Teaching Resources

Historical trajectory from colonial extraction through apartheid and the democratic transition. Structural features of the post-1994 economy: dualism, spatial inequality, and the legacy of exclusion. South Africa's place among upper-middle-income comparators.

The Hausmann-Rodrik-Velasco framework applied to South Africa. Identifying binding constraints to growth: which constraint, if relaxed, would deliver the highest growth dividend? The interaction between structural constraints and the sequencing of reform.

South Africa's structural unemployment crisis. The dual labour market: formal sector rigidities and the informal economy. Youth unemployment, spatial mismatches, and the interaction between wage-setting institutions and employment outcomes.

South Africa's human capital crisis: learning outcomes, the skills pipeline, and TVET. The reading catastrophe at foundation phase; TVET college capacity; graduate unemployment coexisting with skills shortages. Long-run growth implications of current outcomes.

Load-shedding as a structural constraint on growth. The electricity value chain: generation, transmission, distribution. Eskom's financial and operational crisis. The energy transition: IRP, renewables, and the Just Transition. Logistics infrastructure — ports, rail, and roads.

The SOE portfolio: Eskom, Transnet, SAA, Denel, and others. Financial distress, contingent liabilities, and the fiscal cost of bailouts. Governance failures and state capture. The case for and against privatisation, commercialisation, and restructuring.

South Africa's position in global trade. AfCFTA and the continental market opportunity. AGOA, BRICS+, and geopolitical trade dynamics. Industrial policy instruments: master plans, SEZs, local content requirements. Critical minerals and green hydrogen as emerging growth sectors.

Concentrated markets and the competition-growth nexus. The Competition Commission's mandate and record. Administered prices, cartels, and exclusionary conduct. Regulatory reform across network industries. The digital economy and new competition challenges.

South Africa's fiscal position: revenue, expenditure, and the deficit trajectory. Debt service costs and the fiscal space problem. Budget reform: zero-based budgeting, conditional grants, and intergovernmental fiscal relations. The trade-off between consolidation and social spending.

The South African Reserve Bank's inflation targeting framework. The repo rate transmission mechanism. Currency volatility, imported inflation, and the exchange rate as a shock absorber. Financial stability and the interaction between monetary and fiscal policy.

South Africa's sophisticated but concentrated financial sector. Banking regulation, FATF greylisting, and AML/CFT compliance. Capital allocation to the real economy vs. financial assets. Fintech, mobile money, and financial inclusion. Pension fund reform and the two-pot system.

The unresolved land question: historical dispossession, current ownership patterns, and policy debates. Agricultural productivity and smallholder constraints. Land reform modalities: redistribution, restitution, and tenure reform. Rural poverty and spatial equity.

South Africa's dual health system: a dysfunctional public sector alongside a world-class but expensive private sector. Burden of disease: TB, HIV, and the rise of non-communicable diseases. National Health Insurance — design, feasibility, and implementation challenges. Health as a labour productivity input.

South Africa's social protection architecture: child support grants, old-age pensions, disability grants, and SRD. Coverage, adequacy, and fiscal sustainability. The unemployment insurance system and its gaps. Basic Income Grant debates. The political economy of social protection.

The state capacity crisis and its roots. State capture, consequence management, and institutional recovery. Anti-corruption architecture: NPA, SIU, Hawks, and the Zondo Commission legacy. Municipal governance and the failure of service delivery. Reform sequencing for a capable democratic state.