Efficiency in South African agriculture: a two-stage fuzzy approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 2723-2759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goodness C. Aye ◽  
Rangan Gupta ◽  
Peter Wanke
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Fuzzy Approach ◽  
Social Expenditure ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Growth Ratio ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the efficiency of agricultural production in South Africa from 1970 to 2014, using an integrated two-stage fuzzy approach.Design/methodology/approachFuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution is used to assess the relative efficiency of agriculture in South Africa over the course of the years in the first stage. In the second stage, fuzzy regressions based on different rule-based systems are used to predict the impact of socio-economic and demographic variables on agricultural efficiency. They are compared with the bootstrapped truncated regressions with conditionalαlevels proposed in Wankeet al.(2016a).FindingsThe results show that the fuzzy efficiency estimates ranged from 0.40 to 0.68 implying inefficiency in South African agriculture. The results further reveal that research and development, land quality, health expenditure–population growth ratio have a significant, positive impact on efficiency levels, besides the GINI index. In terms of accuracy, fuzzy regressions outperformed the bootstrapped truncated regressions with conditionalαlevels proposed in Wankeet al.(2015).Practical implicationsPolicies to increase social expenditure especially in terms of health and hence productivity should be prioritized. Also policies aimed at conserving the environment and hence the quality of land is needed.Originality/valueThe paper is original and has not been previously published elsewhere.

scholarly journals The impact of economic growth on unemployment in South Africa: 1994 – 2012

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-707
Author(s):  
Handson Banda ◽  
Ireen Choga
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Real Effective Exchange Rate ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

One of the most pressing problems facing the South African economy is unemployment, which has been erratic over the past few years. This study examined the impact of economic growth on unemployment, using quarterly time series data for South Africa for the period 1994 to 2012.Johansen Co-integration reflected that there is stable and one significant long run relationship between unemployment and the explanatory variables that is economic growth (GDP), budget deficit (BUG), real effective exchange rate (REER) and labour productivity (LP). The study utilized Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to determine the effects of macroeconomic variables thus REER, LP, GDP and BUG on unemployment in South Africa. The results of VECM indicated that LP has a negative long run impact on unemployment whilst GDP, BUG and REER have positive impact. The study resulted in the following policy recommendation: South African government should re-direct its spending towards activities that directly and indirectly promote creation of employment and decent jobs; a conducive environment and flexible labour market policies or legislations without impediments to employment creation should be created; and lastly government should prioritise industries that promote labour intensive. All this will help in absorbing large pools of the unemployed population thereby reducing unemployment in South Africa.

Training the trainer – lessons from the new South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30
Author(s):  
John Van der Merwe ◽  
Martyn Sloman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
New South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Module Design ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way ◽  
Corporate Trainers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider some challenges involved in delivering a programme for the education of corporate trainers in the new South African economy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the way in which training in organisations has changed in the modern economy; it asks whether “training” has any academic base with knowledge components or whether it is simply a craft discipline carried out in context by experienced practitioners. It examines the particular circumstances that arise in post-Apartheid South Africa and the challenges faced where participants are widespread geographically. Findings – The paper looks at the issues involved in module design under these circumstances and describes a study to determine the impact and value of the programme. It draws some conclusions that may assist in the design of similar programmes elsewhere. Research limitations/implications – The study is based on one university – although it is the first and only course of its type in South Africa. Originality/value – This paper provides an original perspective involving information from several countries.

Government transfers, income inequality and poverty in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 1349-1368
Author(s):  
Charity Gomo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
General Equilibrium ◽  
Labor Supply ◽  
South African ◽  
Percent Reduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Government Transfers ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to quantify the impact of social or government transfers on income inequality and poverty in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA top-down, bottom-up (TD-BU) model which combines an econometrically estimated labor supply model, a detailed tax-benefit module and a computable general equilibrium model is used in order to analyze the impact of government transfers on income inequality and poverty in South Africa. The paper uses a merged South African income and expenditure household survey and labor force survey for the year 2000, and a South African social accounting matrix as the main data sets.FindingsSimulation results suggest that doubling of government transfers lead to a 5.5 percent reduction in poverty if a relative poverty measure is used and a 7 percent reduction if an absolute poverty line is used. In addition, simulation results show differences in poverty and inequality measures between the MS-only model and the linked TD-BU model confirming the importance of linking the two models.Originality/valueThe TD-BU approach is important since it explicitly accounts for the following aspects: that labor supply should adjust to changes in the tax-benefit model, general equilibrium effects and the heterogeneity of economic agents. This allows for a richer micro-household modeling.

Do migrants lives matter? A comparison of causes of death between African migrants from SADC countries and South Africans in the post-Apartheid era (2002-2015)

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-468
Author(s):  
Lorena Núñez Carrasco ◽  
Abha Jaiswal ◽  
Jairo Arrow ◽  
Michel Kasongo Muteba ◽  
Bidhan Aryal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
South African ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Africans ◽  
African Migrants ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Migrants historically and currently form an integral part of South Africa. Their importance and contribution to the country’s economy and development are undeniable. Yet, life for African migrants in South Africa is becoming increasingly difficult. An analysis of migrants mortality until now has not been conducted. The purpose of this paper is to compare the trends of the cause of death among South African Citizens (RSA) and African migrants from countries that form part of the South African Development Community (SADC), that make up nearly 70% of the migrants in the country. Design/methodology/approach Using Stats SA data of all registered deaths in South Africa (2002-2015), this paper compares all causes of death (COD) between RSA and SADC migrants. This paper studies the patterns in COD among these population groups for the years 2002 to 2015 in deaths due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes. Logistic regression was used to quantify the odds of dying due to infectious disease and unnatural causes for each population group. This paper included a calculation of the odds of dying due to assault, as a sub-group within unnatural deaths. Findings A total of 7,611,129 deaths were recorded for the local South African population and 88,114 for SADC migrants for the period under study (2002–2015). The burden of mortality for both infectious diseases and unnatural causes was higher for SADC migrants as compared to RSA. SADC migrants were 1.22 times more likely to die from infectious diseases than RSA (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.12, 1.23). Similarly, SADC migrants were 2.7 times more likely to die from unnatural causes than South Africans (P < 0.001, 95% CI (2.17, 2.23). The odds of dying from assault was the same as that of unnatural causes. Also, it was found that women were more likely to die from infectious diseases (OR = 1.11, P < 0.001, 95% CI (1.11, 1.11) compared to men, regardless of nationality. Research limitations/implications The bias resulting from migrants who return home to die due to illness, described in the literature as the salmon bias, is present in this paper. This paper, therefore, concludes death due to infectious diseases could be higher among migrants. Practical implications The heightened mortality among SADC migrants can be related to the impact of social determinants of health such as living and working conditions and barriers to access to health care. Moreover, the higher probability of death due to unnatural causes such as assaults constitute a proxy to estimate the impact of xenophobic violence observed in the country over the past decade. Policy interventions should focus on migrant health-care systems. Also, programmes to mitigate and curb xenophobic sentiments should be carried out to address the growing disparity of preventable unnatural causes of death. Originality/value This study offers the first quantification of mortality due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes among RSA and SADC migrants.

The status of electronic teaching within South African LIS Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 317-337
Author(s):  
Mabel K. Majanja
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
World View ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeTo determine the perceived self-efficacy of South African LIS academics in e-teaching as a co-requisite to imparting relevant ICT knowledge and skills to LIS students.Design/methodology/approachThe study was underpinned by the pragmatic world view, which allows a researcher to choose a combination of methods, techniques and procedures that best meets the needs and purposes of the study. Based on the purpose and objectives of the study, and the type of data needed, a quantitative approach, employing the descriptive survey design was used. An online questionnaire with both structured and unstructured questions was distributed to 79 LIS academics in 8 universities and attracted a 68.4% response rate. Structured responses were computed directly as quantitative data, while the unstructured answers were aggregated under themes and analysed quantitatively.FindingsThe findings show that LIS academics in South Africa have not been left behind in the trends regarding e-teaching, and most of them feel quite confident about their self-efficacy in e-teaching. A variety of Learning Management Systems and e-tools are in use and relevant policies and technical support available. Most LIS academics, to re-/up-skill themselves, employ diverse heutagogical strategies. However, the e-teaching support in terms of resources and technical support are inadequate because some universities are deficient in their provision of ICTs and e-learning guidelines.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the study is that this was a time-bound study that focused merely on the basic level investigation A further in-depth probing of the real (as opposed to self) levels of e-teaching efficacy and how heutagogy can be explored or advocated is necessary.Practical implicationsThe implications of the results are that (1) South African LIS academics are well fairly well prepares to face the impact of COVID-19, which has forced universities to turn to virtual/online education (2) Heutagogical approach should be explored as a method of further improving the capabilities of e-teachers, in order to (3) pass forward a positive impact on LIS graduates by preparing them to be agile for a modern work environment. (4) universities have to provide sufficient resources to support academics in their endeavour to continually improve their teaching.Social implicationsTopical in the face of the novel coronavirus.Originality/valueOptimal

scholarly journals Real exchange rate undervaluation and sectoral growth in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-476
Author(s):  
Brian Tavonga Mazorodze ◽  
Dev D. Tewari
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Real Exchange Rate ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sectoral Growth ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the empirical link between real exchange rate (RER) undervaluation and sectoral growth in South Africa between 1984 and 2014.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a dynamic panel data approach estimated by the system generalised method of moments technique in a bid to control for endogeneity.FindingsThe authors find a significant positive impact of undervaluation on sectoral growth which increases with capital accumulation. Also, the authors confirm that undervaluation promotes sectoral growth up to a point where further increases in undervaluation retards growth.Practical implicationsThe results confirm the importance of policies that keep the domestic currency weaker to foster sectoral growth.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper lies in establishing the impact of exchange rate undervaluation on growth at a sector level in the context of South Africa using a dynamic panel data approach.

Centrist television in the democratic South Africa: policymakers fail to answer the regional/local question, 1990-2011

Info ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 128-140
Author(s):  
Chris Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Regulation ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the disconnect between policy intent and policy implementation in relation to regional/local (sub-national) TV deliverables in South Africa between 1990 and 2011, and evaluate the impact of this disconnect in pursuit of public interest objectives. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on a research case study in which data extracted from policy documents and interviews were qualitatively analysed via the Kingdon “policy streams” framework and the Feintuck and Varney public interest media regulation framework. Findings – It was found that ruptures in deliberative policymaking, and policy implementation missteps, undermined sub-national TV delivery and, in turn, undermined pursuit of the public interest. Originality/value – By combining a political science conceptual framework with a media policy conceptual framework, the article provides unique insights into South African TV policymaking in the early democratic era.

The effect of carbon performance on corporate financial performance in a growing economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fortune Ganda
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
South African ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Financial Performance ◽  
Carbon Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of carbon performance on firm financial performance by using Republic of South Africa CDP company data from 2014 to 2015. Design/methodology/approach The study considered 63 companies on the Republic of South Africa CDP database. Content analysis was used to extract both carbon performance data and firm financial data. The data were analysed using panel data analysis and partial derivative approaches. Findings The findings indicate that carbon performance produces a positive relationship with return on equity (ROE) and return on sales (ROS). Conversely, it generates a negative relationship with return on investment (ROI) and market value added (MVA). Furthermore, the study highlights that carbon performance pays and that the relationship with financial performance (ROE, ROS, ROI and MVA) deepens as the corporate growth rate increases. Practical implications Companies that integrate carbon performance initiatives reap substantial financial gains, and this relationship is strengthened as the company’s growth rate increases. Originality/value The research questions and data collected from Republic of South African CDP firms are original and provide important evidence on the impact of carbon performance on firm financial indicators. Furthermore, many empirical studies focus on highly industrialised countries; this study examines this issue in the emerging South African economy which has experienced rapid growth of emissions in recent years. While most previous studies on the relationship between carbon performance and firm financial performance used a single class of corporate financial measures, this study used both accounting- and market-based indicators. It also investigated how firm growth moderates the association between carbon performance and diverse financial performance measures. Finally, pressure exerted by green stakeholders since the introduction of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s sustainability criteria in 2004, as well as government policies, has a profound impact on the South African business context; it is hence important to examine corporate environmental management activities in the context of the association between carbon performance and firm performance.

Finance-institution-growth trilogy: time-series insights from South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clement Olalekan Olaniyi ◽  
Adebayo Adedokun
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study examines the moderating effect of institutional quality on the finance-growth nexus in South Africa from 1986 to 2015.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts unit root tests, cointegration test and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model.FindingsThe findings reveal that institutional quality constitutes a drain to the growth benefits of financial development (FD) in South Africa in the short-run while FD and institutional quality converge to enhance growth process of the country in the long-run. Also, the threshold of institutional quality beyond which institution stimulates strong positive impact of finance on growth is estimated to be 6.42 on a 10-point scale.Practical implicationsThis study, therefore, suggests that institutional quality matters in the way FD influences economic growth in South Africa. Hence, stakeholders are encouraged to trace and block lapses and loopholes in the institutional framework guiding financial system in South Africa so as to maximize growth benefits of FD.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the extant studies by introducing a country-specific analysis into the empirical examination of how institutional quality influences the impact of FD on economic growth. Also, this study deviates from other studies by determining the threshold of institutional quality beyond which FD stimulates strong positive effect on economic growth in South Africa

Mandatory corporate social responsibility assurance practices

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Ackers ◽  
Neil Stuart Eccles
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
South African ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mandatory Requirement ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Despite its voluntary nature, the Johannesburg stock exchange (JSE) requires all listed companies to apply the King III principles, including providing independent CSR assurance. King III has accordingly made independent CSR assurance a de facto mandatory requirement, albeit on an “apply or explain” basis. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) assurance practices in South Africa, within a King III context. Design/methodology/approach – To understand the impact of King III on South African CSR assurance practices, a longitudinal study covering reporting periods both before and after King III implementation. The first stage reviewed the annual reports of the 200 largest JSE-listed companies to establish the frequency of CSR assurance provision. The second stage involved performing a content analysis on the CSR assurance reports. Findings – King III is driving the institutionalisation of CSR assurance practices in South Africa, as evidenced by the growth in CSR assurance since the implementation of King III. The study also found that the audit profession’s dominance was being eroded by specialist CSR assurors providing higher levels of assurance, despite concerns about the rigour of their assurance methodologies. Voluntary CSR assurance practices have resulted in the inconsistent application of CSR assurance practices, impairing the ability of stakeholders to understand the nature and scope of CSR assurance engagements. It is argued that this deficiency may be overcome through the imposition of a mandatory CSR assurance regime. Originality/value – The pervasive impact of the King Code of Governance on South African organisations makes it appropriate to examine its impact on South African CSR assurance practices. As such, this paper represents one of the first studies to specifically consider the impact of a mandatory regulatory requirement for independent CSR assurance and suggests a future direction for global CSR assurance practices.

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