Barry Standish

Economic Growth in South Africa: Selected Policy Issues

Economic growth is critical for the success of the current political transition in South Africa, but there is little agreement about what will generate this growth. While much can be learned from the successes and failures of others, an effective growth strategy must be sensitive to the specific conditions of South Africa. This study provides a brief historical perspective, examines South Africas macroeconomic policies (fiscal, monetary and exchange rate), the countrys physical and human resources, the importance of the informal economy and income redistribution, and the appropriate role of government. It also considers lessons from the newly industrialized countries. Finally, the authors offer a workable growth policy consistent with long-and short-term economic issues.

Public Works Programme in South Africa: Coming to Terms With Reality

This paper discusses the merits and demerits of public works programmes in general as well as in the specific context of South Africa. Insofar as the latter is concerned the paper recommends basic guidelines that may be regarded as prerequisites for the implementation of such a programme in this country. With regard to the proposed guidelines, the South African Governments 1985 unemployment relief package is examined critically. In conclusion, the paper favours the introduction of a well‐conceived and adequately scaled programme of public works as a powerful means of combating unemployment and alleviating widespread poverty in the country.

Modelling the economics of gaming in South Africa.

This paper considers the application of two models for determining the optimal location and characteristics of a casino in a post-apartheid South Africa. The intention in developing the models was to allow provinces a facility for considering how to maximize the return to the stakeholders in the license award process, namely society at large, as represented by the provincial government, and the casino operator. The Allocation Model works on an estimate of total potential gambling spend and how that may be best distributed amongst a number of casinos. The Profitability model takes the estimated gaming spend from the allocation model and assesses the appropriate size and characteristics of the casino best suited to this level of gaming spend. It can then simulate levels of profitability for different proposed sizes and characteristics of proposed casinos. Together these models represent a powerful assessment mechanism for a country considering the introduction or radical changing of gaming legislation.

Inward industrialisation, subcontracting and the construction industry in the Western Cape

One important aspect of current government economic thinking is that of inward industrialisation. In turn, subcontracting is seen as one of the ways of promoting inward industrialisation. Further, the construction and provision of low‐cost housing is considered by many to be the most important leading sector in generating economic growth. This paper examines the construction undustry for low cost housing tn the Western Cape, the position which subcontracting currently holds in this industry and the broader implications for inward industrialisation. The paper is based on the results of a survey carried out in the Western Cape during 1989. The results of the survey suggest the promotion of subcontracting has some positive and some negative consequences for economic development through inward industrialisation. Some doubts are however cast on the ability of the building industry to act as a ‘leading sector’ tn the process of economic development

Practice report: Assessing the economic impacts of roads passing through ecologically sensitive areas: a case study in Cape Town, South Africa

A recent environmental impact assessment of a proposed new toll road in Cape Town, South Africa raised some interesting questions, particularly with respect to the impacts of routing a road through an environmentally sensitive area. The paper discusses the challenges encountered in assessing the economic implications of this routing and how workable methodological solutions were arrived at. Our approach was to investigate the longer-term opportunity costs associated with the preferred routing. This was done through focusing on the strategic importance of the area without necessarily engaging in detailed quantification.