Small firms are more sensitive to changes in interest rates. Small firms which are financially constrained, and have relatively weaker balance sheets and idiosyncratic risks, also face a higher cost of capital from external sources...

Plastics are ubiquitous across the region and play an important role in multiple industries. Most plastic products are based on a value chain that is grounded in petroleum refining, posing an environmental challenge. Plastic manufacturing...

Using the South African Revenue Service and National Treasury firm-level panel data for 2009–17, this paper investigates how global value chain-related trade affects the export performance of manufacturing firms in South Africa. In particular, the...

Since the inception of the post-apartheid era, South Africa has experienced considerable increase in immigration. This increase has mostly been enticed by the socio-economic outlook of the rainbow nation relative to developing nations. Unfortunately, increased...

UNU-WIDER is looking for outstanding individuals with strong commitment and potential to contribute to the SA-TIED programme. Closing date: 15 November 2020 at 23:59 UTC+2

Our study re-examines Fisher’s hypothesis for South Africa in the post-inflation targeting era and presents two noteworthy empirical contributions. Firstly, we examine the Fisher effect by making use of survey-based inflation expectations data for financial...

The global energy system is shifting to cleaner technologies in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As part of its climate commitments, South Africa has also pledged to cut emissions. As the power sector...

The agricultural sector has remained under threat from climate change despite significant efforts to combat this problem. There is evidence of existing climate change impacts on maize production in South Africa. No meta-analysis was done...

The South African liquid fuels industry is a significant part of the economy. Historically, government policy focused on import substitution industrialization to support industry margins. This approach is called into question by the 2006 shift...

South Africa’s coal resource has historically provided a source of abundant and cheap energy for South Africa and currently supplies most of its primary energy. Given its aging coal power plant fleet, and international commitments...

Inequality in South Africa is the enduring legacy of racial discrimination. We use a dynamic perspective to show the linkages between persistent effects of discrimination in the labour market and the efficacy of redistributive fiscal...

Technical change impacts both the employment intensity of production and the composition of occupations and skills of employment. Artificial intelligence, automation, and robots are already leading to machines undertaking routinizable tasks previously carried out by...