| Research EPRI's research is policy-oriented
supporting the objectives of economic growth, job
creation, and redistribution. The orientation of the
Institute's research is largely macroeconomic, supported
by a careful analysis of microeconomic underpinnings
drawn from an investigation of South Africa's situation.
Within the overall
research programme, the central project involves the
analysis of a broad macroeconomic framework, supporting
and supported by three other research projects:
- An analysis of
potential macroeconomic resources,
- An investigation of
the effectiveness of government expenditure, and,
at a microeconomic level,
- An assessment of the
role of local authorities in implementing
economic reform.
The central research
project aims to broaden the understanding of how economic
policy supports a more balanced sharing of the benefits
of economic growth, enabling policy initiatives to better
address the problems of poverty, poor job creation
performance, and severe inequality.
Recent and
current research projects are listed below:
- The
Economic, Social and Fiscal Impact of the Basic
Income Grant
- The
Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Workers in the
South African Textile Industry
- HIV/AIDS
and poverty in households with children suffering
from malnutrition: The role of social security in
Mount Frere
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Capacity building
The
Parliamentary Capacity Building Programme is a bridging
course for Parliamentarians interested in economics and
possessing a formal university degree from any discipline
or those with no formal university degree, but with
relevant economic and work-related experience. It will
lead to the awarding of certificates and degrees
accredited by UWC, Stellenbosch University and Williams
College, USA.
...read more
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Conferences
Conferences are a key mechanism of stimulating
debate and disseminating research around core policy
issues. We list our conferences below:
South
African Longitudintal Social Science Analysis, 2002
EPRI, in conjunction with the Centre for Social
Science Research (CSSR), convened a conference
titled South African Longitudintal Social Science
Analysis (SALSSA) during the month of August, 2002.
The conference provided an opportunity for researchers to
learn about work-in-progress and to discuss
methodological and analytical problems. The conference
aimed to build capacity in the production and analysis of
longitudinal social science in South Africa.
[The
conference was a follow-up to the March 2002
conference......Read more]
Can
Job-Creation eradicate Poverty?, 1999
EPRI
sponsored a conference titled Can Job-Creation
eradicate Poverty? on 6th August 1999 with ESSET,
the SACC Development Desk and the Finance
and Development Training and Research Unit. The
focus of the conference was how job creation strategies
can be designed to most effectively erase poverty.
The
conference followed the initiation of national debate
over poverty and job creation stemming from the Poverty
and Inequality Report, the Jobs Summit, and
the National Poverty Summit held in 1998. This
conference carried forward the debates and themes raised
in these forums.
Participants
included representatives from the South African
Council of Churches, policy-makers, labour unions,
non-governmental organisations, academics, researchers,
and business people. Other inputs were provided by key
stakeholders in the anti-poverty campaign, as well as
researchers formulating policy strategies for poverty
eradication.
[Click here to download the conference paper]
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Workshops
Economic Policy Workshop Series
The Economic Policy Workshop Series serves as
one of the main vehicles for communicating the results of
EPRI's economic policy research. The workshops are hosted
by the institute and are free and open to representatives
from government, non-governmental organisations, labour
unions, academia, businesses, civic organisations, and
the public. When consistent with the objectives of the
institute, EPRI will undertake commissioned workshops on
topics relevant to the interests of specific
organisations.
EPRI hosted a series of
workshops titled The Macroeconomics of Equity and Growth during 2001. The list of topics
covered were:
- A
Macroeconomic Strategy for Equity and Growth
- Implementing
Strategy: the Role of Local Government
- Transforming
the Health and Welfare System in South Africa
- South
Africa's Public Debt: Problem or Red Herring?
- Evaluating
South Africa's Macroeconomic Strategy
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Seminars
EPRI hosts ongoing policy seminars that bring together
government policy-makers and key stakeholders in
non-governmental organisations. These seminars are used
as a means to directly link EPRI's research and outreach
programmes. They serve as a source of constructive
engagement with the policy environment, provide a vehicle
for discussion of research findings, and generate
opportunities to brainstorm over future policy options.
EPRI has led seminars for NEDLAC, COSATU, and government
and NGO forums with focused policy advice and analysis on
economic issues.
A few of the seminars
hosted by EPRI are:
- An Analysis of the
Socio-Economic Benefits of South Africa's Arms
Acquisition Package
- The Macroeconomic
Implications of Poverty-reducing Income Transfers
- Minimum Wage for
Domestic Workers
- An Analysis of the
Socio-Economic Benefits of South Africa's Arms
Acquisition Package, 1999
- The Macroeconomic
Implications of Poverty-reducing Income
Transfers, 2000
- Minimum Wage for
Domestic Workers
- The Role of public
pensions in the South African Economy
- The Role of private
pensions in the South African Economy
- Bonds and Financial
Markets
- Competition Policy
and SA Economic Strategy
- The Social Economic
and Fiscal Impact of a Basic Income Grant
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Internship
Programme:
Partnership in Development Research Internship
Programme
In order to develop research and training capacity at
EPRI, students from national and international
universities and colleges are invited to serve as interns
at EPRI. The Internship Programme has been a resounding
success, both in terms of the contribution the students
have made to EPRI and its programme as well as the
quality of experience for the students.
Interns work closely with economists from EPRI, providing
valuable input into ongoing projects, and conduct
economic research on topics that are both suited to the
aim of the institution and to students' individual areas
of interest. Students have performed exceedingly well
during their stay, contributing invaluable input to EPRI
research projects. Over the years, the internship
programme has expanded in scope in order to accommodate
students from Ghana, Swaziland, Japan, United Kingdom,
Jamaica and other countries.
In 2000, EPRI hosted a Williams College graduate, who
later enrolled at Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson
School). Mr. Oliver Babson carried out intensive analysis
of the October Household Survey and the SALDRU Databases.
These results have made a large contribution to EPRI's
understanding of the nature of the decline in job
creation in South Africa as well as to the debate around
issues of social security in South Africa.
A Yale graduate student, Ms. Una Lee, who participated in
EPRI’s intership programme during 2002 extended her
stay in South Africa whereby she joined EPRI staff as a
Researcher during 2003. During 2003, EPRI also hosted
four students from the Centre for Development Economics,
Williams College in the United States. During their
four-month internship period, they analysed Income and
Expenditure data as well as Labour Force Survey data,
contributing to EPRI’s work on the South African
social security system.
The interns also assisted and tutored for the three-week
intensive policy course for parliamentarians during July
each year. They provided computer skills training in the
use of Excel, PowerPoint and the Internet. The internship
programme has helped strengthen the capacity of the
institute, and in turn provided valuable experience and
training for the students who were involved.
The success of this internship programme is evident in
the placement of many of our national interns in top
positions in various South African government
departments, such as the Department of Trade and
Industry, Department of Agriculture and Statistics South
Africa.
Below is a list of the interns who have participated in
the EPRI internship programme:
Research interns
2004
Ms. Fran-Fredane Fraser (Williams College)
Mr. Roman Herman (Williams College)
Mr. Gad Nestel (Yale University)
2003
Ms. Tomoko Harigaya (Williams College)
Mr. Viral Gandhi (Williams College)
Mr. Keith Ericson (Williams College)
Mr. Samson Ampofo (Williams College)
2002
Mr. Brett Libresco (Princeton University)
Ms. Una Lee (Yale University)
Ms. Felicia Dlamini-Kunene (Williams College)
2000/2001
Mr. Gilbert Khathi (University of the Western Cape)
Ms. Shaheeda Sechel (University of the Western Cape)
Mr. Daniel Rosenblum (Williams College)
Mr. Jon Parman (Williams College)
Mr. Oliver Babson (Williams College and Princeton
University)
1999/2000
Mr. Jason Stanley (Williams College)
Ms. Katelyn ? (Williams College)
Mr. Wayne Stephens (Williams College)
Mr. Justin Jonkers (University of the Western Cape)
Mr. Michael Manamela (University of the Western Cape)
Mr. Nkosiyomzi Madula (University of the Western Cape)
Mr. Sechaba Nkomo (University of the Western Cape)
Interested students may apply by emailing a cover letter
and CV to the following email address: info@epri.org.za.
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Civil Society Training
Training
Courses in Macroeconomic Principles
EPRI's Civil
Society Training Programme focuses specific research
and capacity building resources on key stakeholders in
civil society, supporting their policy role vis-à-vis
government. As part of this programme, EPRI has
taught 4 training economic literacy courses and a Training
for Trainers Course for NGOs and CBOs:
Economics of Poverty
Reduction Course for the Senior Management of the
Soul City,
14 – 16 February 2005
EPRI
presented a three-day course to the senior
management of the Soul City on the economics of
poverty reduction, with a particular focus on the
socio-economic analysis of the Basic Income Grant
in South Africa. The three day course was
structured as follows:
The first day covered an introduction to basic
economic principle and included topics such as
the role of government, globalisation, and the
tools of economics. The second day delved deeper
into fiscal policy, the South African national
budget, various economic strategies, and
introduced strategies for poverty reduction and
the Basic Income Grant. Finally, the third day
focused exclusively on the economic strategy
options for poverty reduction in South Africa and
the socio-economic effect of and financing
options for the Basic Income Grant.
Rural Farm Study, April 2001
to August 2001
At
the request of the Bishop of the Catholic Church
of the Boland area, EPRI conducted a study on a
Farm in Swellendam in the Western Cape. The
objective of the study was to determine the
accessibility of services offered to rural
workers by government and to identify relevant
methodological issues pertaining to household
surveys. EPRI has continued working with the nuns
and the Bishop in guiding them to get funding and
work on a project proposal with the Departments
of Land Affairs and Agriculture.
Economic literacy for church
leaders, 24 to 28 September 2001
EPRI
presented a five-day course that trained trainers
to promote economic literacy for church leaders.
The course addressed economic principles and
issues central to fighting poverty, unemployment,
and economic injustice. The course built on the
introductory courses that EPRI has taught for
ESSET over the past three years, providing not
only a better understanding of the economics
underlying issues of social justice but also
building the capacity of the participants to
teach these principles to others.
Basic macroeconomic course,
24 January to 28 January 2000
The
course was fully subscribed, with thirty
attendees. Attendees ranged from local government
officials to pastors/priests and representatives
from NGOs and CBOs. The main purpose of the
course was to provide affiliates to ESSET with
fundamental tools of basic macroeconomic
principles necessary for analysing and
understanding current policy issues. The aim was
to demystify economics so those participants are
able to make concrete contributions to
effectively lobby government and the private
sector on economic issues pertaining to current
policy.
Economic Justice Programme,
22 June to 24 June 1999
The
three-day economic literacy-training course was
commissioned by the Diakonia Council as part of
their economic justice programme. EPRI provided
the staff and course material for the
presentations.
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