Exploring South Africa’s Policy Dilemmas and Strategic Pathways (2026)
This study had two primary objectives. It aimed to present sterilised facts on South Africa’s recent economic performance and its underlying drivers, and to propose actionable policy measures for addressing related socioeconomic challenges. The study reveals that while the democratic government has made strides in addressing historical disparities, significant gaps persist, particularly in tackling income and wealth inequality, enhancing state legitimacy, and promoting equitable economic opportunities and outcomes for all.
An Empirical Study on Restrictive Laws and Regulations Affecting Women’s Economic Participation (2025)
The global emphasis on women’s economic participation has grown significantly due to its vital role in promoting macroeconomic stability and advancing financial inclusion. Involving women in economic activities is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, such as poverty alleviation and closing gender gaps. However, a range of regulatory, cultural, and structural barriers continue to hinder women’s ability to participate in the mainstream economy. This study aimed to examine the impact of restrictive laws and regulations on women’s economic participation within the BRICS bloc.
Stock Market Reactions to Merger Announcements: COVID-19-Induced Transactions (2025)
The central aim of this study was to analyse stock market reactions to merger announcements in South Africa. The study identified thirteen mergers and acquisitions (n = 13) that took place following the COVID-19 pandemic. An event study approach was utilized for data analysis, given its relevance to the study. The event window was made up of 20 business days (−10 t +10). Overall, the cumulative average abnormal returns remained positive throughout the event window.
Labour Market Participation: How Do Men and Women Compare in South Africa? (2025)
Throughout history, industries have evolved, from the invention of hand axes by our ancient ancestors to the Internet of Things, which has profoundly influenced every aspect of life. Despite these advancements, women still encounter numerous obstacles in making ends meet. The crux of this study was to highlight key areas where meaningful gender equality can be achieved. This consists of, among other things, working hours, access to social protection, and occupational segregation.
The Environmental Impact of Electricity Generation: New Evidence from BRICS Countries (2024)
Energy and its related services are crucial to the well-being of society. Access to clean water and sanitation is dependent on energy supply, and so is the provision of quality education and healthcare services. Of equal importance is the manner in which energy is produced and consumed, as the livelihood of future generations depends largely on this. Given this context, the crux of this study was to examine the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy sources on environmental sustainability in the BRICS region.
Does Economic Freedom Bolster Economic Performance? (2024)
In recent times, endogenous factors such as institutional quality and economic liberty have become prerequisites for economic growth and development. As such, evidence on the association between unconventional growth determinants and national income is crucial for informed policymaking. Against this backdrop, the focus of this study is to explore the bivariate relationship between economic liberty and economic growth in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Can Credit Scores enhance Tax Compliance in South Africa? (2023)
A compliance enhancing tax system is crucial for revenue mobilization, administrative efficiency and consequently the realization of national strategic goals. There are several factors, however, which influence a taxpayer’s ability to comply with the tax system and these include economic, institutional, demographic and social factors. Against this backdrop, the primary objective of this study is to estimate taxpayers’ perceptions towards credit scores and the extent to which credit scores can enhance tax compliance in South Africa.
Economic Fallout of Covid19: Evidence from South Africa (2023)
The covid 19 pandemic was quite challenging for policy makers in that it presented both an economic and health crisis. This meant that policy makers had to strike a balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. Against this backdrop, the primary goal of this study was to examine the economic fallout of covid 19 in South Africa. On the education front, the study finds that nearly 15% (2 million) of public-school pupils did not return to school post covid 19.
Tax Knowledge, Tax Complexity and Tax Compliance in South Africa (2023)
The key objective of this study is to investigate the influence of tax knowledge and tax complexity on tax compliance in South Africa. The data collection process involved self-structured questionnaires targeted at South African personal income taxpayers. The data was analysed by means of descriptive analysis, inferential statistics and binary logistic regression.
A descriptive analysis of barriers to entry in South African markets (2023)
Over the past few years, the ease and likelihood of doing business in South Africa have deteriorated due to various factors, including the political and economic environment. At the lower level, rival firms face significant barriers to entry, which is the focus of this study. Using secondary data from the Competition Commission of South Africa, this study performs an in-depth analysis of barriers to market entry in South Africa. The findings reveal that strategic barriers are dominated by technical know-how, substantial investment in marketing, and long-term contracts.
South African Taxpayers Perceptions towards E-Filing (2023)
The study has two parts: the first part studies how South African taxpayers felt about e-filing, and the second part analyses how e-filing affected tax compliance. We use self-structured questionnaires to collect data from about 151 South African taxpayers, and we analyze them using binary logistic regression. The study finds that online tax registration and auto-assessment has a negative relationship with tax compliance in South Africa, while online payment methods, difficulty in tax evasion, and higher educational attainment have a positive association with tax compliance.
How do petrol prices respond to variations in crude oil and the exchange rate? Evidence from South Africa (2022)
Energy resources are a significant production input due to being at the bottom of supply chains. The study investigates the response of petrol prices to variations in the domestic and international components. Methodologically, the research rests on the neoclassical economics. Monthly time series data spanning from 2002 to 2021 is analysed by means of econometric modelling. The impulse response function indicated that basic petrol prices respond positively to their own shocks and to shocks in Brent crude oil prices and this response is substantial in size.
Do Energy Prices drive Inflation in South Africa? An unrestricted VAR Approach (2022)
This study was aimed at investigating the effects of energy prices on inflation in South Africa. This was achieved by means of econometric analysis and annual time series data spanning from 1994 to 2020. The findings revealed that electricity tariffs and petrol prices exhibit a positive effect on inflation in South Africa. On the contrary, interest rates and the exchange rate as control variables were found to have a negative effect on the inflation rate.
How Does Financial Market Stress Respond to Shocks in Global Economic Activity and Exchange Rate Stability? A Structural VAR Approach (2022)
The study examines the response of financial market stress to innovations in global economic activity and the exchange rate in emerging and advanced market economies during the period 2006Q1 and 2020Q4. This is achieved by means of time series econometric analysis. The impulse response function estimated through structural factorization indicates that financial market stress responds positively towards its own innovations and to innovations in global economic activity.
The Interplay Between Economic Freedom and Tax Revenue Performance: Panel Evidence from SADC (2021)
This study aims to scrutinize the interplay between economic freedom and tax revenue performance in 14 SADC countries. The study makes use of dynamic panel data spanning from 2000 – 2017 with 238 year-country observations. The econometric modeling applied includes Generalized Methods of Moments and Cross-country Correlations. The dynamic panel estimation results indicate that both conventional and unconventional determinants of tax revenue mobilization are statistically significant in explaining variations in tax revenue performance.
Does South Africa’s tax effort fall short of its tax capacity? (2021)
The main objective of this study is to assess South Africa’s tax revenue performance. This is achieved by estimating tax capacity and tax effort for the period 1960–2017 through econometric methods. The 2Stage-Least Square results indicate that GDP per capita and inflation have a strong positive and statistically significant impact on revenue mobilisation while population growth, trade openness and agriculture share in GDP have a strong negative and statistically significant impact on revenue mobilisation.
How Buoyant Is the South African Tax System? An ARDL Approach (2021)
This study aims to scrutinize the responsiveness of the South African tax system to changes in economic performance. The study made use of annual time series data spanning from 1995 – 2017. The tax system was found to be fairly buoyant, albeit there is still room for improvement. The ARDL bounds test results indicate that VAT revenue and custom duties grow at a faster pace than the growth in final household consumption and import value, respectively. VAT revenue has a long run buoyancy coefficient of 1.35 while custom duties have a long run buoyancy coefficient of 1.42.
Secondary education spending and school attendance in South Africa: An ARDL approach (2020)
The education system in South Africa is perceived to be expensive, inefficient, and under-performing relative to its peers. Hence, this study aims to investigate the relationship between secondary education spending and school attendance in South Africa through econometric modelling. The ARDL Bounds test revealed that the variables have long-run relationship. Furthermore, the long run estimates indicate that both secondary education spending, household incomes, and urbanisation are statistically significant in explaining variations in school attendance.
An Address of the Global Financial Crises with Unconventional Monetary Policies (2019)
This study aims to assess the impact and spill over effects of the United States (US) Quantitative Easing (QE) to South Africa. Using an event-study analysis on daily data spanning from 25/11/2008 – 12/12/2012 for selected QE dates, the study finds that US Treasury bills fall by 106 basis points on average during QE1, rise by 9 basis points and 8 basis points during QE2 and QE3, respectively. For South Africa, government bonds fall by 61 basis points on average during QE1, 9 basis points during QE2 and 2 basis points during QE3.
Is the Co-Movement Between Budget Deficit and Current Account Deficit Applicable to South Africa? (2019)
The idea of the overall budget balance to have a statistically significant impact on the current account balance is known as the Twin deficits hypothesis, which this study seeks to investigate. We made use of annual macroeconomic data spanning from 1970 – 2017. Additionally, we utilized novel time-series cointegration techniques such as the ARDL Bounds and Granger causality analysis. From empirical tests, we find that the overall budget deficit and current account deficit are cointegrated.