ARTICLES ON Socio-economic Analysis
5 Future Power Trends for South Africa and the World
In a recent interview with the Daily Maverick, emeritus professor in the Power Futures Lab at the UCT GSB, Anton Eberhard, outlined a clear and viable path forward for South Africa’s energy transition by highlighting five key trends shaping the future of energy in South Africa and beyond. Between a balanced power supply mix to the burgeoning potential of private investment, the future could look bright of the right decisions are taken at the right time.
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Is the business community making environmental sustainability a priority in the wake of the pandemic?
National Environmental Awareness month is celebrated in June. We asked UCT GSB Prof Ralph Hamann to share his views on the role of business schools in addressing climate change, and whether COVID-19 has caused the business world to reprioritise environmental sustainability.
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Why AfCFTA will not put Africa at odds with China
While many worry the newly-launched African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) may harm Africa-China relations, more attention should be given to improving ease of doing business for local and Chinese businesses alike.
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SA is running out of time to fix its society and economy
Freedom Day celebrations ring hollow when the vast majority of black people in this country remain economically and socially marginalised. To unlock our future, we must invest in our people — and fast — to build a new culture of innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking.
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Is support for democracy in SA waning?
On 27 April each year South Africans celebrate Freedom Day in commemoration of the first democratic elections in 1994. We asked UCT GSB Professor Thomas Koelble to give us his thoughts on whether support for democracy in the country is waning, and how this system is being affected by globalisation.
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Social justice in South Africa is as much business’ crisis as it is government’s
Busisiwe Mavuso (CEO at Business Leadership SA) was the speaker at the quarterly Allan Gray Speaker Series event, hosted virtually by the UCT GSB in March. We asked Professor Kurt April, who led the discussion, to share some of the key takeouts.
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Mboweni says he has hope, but without critical reforms this is likely to fade fast
Even before the onset of the health crisis, SA’s economy was already hurtling toward disaster. But the move to zero-based budgeting and limiting endless SOE bailouts provide possible silver linings.
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The backpack is too heavy: what schoolchildren are carrying into 2021
Many hope that the new year will bring new energy and stability to the education sector, but as the country finds itself still very much in the grip of COVID-19, there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that schools deal with the baggage of 2020.
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Q&A with John Luiz on the future of globalisation
The extraordinary spread of the Covid-19 virus over the past year has highlighted various vulnerabilities associated with globalisation. We asked the UCT GSB's Prof John Luiz for his views on the future of this model.
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Power and privilege in the social justice sector
Social justice organisations play a vital role in addressing the many challenges South African citizens face. But what happens when the focus on external inequalities and injustices in society causes the same problems within these organisations to be overlooked? MBA alumni Ella Scheepers and Shamillah Wilson spoke to Kieno Kammies about their work in this sector.
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Building a safety net for young people who drop out of school is everyone’s problem
Low attendance rates and lost school time are signalling a looming skills crisis for the country, as high numbers of young people are likely be lost to the education system and the economy across the next year. To solve this, we need to act together, and we need to do things differently.
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Bertha Centre partners with Build Peace 2020 Conference
Fergus Turner, Programme Manager at the Bertha Centre, spoke to Kieno Kammies about the Build Peace 2020 conference, hosted virtually in partnership with global non-profit, Build Up.
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SA’s youth hit hard by COVID-19
A survey conducted with young South Africans has revealed that many have had to borrow money to survive as a result of COVID-19, with a significant number plunged deeper into unemployment.
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Let’s tap into the defiant optimism of our young people this Youth Day
As protests around structural inequality and racism rage across the world, we need to re-ignite efforts to give young people a voice at all levels of society, but especially as leaders.
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The reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs
Growbox is the subject of a teaching case study by the UCT GSB's case writing centre. Its focus is on the reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs in Cape Town
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What’s Brewing During Lockdown?
The South African craft beer market could be very different post lockdown.
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Will COVID-19 be the catalyst for the most devastating economic crisis of our time?
COVID-19 erupted in a macroeconomic environment that is a rich cocktail of economic contraction and contradiction. History teaches us that if we don’t pay attention to this — we risk underestimating the magnitude of the crisis that we face.
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It's the 80s rewind - but with internet
South Africa needs to seize the opportunities for digitisation which have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, in order to thrive in the new global economy.
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Alumni webinar series: Five implications of the coronavirus for business leaders
Professor Ralph Hamann hosted a webinar exploring five long-term implications for business leaders due to COVID-19.
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Webinar: The broader economic implications of COVID-19
Former UCT GSB economist, Barry Standish, hosted a free webinar in April for UCT GSB alumni on the broader financial and economic implications of COVID-19.
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Coronavirus - an excuse to downgrade African countries deep into junk
A number of rating agencies have downgraded emerging market economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their actions have raised the question: why do so during a crisis?
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This Freedom Day let’s commit to the change that enhances the freedom for all
On Freedom Day this year, the national lockdown and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are holding up a mirror to society and forcing us to confront our faults and weaknesses.
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We are not at war with COVID-19
The rhetoric of war, and the unfortunate term ‘lockdown’ are even more misplaced in this crisis because it takes people to change a society, not simply putting stringent rules or regulations in place and enforcing them through the barrel of a gun.
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COVID-19's top five long-term implications for business leaders
The spread of the pandemic has brought to the fore the need for business leaders to recognise the crucial interdependencies between business and its environmental, social, and governance context.
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Everything has changed: The world and South Africa's economy after COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world: It is possible that it will take years for the global economy to recover, which will have dire implications for South Africa’s economic prospects.
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Could the Covid-19 crisis offer us a window of opportunity to build social cohesion?
A national disaster declared on top of a technical recession and a standoff between the ANC and its alliance partners means that we can expect the SA economy will remain in a downward cycle for the foreseeable future — our only hope lies in building social cohesion in the face of crisis.
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Mboweni's 2020 budget speech draws the battle lines
With the economy on its knees, government’s latest budget speech expects unionised labour to share the pain. If history is a guide, the plan is unlikely to yield the desired results.
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More broken promises and unmet plans will not deliver the country we need
Ramaphosa has little room to manoeuvre, it’s true. But without bold leadership at this juncture, SA is on the road to nowhere.
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Business as usual won't fix youth unemployment, poverty and inequality
Young people are growing tired of vague targets and empty promises made by successive governments since 1994. Now we need decisive leadership and quick action to drive change.
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Brexit crisis offers key lessons and opportunities for Africa
The lessons of Brexit warn us that unless the benefits of economic integration are understood - are experienced - by the average African citizen, Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area initiative is doomed to failure.
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Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) can lead SA’s economic recovery
While government has identified DFIs as a key partner in delivering an economic turnaround — these institutions lack capacity and resources to do their jobs effectively. Fixing this will be a necessity.
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