A number of factors have propelled the rapid demand for foreign higher education services. These include the need for internationally recognised qualifications, the demand for highly skilled labour in both developed and developing countries, and the inclination by several countries towards promoting foreign collaborations to improve the quality of domestic…

Globally, a rapid increase of mobile tertiary education seekers has been observed. In 2005, more than 2.7 million tertiary education students were studying in a country other than their own, representing an increase of about 61% since 1999.  Trade in education services is increasingly becoming important worldwide. Saner and  Fasel…

Having a vibrant production base is the foundation of economic prosperity. The more goods a country produces the more jobs are created. The specialisation resulting from the production of goods tends to result in newer technologies and higher levels of income, which leads to even higher growth. There is little…

Sugar cane remains a major contributor to the Mauritian economy. In 2003 it was cultivated on 85% of the arable land by 28 000 planters, with most planters being smallholders. One in three rural families is directly or indirectly involved in the sugar industry. Annual sugar production averages 575 000…

This paper models tourist arrivals into Mauritius from various parts of the world with a view to understand the contribution of different determinants in explaining the success of the island as an international tourism destination. A dual methodological approach was…

William Mbuta was the Science and Technology Development Officer at the National Science and Technology Council of Zambia before becoming assistant general manager in the area of policy research at a Chamber of Mines; he them worked at the SADC Secretariat where he was Programme Officer – Industrial Policy at…

Countries in Southern Africa have only recently begun considering the possibility of jointly developing comprehensive industrial policies under the auspices of regional integration bodies such as the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Regional co-operation in industrial policy design and implementation has the potential to both identify and capitalise on the…

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First it is to review Botswana's competitiveness policy in the 10th National Development Plan, (NDP10 -2009-2016), National Export Strategy (2010-2016) and what are its conceptual foundations in the works of Michael Porter (1990).…

We look at how trade liberalisation, working through product prices, has affected the skill premium in South Africa over the period 1990-2009. Our main finding is that trade liberalisation led to a reduction in prices over this period, and, through prices, mandated a rise in the skill premium of 3.3%.…

TIPS has the pleasure to invite you to a preliminary project workshop to discuss the impact of China on South Africa.  This project, sponsored by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, is headed by Rhys Jenkins from the University of East Anglia.    While the objective of the workshop…

Competition policy is playing an increasingly significant role in the trade and investment environment in South Africa. According to a 2010 IMF report, there is a high degree of product market restrictiveness in South Africa that is partly exacerbated by anti-competitive behaviour in the markets. This is regarded as being…

2012 Research Conference on Microinsurance You are invited to submit paper or panel proposals for the 2012 Research Conference on Microinsurance on 11,12,13 April 2012 at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands by: Institute for Governance Studies (IGS), The African Studies Centre (ASC), The Microinsurance Network (MIN), The…

South Africa's economic dominance in Africa and in the southern African region is an accepted fact but its role in the continent has long been contested. South Africa's member ship of the G20 brought with it expectations from some quarters that it would represent Africa within that grouping. The recent…

Aim: The Community Work Programme (CWP) is an initiative of the State President's office which is designed to create an employment safety net in rural areas. The aim of this investigation is to study whether or not the CWP has…

The findings clearly answer the question of how beneficiaries have been impacted by CWP. The findings show that the beneficiaries are pleased with the quality of services that are provided through the CWP programme such as home based care, cleaning…

Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) is pleased to announce a short workshop on computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling, to be held at the TIPS offices in Pretoria from 5-9 March 2012. It will be restricted to 16 participants. The IT revolution has allowed techniques that were once the preserve…

Trade and Industrial Policy and Strategies (TIPS) and the World Bank cordially invite you to a conference on Improving Competitiveness for Job Creation: Technology, Access to Finance and Industrial Policy, to be held on October 27, 2011 in the Vulindlela Auditorium, Development Bank of Southern Africa. Competitiveness and Job Creation …

Rudi Dicks has been in the trade union movement for most of his life. He held the position of Executive Director of the National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI) for four years, up until 2013, and is now with the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency as an Outcome Facilitator for Employment and Inclusive Growth. He was a member of the Management Committee, Executive Council, Labour Market Chamber, Demarcation Committee and S77 Standing Committee at NEDLAC. He currently serves on the Advisory committee of the Jobs Fund and the Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth Research Initiative. Prior to…

Public Eye - 28 November 2011

The article appeals in many respects. First, it takes us through the historical aspects of the way the borders were demarcated in Africa and on the southern part of the continent. As noted, this was done by people who had no interest in the economic, social and political welfare of the natives of the land. It was done to serve their selfish interests. Second, the article takes us back to the formation of Africa's biggest liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC) and the role that was played by, among others, the then Paramount Chief of Lesotho, Letsie II. In fact, most regional rulers in Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe etc. had a hand— directly and indirectly—in the formation of the ANC. Third, by quoting the former President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere when an agreement was reached between the Republic of Tanganyika and the People's Republic of Zanzibar in 1964, to form a new state, the Republic of Tanzania, it gives us a glimpse of how some leaders felt about the way the borders were demarcated.

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Financial Mail - 10 November 2011

SA has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world but proportionately one of the smallest informal sectors. Claire Bisseker asks what this contradiction means for economic growth and job creation.
This is the view of Kate Philip, an adviser to the presidency on public employment and head of inequality & economic marginalisation at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies , an economic think-tank.

SA's economy is not typical of a developing country. The key difference between SA and other African countries is that SA has a sizeable manufacturing sector (14% of GDP), of which 97% of value added comes from formal businesses.

What many people don't know is how this structure influences the survival of those living at the margins and constrains the scope for the growth of the informal sector.

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