Economic Research Southern Africa
Episodes
Priced out: Africa’s voice on the cost of capital
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The upcoming G20 Summit in November is the first G20 Summit to be held on the African continent. This historical event marks the continent’s growing...
The Role of Development Finance in Industrial Policy
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial policy is once again central to global debates on economic growth and development. Governments worldwide are deploying new strategies to s...
Public Procurement as an Industrial Policy Lever
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial policy is once again central to global debates on economic growth and development. Governments worldwide are deploying new strategies to s...
The Role of Industrial Incentives in the South African Economy
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial policy is once again central to global debates on economic growth and development. Governments worldwide are deploying new strategies to s...
Growth Enhancing Infrastructure for Industrial Development
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial policy is once again central to global debates on economic growth and development. Governments worldwide are deploying new strategies to s...
Lessons in Progress: What 30 Years of Education Policy Teach Us
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago, South Africa’s education system emerged from apartheid with a mission to dismantle entrenched inequalities. Since then, policy has...
Tariff Turbulence: The Consequences of Recent US Tariff Increases for South African Exports
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Awaiting the outcome of a trade deal between the United States and South Africa, reciprocal tariffs of 30% are set to be imposed on South African expo...
Beyond GDP: South Africa’s Sustainable Future
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Brent Cloete and Bradley Kent, to discuss their research on environmental policy in South Africa: From 1...
Competition Crossroads: Decoding 30 Years of Enforcement
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since our democracy in 1994, South Africa’s competition policy has received positive international attention. The Competition Act of 1998 was ahead ...
Targeting Inflation Insights
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shortly after the April MPR, ERSA’s host sat down with Dr Chris Loewald, the Head of the Research Department at the Reserve Bank, and a member of th...
Will the NHI integrate our healthcare system 30 years on?
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994 placed a fragmented, racially divided health system in the hands of the new ANC-led government. It qu...
VAT You Didn't See Coming: South Africa's Budget Unpacked
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shortly after the long awaited 2025 Budget Speech, while US President Donald Trump is putting South Africa under the spotlight, ERSA’s hosts sit dow...
Navigating South Africa's Evolving Trade Policy
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
South Africa’s trade policy is at a crossroads and this was before the tumultuous trade war that US President Donald Trump started within a couple w...
Whatever it takes, every day: Monetary Policy in an Emerging Economy
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In conventional monetary policy, the aim is to stabilise inflation by adjusting monetary policy tools, mainly interest rates. One regime that has grow...
Gracelin Baskaran on how environmental policies may impact South African trade
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One month after COP28, we record our first podcast of 2024. As the global economy is becoming more mindful of climate change and the importance of red...
Delivering a difficult MTBPS
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Running up to the elections next year, this was a difficult MTBPS to deliver. The global environment is inflationary, and growth forecasts have been r...
Shedding light on AGOA
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, after much anticipation, the AGOA Forum was hosted in Nasrec, Johannesburg. It was attended by more than 30 ministers from Africa and the U...
What do we expect from the MTBPS?
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prior to last year’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) there was a windfall in corporate income tax owing to a commodity boom. This year S...
A macroeconomic perspective of establishing a basic income grant
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Adopting a broader perspective of the macroeconomics of basic income support, this podcast captures the dynamic feedback mechanisms and trade-offs bet...
How would providing UBI impact structural poverty?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast adopts a refreshing view on what Universal Basic Income means for South Africa. Joined by Kelle Howson and Zimbali Mncube from the instit...
Prof Nicola Viegi deciphers the Nobel Prize winning research
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, ERSA’s host sits down with Prof. Nicola Viegi, the SARB Chair of Monetary Economics from the University of Pretoria, to discuss w...
EconData and the world of single source automatable data
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast we learn how EconData has solved a couple problems that many economic students, academics and researchers have encountered: firstly, t...
Dr Channing Arndt on Building back fairer from the Covid-19 Pandemic in South Africa
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Post-pandemic, South Africa’s economy finds itself in a constrained fiscal environment yearning for economic growth. Without increased government sp...
Isaah Mhlanga on a positive MTBPS: getting to know Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After our new Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his first Medium Term Budget Policy Speech, ERSA’s host speaks to Isaah Mhlanga, a Chief E...
Dr Matthew Stern on understanding South Africa’s trade policy and performance
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An issue often overlooked in many discussions is that of exports and trade in the South African economy. But with a downward trajectory over the past ...
Prof Andreas Wörgötter on addressing current and persisting challenges in South Africa’s labour market
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At a time when tensions are rising due to growing inequality and unemployment, ERSA’s host is joined by Prof. Andreas Wörgötter from the Vienna Un...
Prof Nicola Viegi on evaluating the near future of monetary policy in SA: Sailing into the Wind
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Only three times in the last century has monetary policy been re-evaluated and tested to its limits. This global pandemic has forced many central bank...
Timothy Köhler on SA’s labour market: is a national lockdown as severe as we think?
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is just over a year since South Africa had to succumb to what was considered one of the most draconian national lockdowns, and as expected, we have...
Dr Rossouw van Jaarsveld on developing a forex network model: how to highlight risk transmission channels in a timely manner
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how sensitive the South African Rand is to shocks in other currencies? Instead of debating the relative volatility of the rand ...
Isaah Mhlanga on permanent spending habits: what to listen for while politicians campaign
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is not often that a country has an opportunity to allocate windfall government funds. Between the external pressure to stabilize our debt burden af...