Econ3x3
The informal economy: Is policy based on correct assumptions?
19th February 2019 We analyse the emphasis in informal-sector and informal-economy policy, highlighting who runs the risk of being missed. We then interrogate... →
Why has manufacturing employment declined so rapidly?
3rd October 2018 The manufacturing sector has performed poorly and employment has fallen sharply. Policy has tended to push manufacturing onto a more... →
The top 1% of incomes are increasing rapidly even with low economic growth
12th September 2018 We use tax data (which include accurate data for the very rich) to investigate the patterns of income growth over the period 2003 to 2016. Despite... →
Creating jobs, reducing poverty V: Is ‘formalising’ the informal sector the answer?
21st August 2018 This extract from a new REDI3x3 book proposes a constructive way to approach the possible ‘formalisation’ of the informal sector. A common impulse... →
Creating jobs, reducing poverty I: Why the informal sector should be taken seriously and enabled properly
26th July 2018 It is not uncommon to find researchers and commentators viewing informal-sector participants as being without aspirations or entrepreneurial... →
What affects job retention and job creation: reservation wages or reservation what?
2nd July 2018 Unemployment research typically inquires how to generate more jobs and how to keep workers working. Researchers often probe the reservation wage... →
Informal enterprise ownership: the importance of previous employment experience
12th June 2018 Enterprises in the informal sector are known to have a precarious existence. The economic value and survival of an informal enterprise depend on... →
The sudden jump in the unemployment rate in 2015: Is there a break in the QLFS data?
17th May 2018 This article argues that there is a time-series break in StatsSA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) in the first quarter of 2015. The principal... →
Does moving to a city mean a better life? New evidence
17th April 2018 Moving to a city in search of work seems to pay off for many poor people in the countryside. Data that track changes over time indicate that as... →
Meeting food security needs in very poor households in the Eastern Cape: the role of own agricultural production
8th February 2018 Small-scale agriculture evokes strong views in terms of both its current and potential roles in rural development. We examine how many (or few)... →
