SA-TIED programme looks at ways to support policy-making for inclusive growth and economic transformation in the southern Africa region, through original research conceived and produced in collaboration between United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), National Treasury, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and many other governmental and research organizations in South Africa and its sub-region. A key aspect of the programme is to encourage networking and discussion amongst people involved in policy processes across the participating organizations and civil society aiming to bridge the gap between research and policy-making.
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Blog
South Africa’s emergency social grant proves to be a critical tool in the fight against poverty — it should be expandedSouth Africa's unemployment rate stands at a staggering 32.1%—one of the highest in the world. Coupled with an alarming poverty rate, where nearly...
Blog
A tale of two cities: Can electricity supply save lives without deepening divides?On 25 May 2023, three-year-old Neyamiah James died after extended electricity outages in Johannesburg caused her home oxygen machine to run out of...
Blog
The economic ripples of rising government debtIn recent years, governments worldwide witnessed a surge in debt levels. According to the Institute of International Finance, global debt reached a...
Working Paper
Wait no more: how the administration of VAT refunds impacts firm behaviourRefunds are an essential feature of well-functioning VAT systems and take up a sizeable portion of government spending. In South Africa, refunds amount to 50 percent of gross VAT collection, representing a substantial transfer from the government to...
Working Paper
Tax financing options for new social protection instrumentsIn this paper, we use a static fiscal incidence analysis model to evaluate the poverty and inequality impacts of using fiscal policy to finance expanded social spending in South Africa. We assess three methods to enhance the social protection system...
Working Paper
Income inequality in South AfricaWe use individual-level tax administrative data to estimate personal income inequality among the tax-compliant population in South Africa over the period 2011–21. Our results indicate that inequality of this population rose slightly over the period...
Blog
What happens when you tax the rich?South Africa faces a dual challenge of limited fiscal space—the need to raise sufficient revenues to finance public services—and high levels of...
Working Paper
Economic geography determinants of spatial wage disparities in South AfricaIn this paper, we use the new economic geography (NEG) framework to estimate the extent to which spatial wage disparities in the South African manufacturing sector are an outcome of economic forces such as market access. To test the relationship, we...
Blog
Bolstering the skills of young people – the key to South Africa's economic growthAs a young data developer responsible for mining and analysing the administrative tax data provided to researchers through the SA-TIED programme, I am...
Working Paper
Surviving in the dark: the mortality effects of reducing rolling blackoutsSouth Africa frequently experiences rolling blackouts (‘load shedding’) due to shortfalls in electricity generation. This is a common problem across the developing world, and yet the developmental impacts of insufficient and unstable electricity...
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Theme: 2014-18, Transformation