low and middle income countries are decreasing inequity in health outcomes and increasing affordability of health insurance. One fiscally sustainable option for the BRICS governments is a public subsidy system for private health insurance plans. This essay lays out the potential applicability and impacts of public subsidies for private health insurance plans, as well as opportunities and challenges for implementation, in the BRICS countries. Overall, providing public subsidies rather than health insurance would enable the BRICS governments to avoid the open-ended financial liabilities that have plagued advanced economies, while still expanding access to health insurance and encouraging the develoment of a robust private health insurance market. We conclude by suggesting an array of pilot programs that could serve as the seeds for publicly subsidized health insurance schemes within the BRICS markets.
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Langstaff, Liane. "Freshwater scarcity and pricing in South Africa: conflicts between conservation and equity in the post-apartheid state." SURG Journal 4, no. 1 (2010): 44–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.21083/surg.v4i1.1196.
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South Africa faces water scarcity due to the contribution of climatic, geographic, and human variables. As reported by Statistics South Africa, persistent water scarcity and distributional inequity has arisen in a changing political arena from the period of colonization to the most recent chapter of South African governance from 1994 onwards [1]. In the policy context of a state struggling with the legacy of apartheid, conflicts regarding the pricing of freshwater resources have arisen [2]. With discrepancies between the higher price for water required to promote efficiency and conservation, and the alternative pricing system that would meet the South Africa’s responsibility to improve distributional fairness, the most recent challenges took place between 1994 and 2000 [3]. Consequently, the predominant problem linked to South Africa’s freshwater resources is how to allocate water amongst the competing uses of long term environmental and human welfare, without compromising the needs of the country’s urban poor. One perspective, which can provide insight on the issue of water scarcity in South Africa, is free market environmentalism. This branch of economic thought supports a system of water markets with prices that reflect the true cost of providing the resources along with subsidies to address the needs of the poor. Based on an evaluation of the impact of market incentives in South Africa since the 2001 market reforms, it has been determined that a pragmatic, free market environmentalist approach to water can yield economically efficient outcomes for the resource while mitigating distributional equity issues.
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Gilbert, Alan. "Helping the poor through housing subsidies: lessons from Chile, Colombia and South Africa." Habitat International 28, no. 1 (2004): 13–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0197-3975(02)00070-x.
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Seema, Naran, and Paul Kibuuka. "Innovative financing mechanisms for government to leverage private sector investment in infrastructure for sustainable development in South Africa: case study in the water sector." Public and Municipal Finance 6, no. 3 (2017): 33–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/pmf.06(3).2017.04.
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The research article presents catalytic and innovative mechanisms for the use of fiscal grant funding to crowd in private sector investment for water infrastructure projects in the Republic of South Africa. Chapter Two of the South African Constitution (1996) includes a series of socio-economic rights, of which the right of access to water is one of those afforded its people, but this access is not currently provided to the entire population. The study uses a mixed methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data sequentially. The data gathered involved a non-random purposive sample of best practice from European Union-funded projects internationally, South Africa-based projects, and qualitative interviews with officials from international development finance institutions and the National Treasury. It was found that the strategic targeting of grant funding to mitigate project risks, better enabled investor confidence. Through the use of three innovative financing tools, specifically investment grants, interest rate subsidies and technical assistance, government was able to leverage further investment into projects. The research concluded that blended grants for debt financing should be a consideration in South Africa. Specifically, as the current challenges in the water sector relate to constrained financial gaps, as well as capacity and skills deficits, these could be addressed strategically and deliberately through the use of blended fiscal grants targeting innovative financing tools. To allow for blending as recommended, budget reforms in South Africa are necessary.
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Coetzee, Liza (ESM), Hanneke du Preez, and Natasha K. Smale. "South African Tax Incentives To Alleviate Unemployment: Lessons From United States Of America Approaches." International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER) 12, no. 7 (2013): 769. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/iber.v12i7.7965.
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A quarter of the labour force in South Africa is currently unemployed with the majority of the unemployed being unskilled youth. One of the major causes seems to be the commanding power of trades union resulting in a high minimum wage for unskilled workers, which results in a reduction in the demand for unskilled labour. To reduce the current unemployment rate in South Africa, policy decisions should be focused on youth employment with emphasis on skills development. Policy should also stimulate growth of small, medium and micro enterprises in order to stimulate job creation. A literature review indicates that current tax incentives in South Africa do not incentivise employers to hire unskilled youth labour, and are not applied on a wide enough scale to significantly impact the overall unemployment statistics. The proposed youth wage subsidy will increase the demand for unskilled labour by reducing the cost of labour. However, to have the desired impact, the participation rate must be high. The proposed subsidy was analysed against the successes and failures of subsidies implemented in the USA. It was found that many of the flaws identified in the USA have been avoided.Based on the above, the recommendation is that the proposed youth wage subsidy is plausible in a South African context and should be implemented. The main concern is that newly employed youth would replace workers who do not meet the qualifications of the subsidy. This would have to be taken into account by policy makers.
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Winkler, Harald, and Andrew Marquard. "Analysis of the economic implications of a carbon tax." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 22, no. 1 (2011): 55–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2011/v22i1a3202.
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A carbon tax should be considered among the range of instruments available to the South African government, economy and society, as part of a broad portfolio of mitigation actions. A carbon tax was one of the most effective wedges or mitigation options analysed for the Long-term mitigation scenarios (LTMS) for South Africa. The LTMS strategic option ‘Using the market’ reduced emissions roughly as required by Science, for several decades. The LTMS research indicated that the effectiveness increases, up to certain tax levels. South Africa might consider a tax starting around R100-200 / t CO2eq, escalating in future. Our paper presents results on research on a carbon tax in South Africa conducted in 2008 and was presented at the Climate Change Summit 2009. The efficiency with which a carbon tax achieves the goal of reducing GHG emissions depends on responsiveness and substitutability. This is shown more fully on the supply-side, while further work will be needed to fully understand the response to a carbon tax on the demand side. Careful design of a carbon tax (or other economic instruments considered) will be important to ensure that it is effective in meeting its objective – reducing GHG emissions. We propose a price discovery and adjustment mechanism that sets a band around the desired ‘peak, plateau and decline’ trajectory. Equity demands that poor households, in particular, be shielded from any burden. Off-setting incentives, such as food subsidies or reduced VAT on basic goods, should in finance measure that which will ensure that the package of tax and incentives is a net benefit to the poor – and not to treat the tax as a revenue-raising instrument. With appropriate design, a carbon tax can be a powerful instrument of mitigation in South Africa, and at the same time, contribute to socio-economic objectives.
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Swanepoel, D. S., G. F. Ortmann, and M. A. G. Darroch. "Causes of bankruptcy amongst maize and extensive beef farmers in South Africa: 1970-1994." South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 1, no. 1 (1998): 52–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v1i1.1868.
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The number of maize farms and extensive beef farms annually declared bankrupt in South Africa rose sharply over the period 1970 to 1994. Principal components regression confirmed a priori expectations that maize farm and extensive beef farm bankruptcies were negatively related to annual rainfall (business risk factor), but positively related to the lagged aggregate farm debt/asset ratio and lagged real interest rates (financial risk factors). Maize farm bankruptcies also increased as lagged real maize and beef producer prices fell (business risk factors). Beef farm bankruptcies rose with lower lagged real beef producer prices and higher lagged real stockfeed subsidies and transport rebates (business risk factors). Part of the rise in maize and extensive beef farms failures between 1970 and 1994 can therefore be ascribed to changed agricultural price and macroeconomic policies
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Winkler, Harald. "Reducing energy poverty through carbon tax revenues in South Africa." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 28, no. 3 (2017): 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2017/v28i3a2332.
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How much can poverty be reduced through carbon tax revenue? This study analyses specific programmes, with carbon taxes generating revenues and equivalent spending on programmes to reduce energy poverty. The twin challenges of development and climate change could be addressed in this way in South Africa. A simple spreadsheet model was used to estimate revenue available from a carbon tax, given different tax rates and emission projections. Four programmes to reduce energy poverty were quantified: electrification, extended free basic energy, scaling-up sustainable housing, and subsidising rooftop solar for poor households. Matching carbon revenue with equivalent expenditure, the study found that applying all carbon revenue to a single programme could fund the national budget for electrification. Hundreds of thousands, and up to tens of millions, of households could receive free energy in the form of 5 kg of liquefied petroleum gas every month, as well as better houses that are warmer in winter and with fewer health impacts from indoor air pollution. Carbon revenues could fund at least a few hundred thousand improved homes, or subsidies for at least 100 000 rooftop solar systems per year to poor households. Institutional and other constraints would have to be addressed. Carbon revenue could fully fund all four programmes combined into an integrated strategy, in three of the four scenarios. The results suggested that full funding could be available from 2019 or from 2025, dependent on carbon tax revenue scenario. Energy poverty can be reduced by expenditure of carbon tax revenues.
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Boonzaaier, Catherine, and Joseph Chisasa. "The Impact Of The National Credit Act On Residential Mortgage Lending In South Africa." Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR) 34, no. 3 (2018): 533–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/jabr.v34i3.10175.
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The purpose of the study reported in this article was to determine the impact of the National Credit Act on residential mortgage lending in South Africa. The National Credit Act (NCA) was promulgated and implemented on 1 June 2007. The purpose of the NCA was to remove the many unfair practices, inappropriate disclosure and anti-competitive practices from the market and to achieve honesty in the credit market. Low-income groups were held back because they could not gain access to formal finance to build or improve houses or supplement housing subsidies to get bigger houses. This study applied a quantitative research design using monthly time series secondary data for the period January 2001 to August 2011. The statistical analysis techniques used in this study were t-tests, descriptive statistics, trend analysis and correlation analysis. It was found that the NCA had a positive effect on the residential mortgages in South Africa. These results have policy implications on the continued regulation of the credit market and the avoidance of reckless lending.
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Foster-Pedley, J., and H. Hertzog. "Financing strategies for growth in the renewable energy industry in South Africa." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 17, no. 4 (2006): 57–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2006/v17i4a3209.
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This study analyses empirical qualitative data collected from key stakeholders in the renewable energy industry in South Africa. As a step on the path towards developing better success in financing for renewable energy entrepreneurs, a financing framework is proposed and used to create a holistic view of the financing process in the renewable energy sector. It allows stakeholders to get an understanding of all the motives, barriers, sources of capital and possible destinations of capital in one system. Many good reasons exist for South Africa to invest in renewable energy with motives dominated by environmental concerns, diversity of supply, job creation and economic development. Internationally, investment in renewable energy projects has been growing despite a significant slump in overall global investment trends. In a decentralised business model, smaller renewable energy based businesses will continue to have difficulty in raising finance in South Africa. Key barriers include the high price of energy and equipment resulting in poor profitability, the reliability and quality of government policy, a lack of awareness and experience and a lack of innovative financing solutions. The study finds there are many expectations for government to address the needs of the industry within the context of its current regulated status. There appears to be a preference for demand side interventions, which rely on levies, subsidies and tax incentives. This paper strives to offer new ways of looking at the financing problems currently being experienced in the industry and proposes an innovative framework to assist the stakeholders in the industry in structuring financing for renewable energy ventures.
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Gonese, Dorcas, Dumisani Hompashe, and Kin Sibanda. "The impact of electricity prices on sectoral output in South Africa from 1994 to 2015." African Journal of Economic and Management Studies 10, no. 2 (2019): 198–211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ajems-12-2017-0305.
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of electricity prices on sectoral output in South Africa from 1994 to 2015 and also econometrically examine the impact of electricity prices on output at sectoral levels over the same period. The paper also put forth a policy proposal that brings together electricity end-users, suppliers and government regulators with the goal of conveying an effective outcome that withstands output growth without necessarily compromising social and developmental objectives.Design/methodology/approachLocal sources of data were utilised in applying panel data analysis. The paper utilised the data from South Africa Reserve Bank and Quantec South Africa. The Hausman test indicated that the fixed effect estimator is the appropriate estimator for this paper. Robust estimators (such as Driscoll Kraay (SCC), feasible generalised least of squares, least square dummy variables and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) were employed for consistent and efficient inferences. The study also utilised the SUR regression to analyse the impact of electricity prices on output at a sectoral level.FindingsThe fixed effect estimator results of this paper indicate that electricity prices have a negative impact on sectoral output. Again, the SUR estimator shows that the sectoral output disparately responds to electricity prices change in South Africa over the period 1994–2015.Thus, six out of eight sectors significantly and negatively respond to electricity prices change in South Africa. The mining and the construction sectors seem not to be affected by electricity prices changes unlike agriculture, manufacturing, government services, transport and communication finance and trade.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research has attained its aims, there were some inevitable limitations. For instance, unlike the time series and cross-sectional data, the panel data were tardily assembled, since the researchers had to gather data for specific variables for each and every selected individual sector. However, this did not compromise the research findings since the panel data from both developed and developing countries are available from sources such as Easy data Quantec.Practical implicationsThe results of the study show that electricity price is a limiting factor to the sectoral production growth in South Africa. Therefore, any conservation policies regarding energy or electricity should be implemented with caution. Indeed, the government should implement policies that increase energy and electricity supply in the country. Thus, the government should set affordable prices of electricity that benefits both the power and economic sector output. In addition, the electricity regulators should set prices that do not damage output across economic sectors in South Africa. Again, the government should continue supporting the imposition of subsidies on the economic sectors that are more sensitive to electricity price. To this end, the study provides a policy proposal (in line with the South African National Development Plan and the climatic change strategies) that connects electricity producers, government electricity regulators, consumers and the society with the goal of conveying an effective outcome that withstands output growth without necessarily compromising social and developmental objectives.Social implicationsCost-reflective electricity prices may be a burden to end users but this will assist in the maintenance and expansion of the power industry to get rid of electricity supply and demand imbalances which may escalate electricity prices in future. Indeed, the electricity end users including the society should pay a price that improves generation capacity to avoid power shortages since the lack of energy (electricity) contributes to poverty and deprivation and can contribute to economic decline. In this regard, the government should work hard to reduce the public resistance towards the cost-reflective electricity prices strategy; there is a need to keep the electricity end users informed on the economic impacts of such strategies in order for them to make informed choices.Originality/valueThis paper utilised the panel data for sectoral analysis. Again, the study aimed to provide policymakers with more information on the behaviour of different sectors with regards to electricity price changes, and hence assisting regulators and policymakers in future decisions on electricity price changes in relation to output at sectoral levels. Better knowledge of the link between electricity prices and the real sector output should permit better regulatory decisions to facilitate economic efficiency. Furthermore, it helps the government to identify sectors in need of power subsidies to enhance economic development.
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Marimuthu, Ferina. "Government assistance to state-owned enterprises: a hindrance to financial performance." Investment Management and Financial Innovations 17, no. 2 (2020): 40–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/imfi.17(2).2020.04.
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This study aimed to examine whether government financial assistance influences the financial performance of state-owned enterprises. Commercial state-owned enterprises in South Africa that are listed under the Public Financial Management Act during the post-apartheid era from 1995 to 2017 were sampled. Government guarantees were measured as a dummy variable, while financial performance was measured by accounting measure: return on assets (ROA). Endogeneity issues were addressed, and data analysis was performed on an unbalanced panel using the two-step system GMM. The empirical evidence indicated that support by the government in the form of guarantees and subsidies has a significant negative effect on the financial performance of state-owned enterprises. This is an indication that continued government bailouts to poor performing state-owned enterprises exacerbates their poor financial performance and encourages these enterprises to become too reliant on government assistance, burdening the national fiscus. AcknowledgmentsThe author gratefully acknowledges the National Research Foundation of South Africa for the research grant and Dr Farai Kwenda for his supervision during the study.
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Karlan, Dean S., and Jonathan Zinman. "Credit Elasticities in Less-Developed Economies: Implications for Microfinance." American Economic Review 98, no. 3 (2008): 1040–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.98.3.1040.
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Policymakers often prescribe that microfinance institutions increase interest rates to eliminate their reliance on subsidies. This strategy makes sense if the poor are rate insensitive: then microlenders increase profitability (or achieve sustainability) without reducing the poor's access to credit. We test the assumption of price inelastic demand using randomized trials conducted by a consumer lender in South Africa. The demand curves are downward sloping, and steeper for price increases relative to the lender's standard rates. We also find that loan size is far more responsive to changes in loan maturity than to changes in interest rates, which is consistent with binding liquidity constraints. (JEL G21, O16)
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Onyiriuba, Leonard, E. U. Okoro Okoro, and Godwin Imo Ibe. "Strategic government policies on agricultural financing in African emerging markets." Agricultural Finance Review 80, no. 4 (2020): 563–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/afr-01-2020-0013.
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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify and review strategic government policies on agricultural financing in Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Four factors dictated the choice of these countries. In the first place, the study is set in African emerging markets – and the four countries are the widely acknowledged emerging markets in Africa (Onyiriuba, 2015). Secondly, the spread of the countries, to a large extent, mirrors Africa in general – Egypt and Morocco are in North Africa; Nigeria is a West African country; and, of course, South Africa. Thirdly, other countries in Africa tend to look up to the four countries, apparently as the largest economies in their respective regions. Needless to say, Nigeria alternates with South Africa as the largest economy in Africa. In this capacity, the two countries influence – indeed, mirror – continental Africa's emerging economic progress. Fourthly, lessons from agricultural policy and financing experiences of the four countries will certainly be useful to the other African countries. The specific objective of this paper is to determine how the government seeks to address the financing issues attendant on the risk-laden nature of agriculture through policy interventions. With this end in view, the paper analyses the strategic goals, objectives and beneficiaries of the agriculture financing policies of the government, as well as the constraints on access to finance by the farmers and the policy response.Design/methodology/approachThe study involves a review of empirical literature and government policies on agricultural financing in Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. The high risks in agriculture (Onyiriuba, 2015; Mordi, 1988), risk aversion behaviour of banks towards agricultural financing (Onyiriuba, 2015, 1990), and the reluctance of insurers to take on agricultural risks (World Bank, 2018; Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2016; Onyiriuba, 1990; Mordi, 1988) underpin this methodology. There are two other considerations: the needs to find out how government seeks to address the financing issues in agriculture through policy intervention, and to avoid unwieldy research, one that combines government and institutional policy perspectives on agriculture financing. Thus the study is not approached from the perspective of banks and other lending institutions; neither does it combine government and institutional policy perspectives. It rather focuses on government policy in order to properly situate implications of the findings.FindingsThe authorities seek to get rid of bottlenecks, ease participation and redress constraints on access to finance in agriculture through policy interventions as a means of sustainable economic growth. The findings are characteristic of emerging markets, rooted in the transitional challenge of opening economies, economic reforms and the March of progress. However, with agriculture and natural resources – rather than industrialisation – as the main stay of their economies, the African emerging markets face an uphill task in their development efforts. This is evident in the divergent and gloomy pictures in which the literature paints their agricultural economies.Practical implicationsGovernment should gear financing policies to boost output as a means of ensuring food security. It should address risk aversion tendencies among the lenders and feeble credit guarantee, subsidies and budgetary allocations to agriculture. This will ensure effective commitment of the lenders to agriculture and underpin agricultural insurance. However, it demands strengthening links in the chain of access to, and monitoring of, credit for agricultural production. A realistic policy response should target the rural economy – with youth, women and smallholder farmers as ultimate beneficiaries. These actions should be intensified as measures to boost farming and the rural economy.Originality/valueCurrent literature fails to situate the empirical findings in emerging markets context, reflecting economies in transition. Besides, in its current state, the literature does not explicitly clarify that agriculture, like most other sectors in such economies, is bound to experience the observed financing constraints. Neither does it clearly reflect how and why the findings should be seen as fleeting realities of the March of progress in transitional economies. This study will help to fill the gap.
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Whelan, Brendan, and Edwin Muchapondwa. "Enhancing consumers’ voluntary use of small-scale wind turbines to generate their own electricity in South Africa." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 22, no. 2 (2011): 13–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2011/v22i2a3210.
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This paper investigates whether households and small businesses can voluntarily take advantage of the South Africa’s substantial wind resources to produce their own power from small-scale wind turbines in a viable way. The viability of small-scale wind turbines used to displace electricity consumption from the grid is assessed by means of a financial analysis based on the internal rate of return method. The benefits of small-scale wind turbines output is valued at the grid power tariff which is saved rather than at the wind feed-in tariff rate. The analysis found the small-scale wind turbines to be robustly viable in locations with a mean annual wind speed of at least 8m/s, which is only a few of the windiest locations in South Africa. The competiveness of the wind turbines is seriously challenged by the relatively low coal-based electricity tariffs in South Africa. As such, the financial analysis also considers alternative scenarios where the turbines are supported by financial mechanisms, namely: a tariff subsidy; a capital subsidy and revenue from carbon credits. The analysis reveals that a tariff subsidy of between R1.00 and R1.60/kWh or a capital subsidy of between R25.95 and R32.330/kW or a carbon credit price of between R2.135 and R3.200 will be needed to boost the viability of consumer-based small-scale wind turbines in areas with a mean annual wind speed of at least 5m/s, which is considered to be above average. Thus, there is a need for subsidizing all producers of renewable energy including those who produce it for their own consumption as they equally contribute to renewable energy expansion in the country. A tariff subsidy is however likely to be met with both political and public resistance if it means that consumers have to cross-subsidize the tariff, while the significant funds required for capital subsidies might not be freely available. Carbon credit prices have yet to mature to the required high levels. Thus, the removal of distortionary support to coal-based electricity generation might be the only currently available alternative of enhancing viability of consumer-based small-scale wind turbines.
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Henseler, Martin, and Helene Maisonnave. "Low world oil prices: A chance to reform fuel subsidies and promote public transport? A case study for South Africa." Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 108 (February 2018): 45–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.12.009.
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An, Ruopeng. "Effectiveness of subsidies in promoting healthy food purchases and consumption: a review of field experiments." Public Health Nutrition 16, no. 7 (2012): 1215–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1368980012004715.
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AbstractObjectiveTo systematically review evidence from field interventions on the effectiveness of monetary subsidies in promoting healthier food purchases and consumption.DesignKeyword and reference searches were conducted in five electronic databases: Cochrane Library, EconLit, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Studies were included based on the following criteria: (i) intervention: field experiments; (ii) population: adolescents 12–17 years old or adults 18 years and older; (iii) design: randomized controlled trials, cohort studies or pre–post studies; (iv) subsidy: price discounts or vouchers for healthier foods; (v) outcome: food purchases or consumption; (vi) period: 1990–2012; and (vii) language: English. Twenty-four articles on twenty distinct experiments were included with study quality assessed using predefined methodological criteria.SettingInterventions were conducted in seven countries: the USA (n 14), Canada (n 1), France (n 1), Germany (n 1), Netherlands (n 1), South Africa (n 1) and the UK (n 1). Subsidies applied to different types of foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat snacks sold in supermarkets, cafeterias, vending machines, farmers’ markets or restaurants.SubjectsInterventions enrolled various population subgroups such as school/university students, metropolitan transit workers and low-income women.ResultsAll but one study found subsidies on healthier foods to significantly increase the purchase and consumption of promoted products. Study limitations include small and convenience samples, short intervention and follow-up duration, and lack of cost-effectiveness and overall diet assessment.ConclusionsSubsidizing healthier foods tends to be effective in modifying dietary behaviour. Future studies should examine its long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness at the population level and its impact on overall diet intake.
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Maphosa, Michael, and Patrick Mabuza. "The Trade-Offs Between Pro-Poor and Cost-Reflective Tariffs in South Africa: A Regulatory Perspective." Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies 8, no. 6(J) (2017): 206–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.22610/jebs.v8i6(j).1494.
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Abstract: This paper presents arguments for and against cost reflectivity and pro-poor tariff policy in South African electricity supply from a regulatory perspective. This debate has been ongoing for decades in developing countries; however, there is still no clear direction on how countries should approach these two important competing policy positions. There are those that argue that achieving cost-reflective tariffs will attract private sector investment into the electricity supply industry (ESI) that will lead to much needed competition and reduced electricity tariffs. However, there are also those who argue that cost-reflective tariffs will make it difficult to achieve government social objectives of universal access through pro-poor tariffs, as cost-reflective tariffs will be unaffordable to the majority of the population. The fundamental question is what should come first, between cost-reflective tariffs and pro-poor tariffs in a developing country context, specifically in South Africa. This paper therefore attempts to examine the real trade-offs between pro-poor tariff policies and cost-reflective tariffs. The study attempts to answer one critical question: How can the electricity sector attract local and foreign investors, without necessarily affecting government social objectives such as universal access to electricity? The study finds that electricity consumers, and in particular poor households, have historically benefited from relatively cheap electricity and that tariffs have not been cost reflective. In other words, there is a mismatch between tariffs and the underlying costs of supplying electricity in South Africa. It also finds competing expectations between poor consumers and utilities. Consumers expect to receive electricity at an affordable price, while utilities argue that a good, reliable electricity supply’s tariffs must be matched with costs. Lastly, the study finds that it is difficult to achieve cost reflective tariffs in the short run, in an environment characterised by a high number of consumers dependent on government social grants and cross-subsidies. The study therefore recommends a gradual movement towards cost-reflective tariffs, together with the introduction of competition and energy efficiency and demand side management (EEDSM), in order to minimise the impact on the poor.Keywords: Tariffs, pro-poor, cost reflectivity, electricity, consumers
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Lyne, Michael, Paul Zille, and Douglas Graham. "Financing the Market-Based Redistribution of Land to Disadvantaged Farmers and Farm Workers in South Africa: Recent Performance of the Land Reform Credit Facility." Sociological Research Online 5, no. 2 (2000): 57–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.5153/sro.495.
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This paper compares the results of public and private land redistribution in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It identifies problems that constrain access to the land market, and describes recent efforts to address the liquidity problem associated with mortgage finance. The Land Reform Credit Facility (LRCF) was launched by government in May 1999 to help alleviate cash flow problems on farms purchased by disadvantaged buyers and financed with mortgage loans from commercial banks. The LRCF does not offer subsidies. Rather it offers loans with deferred or graduated repayment schedules to reputable banks and venture capital investors who finance, on similar terms, equity-share projects and land purchased by aspiring farmers. The paper outlines the LRCF experience and considers reasons for its promising start. The loan target of R15 million (US$2.15 million) set for the first year was reached after only eight months.
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Votteler, Roman, Johan Hough, and Chanel Venter. "An analysis of the solar service provider industry in the Western Cape, South Africa." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 25, no. 2 (2014): 70–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2014/v25i2a2672.
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Scientists agree that rising electricity usage of the rapidly growing human race to improve its standard of living is negatively affecting the environment. To create a sustainable environment for future generations, renewable and environmentally friendly resources have to be exchanged for the present finite resources. In South Africa, coal plants are responsible for more than 90% of electricity production. This means that action has to be taken now to start a process of change to sustainable electricity resources.This paper focuses on the South African solar industry. Due to the high sun radiation levels, solar technology is one of the renewable energy sources with the greatest potential. The industry is in its infancy, characterised by accelerated growth expectancy and fuelled by factors such as government subsidies, the fluctuations of fossil fuel prices and the increasing focus on economical long-term sustainability. The expected growth necessitates a focus on the market positioning of solar service providers in the Western Cape, with the aim of taking full advantage of the opportunities associated with this industry.The main objective is to determine the current structure of the solar service provider value chain and subsequently areas of improvement to increase growth, stakeholder satisfaction and sustainability. A literature review was conducted to address the research objective, relevant approaches and the broader electricity industry. Porter’s Value Chain approach was used as a foundation for the adaptation to the solar service provider value chain. Porter’s Five Forces model was also used as a secondary approach, which analysed the competitive environment of the solar service provider industry in the Western Cape. The methodology entailed a qualitative research approach in the form of semi-structured interviews. All respondents were general managers or owners of a solar service provider, who were interviewed face to face. The research focused on the entire population of solar service providers in the Western Cape. Seventy-seven different service providers were targeted, of which 18 were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using content and frequency analysis. To guarantee reliability, a pilot study was conducted to ensure that the respondents understood the questionnaire. The findings show that customer service is the foremost value driver for solar service providers. This entails the actual installation of the product as well as the people skills of the installation team. As most customers only have to be served once due to the long life span of the products, marketing also plays an obvious role in attracting new customers. The most important outcome of this paper is the determination and a better understanding of the solar service provider value chain in South Africa. The recommendations, especially with regard to marketing and service elements, could improve the performance of solar service providers. The consequence could be an increase in stakeholder satisfaction and an enhanced usage of solar energy in South Africa. Future research should focus on customers to reveal preferences and opportunities for marketing approaches.
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Goudge, J., J. Akazili, J. Ataguba, et al. "Social solidarity and willingness to tolerate risk- and income-related cross-subsidies within health insurance: experiences from Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa." Health Policy and Planning 27, suppl 1 (2012): i55—i63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czs008.
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Kibirige, Douglas, Ajay S. Singh, and Lovemore M. Rugube. "Small-Scale Irrigation and Production Efficiency among Vegetable Farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: The DEA Approach." Journal of Agricultural Studies 7, no. 1 (2019): 149. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jas.v7i1.14564.
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Despite the establishment and revitalization of small-scale irrigation schemes, input subsidies and tractor hire schemes in the rural Eastern Cape Province of South Africa productivity among small-scale farmers is recorded low and anticipated to decline. For survival, small-scale farmers have resorted to cultivating high value crops including vegetables. However, their vegetable productivity is far less than the estimated potential yields, and information regarding their production efficiency is limited. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining farmer’s production efficiency to generate meaningful information necessary for designing feasible pro-poor policies aimed at catalysing increased the productivity and rural household incomes. The study was carried out at Qamata and Tyefu irrigation schemes, and approximately 158 farmers were interviewed. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach was used to generate results. The findings in this article indicated that most farmers are old aged with low literacy levels. Farmers were also allocating few hectares of land for cabbage production with far less application of fertilizers and pesticides compared to the recommended amounts. Farmers at Qamata and Tyefu irrigation schemes are technically, allocatively and economically efficient at 98%, 72% and 77% level, respectively. Thus, for improving the productivity, farmers need to maintain the same technologies and adjust on the amounts of fertilizers, seeds and pesticides used for improving allocative and economic efficiency. Results suggested that this can be achieved through encouraging more youth participation in farming, improved input-agronomic and agribusiness skills, catalysing processes of land reforms, and construction of more dams.
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le Roux, Elizabeth. "Publishing South African scholarship in the global academic community." Notes and Records: the Royal Society Journal of the History of Science 69, no. 3 (2015): 301–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsnr.2015.0033.
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South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa) from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that ‘speak to the student’, and it is today the only South African university press with an active journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought South African journals back into an international intellectual community. Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local research in a global context.
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Cherry, Michael. "South African government threatens university subsidies." Nature 329, no. 6136 (1987): 192. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/329192a0.
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Iravani, Mohsen, Leila Riahi, Kianoush Abdi, and Seyed Jamaledin Tabibi Seyed. "A Comparative Study of the Rehabilitation Services Systems for People With Disabilities." Journal of Rehabilitation 21, no. 4 (2021): 544–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/rj.21.4.3225.1.
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Objective: Providing desirable rehabilitation services to people with disabilities has always been one of the most critical concerns of the health system in all countries. Today, it is crucial for policymakers and health care providers to recognize the different systems for providing rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. In this regard, it is beneficial to conduct comparative studies and use successful countries’ experiences in this subject. This comparison-analytical study aimed to compare the systems for providing rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. Materials & Methods: This comparative study was conducted in nine countries in 2020. To determine the comparison framework in this research, four dimensions of health systems’ functions were used based on the 2000 report of the World Health Organization. The countries were compared in dimensions of stewardship, resource production, financing, and service provision. Findings obtained from each country were presented separately in the comparative tables. The model used in this comparative study was based on the Beredy Model that contains four stages of description, interpretation, proximity, and comparison. In the present study, the purposive sampling method was used. The statistical population included rehabilitation systems globally, and the research examples were Iran, China, Turkey, India, the USA, Mexico, Germany, England, and South Africa. Criteria for entering the research according to the functional model of the World Health Organization were the availability of data and selecting at least one country from each continent of America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Results: The findings showed that in Iran, the Welfare Organization was responsible for providing rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, while in other countries, it was the Ministry of Health. Also, to compare resource production, two staff training indicators and access to comprehensive national data were used. In all countries studied, the training of specialized human resources is done through the university system. Iran, India, and Mexico did not have full access to comprehensive national data, but the United States, Germany, China, South Africa, and Turkey provided the platform for planning and policy-making. Moreover, funding in Germany, the United States, China, and Turkey is mainly provided through the insurance system. In the United Kingdom, it is mainly provided through tax, but in Iran, it is provided through subsidies from the public revenues and taxes. Finally, besides the private sector, rehabilitation services in Iran’s public sector were provided incoherently by various organizations. Some of these organizations are the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the Exceptional Education Organization, the Red Crescent, the State Welfare Organization, and the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, while in other countries, these services are often provided through hospitals and the private sectors. Conclusion: Despite the numerous strengths in the system of providing rehabilitation services to the disabled in Iran, the integration of the rehabilitation sectors of various organizations within the Ministry of Health not only increases the inter-sectoral and intra-sectoral coordination, the coherence of management, and unified policy, but also leads to reduced costs, proper allocation of resources and increased financial resources in this sector. Besides, it leads to a reduction in overlapping tasks and responsibilities and prevention of duplication of work, training of specialized personnel based on the needs, and finally providing more desirable services. Therefore, policymakers and planners must review and reform the laws and processes to form a system for providing rehabilitation services to the disabled in Iran.
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Muir, R. A., E. M. Bordy, J. S. V. Reddering, and J. H. A. Viljoen. "Lithostratigraphy of the Enon Formation (Uitenhage Group), South Africa." South African Journal of Geology 120, no. 2 (2017): 273–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.25131/gssajg.120.2.273.
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Abstract The Uitenhage Group represents the earliest deposits that filled Mesozoic rift basins in the southern Cape of South Africa during the fragmentation of the supercontinent Gondwana. The sedimentology of the Enon Formation records the development of alluvial systems that drained the region since the onset of Gondwanan rifting, and therefore plays an important role in our understanding of early landscape evolution along the southern African continental margin. The mostly coarse conglomeratic unit was deposited continuously in actively subsiding, but separated, rift basins. As a result, the deposits are diachronous between basins and display highly varied thicknesses of up to well over 2000 m.
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Dezfuli, Amin K., Benjamin F. Zaitchik, and Anand Gnanadesikan. "Regional Atmospheric Circulation and Rainfall Variability in South Equatorial Africa." Journal of Climate 28, no. 2 (2015): 809–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-14-00333.1.
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Abstract This study examines daily precipitation data during December–March over south equatorial Africa (SEA) and proposes a new zonal asymmetric pattern (ZAP) that explains the leading mode of weather-scale precipitation variability in the region. The eastern and western components of the ZAP, separated at about 30°E, appear to be a consequence of an anomalous zonal atmospheric cell triggered by enhanced low-level westerly winds. The enhanced westerlies are generated by a diagonal interhemispheric pressure gradient between the southwestern Indian and north tropical Atlantic Oceans. In eastern SEA these winds hit the East African Plateau, producing low-level convergence and convection that further intensifies the westerlies. In western SEA a subsiding branch develops in response, closing the circulation cell. The system gradually dissipates as the pressure gradient weakens. Through this mechanism, simultaneous changes in two hemispheres generate a regional zonally oriented circulation that relies on climatic communication between eastern and western equatorial Africa.
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Mokoena, B. T., and W. Musakwa. "MOBILE GIS: A TOOL FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENT OCCUPANCY AUDIT TO IMPROVE INTEGRATED HUMAN SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN EKURHULENI, SOUTH AFRICA." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B2 (June 9, 2016): 735–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-xli-b2-735-2016.
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Upgrading and relocating people in informal settlements requires consistent commitment, good strategies and systems so as to improve the lives of those who live in them. In South Africa, in order to allocate subsidised housing to beneficiaries of an informal settlement, beneficiary administration needs to be completed to determine the number of people who qualify for a subsidised house. Conventional methods of occupancy audits are often unreliable, cumbersome and non-spatial. Accordingly, this study proposes the use of mobile GIS to conduct these audits to provide up-to-date, accurate, comprehensive and real-time data so as to facilitate the development of integrated human settlements. An occupancy audit was subsequently completed for one of the communities in the Ekurhuleni municipality, Gauteng province, using web-based mobile GIS as a solution to providing smart information through evidence based decision making. Fieldworkers accessed the off-line capturing module on a mobile device recording GPS coordinates, socio-economic information and photographs. The results of this audit indicated that only 56.86% of the households residing within the community could potentially benefit from receiving a subsidised house. Integrated residential development, which includes fully and partially subsidised housing, serviced stands and some fully bonded housing opportunities, would then be key to adequately providing access to suitable housing options within a project in a post-colonial South Africa, creating new post-1994 neighbourhoods, in line with policy. The use of mobile GIS therefore needs to be extended to other informal settlement upgrading projects in South Africa.
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Mokoena, B. T., and W. Musakwa. "MOBILE GIS: A TOOL FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENT OCCUPANCY AUDIT TO IMPROVE INTEGRATED HUMAN SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN EKURHULENI, SOUTH AFRICA." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B2 (June 9, 2016): 735–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xli-b2-735-2016.
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Upgrading and relocating people in informal settlements requires consistent commitment, good strategies and systems so as to improve the lives of those who live in them. In South Africa, in order to allocate subsidised housing to beneficiaries of an informal settlement, beneficiary administration needs to be completed to determine the number of people who qualify for a subsidised house. Conventional methods of occupancy audits are often unreliable, cumbersome and non-spatial. Accordingly, this study proposes the use of mobile GIS to conduct these audits to provide up-to-date, accurate, comprehensive and real-time data so as to facilitate the development of integrated human settlements. An occupancy audit was subsequently completed for one of the communities in the Ekurhuleni municipality, Gauteng province, using web-based mobile GIS as a solution to providing smart information through evidence based decision making. Fieldworkers accessed the off-line capturing module on a mobile device recording GPS coordinates, socio-economic information and photographs. The results of this audit indicated that only 56.86% of the households residing within the community could potentially benefit from receiving a subsidised house. Integrated residential development, which includes fully and partially subsidised housing, serviced stands and some fully bonded housing opportunities, would then be key to adequately providing access to suitable housing options within a project in a post-colonial South Africa, creating new post-1994 neighbourhoods, in line with policy. The use of mobile GIS therefore needs to be extended to other informal settlement upgrading projects in South Africa.
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Dirkse van Schalkwyk, Riaan, and Louis P. Krüger. "The potential financial impact and influence of black economic empowerment (BEE) on private higher education institutions in South Africa: management alert." Problems and Perspectives in Management 17, no. 3 (2019): 45–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(3).2019.04.
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Education is considered an important pillar of economic development and a vital factor for nation building in post-1994 South Africa. Higher education (HE) is offered by government-subsidized universities and colleges, while there has been an increase in the number of private higher education institutions (PHEIs), which offer more expensive, unsubsidized tertiary education. While all state bodies and public entities are required to apply the provisions of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act, this is not (yet) seemingly a requirement for PHEIs. This study used an adapted version of the “5 Star” research methodology to explore the potential financial impact and influence of the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) black economic empowerment (BEE) policy on PHEIs. The research shows that the BEE policy has the potential to financially impact and influence most of the components of the total quality service (TQS) framework for PHEIs in terms of preferential procurement from suppliers, company ownership, appointment of executive, middle and junior managers, employment of academic and administrative staff, and throughput of black student graduates. Management at PHEIs should be alerted to the fact that it is probably not merely a matter of IF, but rather WHEN the policy will start impacting on the financial stability and viability of PHEIs as BEE compliance becomes mandatory.
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Saxena, Akshar, Nicholas Stacey, Paula Del Ray Puech, Caroline Mudara, Karen Hofman, and Stéphane Verguet. "The distributional impact of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages: findings from an extended cost-effectiveness analysis in South Africa." BMJ Global Health 4, no. 4 (2019): e001317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001317.
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BackgroundFacing increasing obesity prevalence and obesity-related disease burden, South Africa has devised an obesity prevention strategy that includes a recently implemented tax on the sugar content of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). We assess the potential distributional impact (across socioeconomic groups) of this tax on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) incidence and associated mortality and its financial burden on households.MethodsWe conducted an extended cost-effectiveness analysis of the new 10% tax on SSBs in South Africa, and estimated: the averted premature deaths related to T2DM, the financial benefits to households (out-of-pocket (OOP) medical costs and indirect costs due to productivity losses averted), the increased government tax revenues and healthcare savings for the government, all across income quintiles.FindingsA 10% SSB tax increase would avert an estimated 8000 T2DM-related premature deaths over 20 years, with most deaths averted among the third and fourth income quintiles. The government would save about South African rand (ZAR) 2 billion (US$140 million) in subsidised healthcare over 20 years; and would raise ZAR6 billion (US$450 million) in tax revenues per annum. The bottom two quintiles would bear the smallest tax burden increase (36% of the additional taxes). The bottom two income quintiles would also have the lowest savings in OOP payments due to significant subsidisation provided by government healthcare. Lastly, an estimated 32 000 T2DM-related cases of catastrophic expenditures and 12 000 cases of poverty would be averted.ConclusionsSSB taxation would have a substantial distributional impact on obesity-related premature deaths, cost savings to the government and the financial outcomes of South Africa’s population.
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Moss, Viyusani. "Fiscally Unsustainable Social Welfare, Untenable Housing Solutions and the Mortgage Default Ratio in South Africa." International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies (2147-4486) 2, no. 4 (2013): 45–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.20525/ijfbs.v2i4.162.
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This article reflects on social welfare system and governance of housing markets from an end-user perspective. The article criticallyanalyses the way in which social welfare has correlated to unsustainable development and created self entitlement behaviours andattitudes in the South African low income housing market. The phenomenon was demonstrable by empirical research whosefindings confirmed an existence of an association between a fully subsidized social housing model (as underpinned by South Africa’s social welfare) and propensity to default on mortgages. The study found that the risk of default by homeowners in the low income housing market in South Africa is influenced by government’s housing grant model. In other words, the research established that the principle of servicing a mortgaged starter property (that is almost similar to a government free house by both structure and design) is not universally accepted by homeowners of these mortgaged houses. The unintended consequences are that the system has created indefinite expectations that potentially could; (i) erode the country’s balance sheet; (ii) add to non-payment behaviour; (iii) pressurize the economic and credit systems; (iv) propagate entitlement attitudes and mindsets; (v) create social instability and (v) widened the country’s balance of payment deficits.
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Swemmer, Sheena. "Pro-poor legal practice: household rights and subsidised housing in South Africa." South African Journal on Human Rights 34, no. 2 (2018): 290–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02587203.2018.1499264.
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Carena, Sara, Hans-Peter Bunge, and Anke M. Friedrich. "Analysis of geological hiatus surfaces across Africa in the Cenozoic and implications for the timescales of convectively-maintained topography." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 56, no. 12 (2019): 1333–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2018-0329.
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Geological maps are a powerful but underutilized tool for constraining geodynamic processes and models. Unraveling the Cenozoic elevation history of Africa and distinguishing between competing uplift and subsidence scenarios is of considerable interest to constrain the dynamic processes in the mantle beneath the continent. Here, we explore continental-scale geological maps, and map temporal and spatial patterns of geological contacts, assuming that interregional-scale unconformable contacts (hiatus surfaces) on geological maps yield proxy records of paleotopography and vertical motion. We found that significant differences in the spatial extents of interregional-scale hiatus surfaces exist across Africa at the timescale of geologic series. A significant expansion of total unconformable area at the base of the Miocene strongly suggests that the Oligocene was a period of uplift in most of Africa. In southern Africa there is a complete absence of marine sediments in both the Oligocene and Pleistocene. This pattern suggests that southernmost Africa reached a high elevation in the Oligocene, subsided in the Miocene–Pliocene, and has been high again since the latest Pliocene or Pleistocene. Our hiatus mapping results support a dynamic origin of Africa’s topography. In particular, they point to elevation changes at the timescale of geologic series (ten to a few tens of millions of years), which is considerably smaller than the mantle transit time. The timescale for elevation changes in Africa is, thus, comparable with the rapid spreading in the South Atlantic, which have been geodynamically linked to African elevation changes through pressure-driven upper mantle flow.
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Mercer, Claire, and Charlotte Lemanski. "The lived experiences of the African middle classes Introduction." Africa 90, no. 3 (2020): 429–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0001972020000017.
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What are the experiences of the African middle classes, and what do their experiences tell us about social change on the continent? While there have been ample attempts to demarcate the parameters of this social group, the necessary work of tracing the social life and social relations of the middle classes is just beginning. The articles in this special issue provide compelling accounts of the ways in which the middle classes are as much made through their social relations and social practices as they are (if indeed they are) identifiable through aggregate snapshots of income, consumption habits and voting behaviours. Rachel Spronk (2018: 316) has argued that ‘the middle class is not a clear object in the sense of an existing group that can be clearly delineated; rather, it is a classification-in-the-making’. We agree, and our aim in bringing these contributions together in this special issue is to develop our understanding of how this process is emerging in different contexts across Africa. In her opening contribution, Carola Lentz suggests that we need more research on ‘the social dynamics of “doing being middle-class”’, or what we term here ‘middle-classness’, which attends to this ‘classification-in-the-making’ through urban–rural changes over intergenerational life courses, multi-class households, kinship and social relations. Such an agenda has recently been opened up by two edited volumes on the African middle classes (Melber 2016; Kroeker et al. 2018). We further develop this agenda here through a series of empirically rich articles by scholars in African studies, anthropology, literature and sociology that explicitly address the question of the lived experiences of the middle classes. Echoing Spronk's unease with taking ‘the middle class’ as an already constituted social group, what emerges across the articles is rather the unstable, tenuous and context-specific nature of middle-class prosperity in contemporary Africa. Social positions shift – or are questioned – as one moves from the suburb to the township (Ndlovu on South Africa) or into state-subsidized high-rise apartments (Gastrow on Angola). Stability gives way over time to precarity (Southall on Zimbabwe). Wealth is not tied to the individual but circulates more widely through social relations. Should one invest in the nuclear or the extended family (Hull on South Africa; Spronk on Ghana)? In a house or a car (Durham on Botswana)? And why does it matter – for the individual, the household, the family, the city, the nation and the continent? To grasp what it means to be middle-class in Africa today necessarily requires an understanding of the historical, social and spatial embeddedness of lived experiences at multiple scales.
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Aigbavboa, Aigbavboa. "Confirmatory Factorial validity of Neighborhood Features amongst South Africa low-income Housing Occupants’." Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies 5, no. 12 (2013): 825–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.22610/jebs.v5i12.456.
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There is a fundamental link between theory and measurement advising that factorial confirmation of measures should be the first stage of theory testing. The aim of this paper was to confirm the factorial validity of the neighborhood features in a residential satisfaction study amongst South Africa low-income housing occupants’. The study was conducted amongst subsidized low-income housing occupants’ in South Africa. Data used in the study were obtained from a Delphi and field questionnaire study. Primary data was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire survey conducted among 751 low-income housing residents’ in three metropolitan and one district municipality in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data gathered via the questionnaire survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) which was used to confirm the factorial structure of the constructs. SEM analysis revealed that the Rho coefficient and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of internal consistency were over 0.70 criterions for acceptability. Further finding was that neighborhood features influence on the residents’ satisfaction was not statistically significant and hence was weak in the prediction of the residents’ satisfaction with their houses. However, due to the idiosyncratic dataset used in the study, it remains to be seen if the evaluated indicator factors of neighborhood features can replicate to other cross-cultural datasets. If this is the case, the paper makes a significant contribution towards understanding neighborhood features on subsidized low-income housing projects. This study provided significant insight into how residents’ satisfaction with their houses could be improved.
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Baker, Lucy, and Jon Phillips. "Tensions in the transition: The politics of electricity distribution in South Africa." Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 37, no. 1 (2018): 177–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2399654418778590.
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This paper argues that the distribution of electricity represents an important yet neglected aspect of the politics of energy transitions. In recent years, South Africa’s electricity sector has seen the introduction of new actors and technologies, including the ‘prosumer’ (producer–consumer) of electricity and small-scale embedded generation from roof-top solar photovoltaics. We analyse these recent developments in historical context and consider implications for contemporary planning, regulation and ownership of electricity. We find that the reconfiguration of electricity distribution faces significant political and economic challenges that are rooted in the country’s socio-economic and racial inequalities and its heavy dependence on coal-fired power. First small-scale embedded generation offers potential opportunities for affordable, decentralised, low-carbon energy, yet disruption to the coal-powered electric grid and the monopoly of South Africa’s electricity utility has been minimal to date. Second, small-scale embedded generation creates tensions between equitable and low-carbon energy transitions and threatens critical revenue from the country’s wealthy consumers that cross-subsidises electricity services for the poor and other municipal public services. Third, the South African experience queries common assumptions about the democratic potential of decentralised governance. Fourth, South Africa provides insights of global significance into how political institutions have responded to social and technological drivers of change, in a context where planning and regulation have followed rather than led infrastructural developments. While energy policy remains unresponsive or resistant to social and technological change, there remain significant political, economic, technical and regulatory challenges to a just and inclusive energy transition.
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Barry, Michael, and Jennifer Whittal. "Land registration effectiveness in a state-subsidised housing project in Mbekweni, South Africa." Land Use Policy 56 (November 2016): 197–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.04.039.
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Burns, Justine, Lawrence Edwards, and Karl Pauw. "Revisiting wage subsidies: How pro-poor is a South African wage subsidy likely to be?" Development Southern Africa 30, no. 2 (2013): 186–210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0376835x.2013.801197.
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Wagener, Anthea Natalie. "The Impact on Women on the Removal of Gender as a Rating Variable in Motor-Vehicle Insurance." Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad 16, no. 1 (2017): 482. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2013/v16i1a2319.
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Insurers use actuarial statistics as rating variables to differentiate and distinguish for the purposes of risk classification. They justify their use of actuarial statistics due to its accuracy as a predictor of risk. South African motor-vehicle insurers use gender, inter alia, as a rating variable to classify risks into certain classes and to determine insurance premiums. Depending upon whether the insured is male or female, it could have a significant impact on the cost of his or her premium. Women drivers pay less for motor-vehicle insurance because actuarial statistics indicate that women are more careful drivers and are involved in 20 per cent fewer accidents than men. Men pay higher premiums because the statistics indicate that they are less responsible drivers than women. Should a South African court decide that the use of gender as a motor-vehicle insurance rating variable is unfair discrimination, this would benefit male drivers, as it would lower their premium. Women, on the other hand, would be disadvantaged as they would be required to pay higher premiums to subsidise men. The article examines the impact that the removal of gender as a rating variable in motor-vehicle insurance would have on women, and asks if the effects thereof would influence a South African Court’s decision in determining if the use of gender as a rating variable amounts to unfair discrimination. The article first considers the findings of American and Canadian Courts in determining this same issue and then considers South African equality legislation, particularly the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (“the Equality Act”). Thereafter, the article provides recommendations for a South African Court. As the Equality Act indicates that the discriminatory insurance practice of placing a disadvantage or advantage on persons based inter alia on their gender may possibly be unfair, it is suggested that South African insurers would have to consider alternative methods of risk assessment. In the light of the American and the Canadian case law, the article suggests that there should be a change of approach to insurance risk assessment. Rather than using gender as a rating variable the insurer could assess the risk of the individual insured, using appropriate, neutral rating variables suited to the particular circumstances of the insured. This would require a much more intensive and individualised risk evaluation and would require the insurer to “tailor-make” insurance for each individual. It is submitted that such an approach would give effect to the right to equality by disallowing the use of gender as a rating variable without producing the undesirable consequence that women drivers would have to subsidise men.
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Muchapondwa, Edwin, and Jesper Stage. "The economic impacts of tourism in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa: Is poverty subsiding?" Natural Resources Forum 37, no. 2 (2013): 80–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12007.
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Lizarralde, Gonzalo. "Stakeholder participation and incremental housing in subsidized housing projects in Colombia and South Africa." Habitat International 35, no. 2 (2011): 175–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2010.08.001.
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