Policy interventions at national and international scales are driving efforts to simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide sustainable socio-economic improvements. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one such policy instrument implemented through the Kyoto Protocol under the international climate change regime. Questions remain particularly around how socio-economic development can…

As vessels and seaports - conduits for international trade growth, serving over 90% of world commerce - ascend to ever greater significance in a cost-conscious world reeling from the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, the concepts of port efficiency and productivity matter more and more, especially in configuring…

One of the major international economic developments in recent years has been the growth in regional trade agreements (RTAs). However, with the exception of a few, there are criticisms that RTAs have not yielded the expected benefits. The focus of this paper is to determine the impact of engaging in…

This research aims to model tourism demand for South Africa from the UK and the USA by using an almost ideal demand system. An error correction almost ideal demand system (EC-AIDS) is used to quantify the responsiveness of UK and USA tourism demand to South Africa relative to changes in…

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%.…

This research attempts to assess the attitudes of residents towards the perceived tourism impacts on their lives and communities in selected tourism coastal villages in Mauritius. A survey was used to examine residents' attitudes toward tourism development. The survey results show that tourism is a major pillar of the economy.…

Access to adequate water and sanitation services in South Africa still remain a pipe dream for the millions who are trapped at the bottom of the class structures in the country. The poverty stricken communities living in Townships such as Motherwell, everyday long for water services infrastructure to be built…

This study involved the determination and analysis of trade potential for the South African pulp and paper industry using a gravity model approach. The pulp and paper sector was identified by the Department of Trade and Industry amongst four other lead sectors to enhance economic growth through the Accelerated and…

This paper involved the determination and analysis of trade potential for the South African pulp and paper industry using a gravity model approach. The pulp and paper sector was identified by the Department of Trade and Industry amongst four other lead sectors to enhance economic growth through the Accelerated and Shared Growth…

This paper employs the Bernanke-Gertler-Gilchrist "financial accelerator" model to study current economic conditions in South Africa. Given the turbulent financial market conditions we investigate the optimal monetary policy response as well as the potential role fiscal policy might play. As typical in the literature, we find that monetary policy should…

This paper evaluates the trade, business and investment climate currently in place within the island states of the Western Indian Ocean. Operating on the premise that trade-based globalization poses a considerable challenge to island states' economic stability and prospects for equitable development, this report argues that both state institutions and…

This paper investigates the impact of the quality of infrastructure on exports, with a specific focus on Sub-Sahara Africa. Improving the quality of infrastructure has a positive effect on exports by lowering the transport costs faced by the exporter. This paper provides a new specification on how to model transport…