scholarly journals Brain circuity: The case of South Africa as a hub for doctoral education

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (9/10) ◽  
Author(s):  
François B. Van Schalkwyk ◽  
Milandré H. van Lill ◽  
Nico Cloete
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
National Development ◽  
Brain Circulation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Host Nation ◽  
Migration And Development

The production and reproduction of knowledge are important components of national development. As student mobility increases, globally and within Africa, so does the national diversity of students as they seek to further their postgraduate studies at the limited number of research universities in Africa. Knowledge migration is inevitably a relationship between nation states because migration is driven by push factors (such as the socio-economic conditions and opportunities) in the country of origin as well as by pull factors (such as the rules and incentives for entry, participation in postgraduate education and post-study residency), which are prerogatives of the host nation. In other words, migration and development must be understood in comparative terms. The brain drain perspective on migration and development takes mainly the perspective of the origin country into consideration. Migration and the loss of high-level skills are seen as detrimental to the development prospects of the country of origin. The brain circulation perspective moves the discussion forward by suggesting that there are residual returns to the country of origin. However, relatively little attention has been given to the impact of knowledge migrants on the host nation when the host is facing its own post-colonial development challenges. This is the dilemma facing South Africa as a hub for doctoral students from the rest of Africa: attracting top doctoral students from the rest of the continent to contribute to the country’s knowledge capacity but at the expense of developing local talent, thereby setting up a complex tension between underdevelopment and development. Here we establish whether South Africa is maintaining its position as a PhD hub on the African continent and explore the extent to which the brain circulation argument holds up in the African context. We suggest that, given the current policy environment in South Africa, brain circuity is a more likely outcome, where brain circuity describes the flow of knowledge characterised by indirection and undesirable intricacy.

scholarly journals Impact of unemployment and income on entrepreneurship in post-apartheid South Africa: 1994–2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darma Mahadea ◽  
Irrshad Kaseeram
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Employment Growth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
National Development ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Per Capita Gdp ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

Background: South Africa has made significant progress since the dawn of democracy in 1994. It registered positive economic growth rates and its real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increased from R42 849 in 1994 to over R56 000 in 2015. However, employment growth lagged behind GDP growth, resulting in rising unemployment. Aim and setting: Entrepreneurship brings together labour and capital in generating income, output and employment. According to South Africa’s National Development Plan, employment growth would come mainly from small-firm entrepreneurship and economic growth. Accordingly, this article investigates the impact unemployment and per capita income have on early stage total entrepreneurship activity (TEA) in South Africa, using data covering the 1994–2015 period. Methods: The methodology used is the dynamic least squares regression. The article tests the assertion that economic growth, proxied by real per capita GDP income, promotes entrepreneurship and that high unemployment forces necessity entrepreneurship. Results: The regression results indicate that per capita real GDP, which increases with economic growth, has a highly significant, positive impact on entrepreneurial activity, while unemployment has a weaker effect. A 1% rise in real per capita GDP results in a 0.16% rise in TEA entrepreneurship, and a 1% rise in unemployment is associated with a 0.25% rise in TEA. Conclusion: There seems to be a strong pull factor, from income growth to entrepreneurship and a reasonable push from unemployment to entrepreneurship, as individuals without employment are forced to self-employment as a necessity, survival mechanism. Overall, a long-run co-integrating relationship seems plausible between unemployment, income and entrepreneurship in South Africa.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Impact of Fiscal Policy on Economic Growth in South Africa: VECM Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Tshembhani Mackson HLONGWANE ◽  
Itumeleng Pleasure MONGALE ◽  
Lavisa TALA
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Development ◽  
Real Gdp ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Fixed Capital Formation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Fiscal policy ensures macroeconomic stability as a precondition for growth at the macro level. This study investigates the impact of fiscal policy on economic growth of South Africa from 1960 to 2014 through a Cointegrated Vector Autoregression approach. It seeks to contribute to the existing literature as well as in designing effective fiscal policy programmes which can propel economic performance. Theresults of the long run estimates revealed that government tax revenue has a positive and significant long run influence on economic growth, whereas the government gross fixed capital formation and budget deficit have a negative impact on real GDP. For that reason, the study recommends that some expansionary fiscal policy measures should be strengthened since they play a very important role in the economy so as to meet the government target of the National Development Plan Vision for 2030.

African Language Material in Institutional Repositories: Visibility and Scholarly Impact

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siviwe Bangani ◽  
Mathew Moyo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Citation Impact ◽  
National Development ◽  
Public University ◽  
African Language ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Scholarly Impact ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Various international organisations such as the United Nations and the African Union recognise the value of language in development, peacebuilding and reconciliation. Language is also recognised in planning policies of countries such as South Africa where the National Development Plan of the country seeks to ensure that every citizen learns at least one African language by 2030. This paper sought to determine the availability, impact and visibility of African language material hosted by institutional repositories (IRs) at public universities in South Africa. Informetrics methods were applied using data obtained from DSpace, Google Scholar and ResearchGate to determine the impact and visibility. The most important findings were that 65.2 per cent of public university IRs had at least one African language document in their IRs. Overall, only 0.16 per cent of documents in public university IRs were in African languages. A total of 16 per cent of African language documents hosted by these IRs are in ResearchGate. This study appears to be the first to determine the visibility of African language documents hosted by IRs in South Africa in ResearchGate and their citation impact in Google. This study will add value to the literature on the role of academic libraries in preserving indigenous languages, knowledge, and culture.

Factors affecting the migration of qualified specialists in the framework of the export of education

2021 ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Vitaliy Leonidovich Saginov ◽  
Nadezhda Yurievna Runova
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Brain Circulation ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
International Student Mobility ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Mobility Programs ◽  
The Brain

The mobility of qualified specialists is a trend in the modern economy. In addition to the brain drain, the concept of brain circulation has emerged, the source and constituent of which is the export of education and the international student mobility programs. Based on the systematization and analysis of scientific publications in international scientometric systems, the article highlights the factors influencing the decision of students participating in study programs abroad to stay in the host country or return home after the studies.

scholarly journals Exporting Citizens, Importing Remittances: The Developing World's Newest Strategy to Combat Poverty

Elements ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Maroshegyi
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Country Of Birth ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Migration And Development

Today, three percent of the world's population lives and works outside its country of birth. This rise in migration has led to a surge in remittances, which now represent the most important source of income for many developing countries. This paper will focus on the debate surrounding the impact of remittances on poverty among both receiving households and the non-receiving community in the country of origin, concluding that remittances have a higher propensity to be invested in education, health, and entrepreneurship than non-remittance based income. Its findings highlight the potential of a sustainable method of south-to-south development that may very well redefine how policy makers approach migration and development.

scholarly journals National Development Plan as an Entrepreneurial Mechanism for Rural Economic Development in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 234
Author(s):  
Elvin Shava ◽  
Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
National Development ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
National Development Plan ◽  
Rural Economic Development ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan (NDP) accentuates on the impact of an integrated and inclusive rural economy by proposing for the creation 643 000 direct jobs and 326 000 indirect jobs in the farming and non-farming sector by 2030. Discussion within the study reveals that, the NDP was also designed to stimulate rural economic development among other important dynamic economic factors of the country. However, five years into the implementation of the NDP, remnants of inequality, unemployment and poverty are still apparent amongst the rural population. This paper indicates that the success of NDP as an entrepreneurial mechanism is being underpinned by contestations which are emanating from under-financing, lack of entrepreneurial education and research culture, negative attitudes of the people, corruption and red tape. Through a qualitative research approach, the paper observes that, for NDP to be continuously coordinated as an economic initiative, financing of rural projects such as small businesses, cooperatives and other rural development projects should be the government’s key priority. The study concludes that entrepreneurship has to be considered as a prime mover in rural economic development in South Africa since an entrepreneurial economy significantly differs from a non-entrepreneurial one, as evidenced by the economic vigour and sustainable development of its inhabitants.

scholarly journals National Development Plan as an Entrepreneurial Mechanism for Rural Economic Development in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2(J)) ◽  
pp. 234-242
Author(s):  
Elvin Shava ◽  
Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
National Development ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
National Development Plan ◽  
Rural Economic Development ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan (NDP) accentuates on the impact of an integrated and inclusive rural economy by proposing for the creation 643 000 direct jobs and 326 000 indirect jobs in the farming and non-farming sector by 2030. Discussion within the study reveals that, the NDP was also designed to stimulate rural economic development among other important dynamic economic factors of the country. However, five years into the implementation of the NDP, remnants of inequality, unemployment and poverty are still apparent amongst the rural population. This paper indicates that the success of NDP as an entrepreneurial mechanism is being underpinned by contestations which are emanating from under-financing, lack of entrepreneurial education and research culture, negative attitudes of the people, corruption and red tape. Through a qualitative research approach, the paper observes that, for NDP to be continuously coordinated as an economic initiative, financing of rural projects such as small businesses, cooperatives and other rural development projects should be the government’s key priority. The study concludes that entrepreneurship has to be considered as a prime mover in rural economic development in South Africa since an entrepreneurial economy significantly differs from a non-entrepreneurial one, as evidenced by the economic vigour and sustainable development of its inhabitants.

scholarly journals The adaptive capacity of smallholder mixed-farming systems to the impact of climate change: The case of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nonhlanzeko N. Mthembu ◽  
Elliot M. Zwane
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
National Development ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Drought Relief ◽  
The Impact

Climate change poses a serious threat to efforts by developing countries to ensure food security and poverty reduction. The National Development goals of South Africa envisage the agricultural sector as a key driver for job creation and economic growth. This article seeks to investigate the adaptive capacity of the Ncunjane farming community in Msinga, KwaZuluNatal in response to drought spells of 2010 and 2014. This article draws on data collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods in 2011 and later in 2015 with the data analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Science to determine significant correlations between variables. Analysis of the vulnerability and adaptive capacity is performed using conceptual framework. This study found that both smallholder farmers who engaged in livestock and crop production have experienced high cattle mortalities and stagnant crop productivity, which in turn put pressure on already constrained disposable household income because of increased food costs and agricultural input costs, particularly supplementary animal feed. Cattle owners were more vulnerable to drought because of poor risk management and thus became highly dependent on government to provide drought relief. Application for government drought relief was found not to be effective in cases of large herds of cattle. Variability of rainfall and prolonged heat spells has a significant impact on the sustainability of smallholder mixed-farming systems, leaving agriculture as a highly questionable form of livelihood for rural farming communities such as Msinga. The article recommends strengthened institutional mechanisms so that stakeholders should play a more meaningful role within provincial and local agriculture in leveraging government support but places emphasis on the adoption of innovative strategies that can potentially yield significantly resilient smallholder mixed-farming systems in the wake of climate variability.

scholarly journals Assessing the Dynamic Economic Impact of Tourism in a Developing Region in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5(J)) ◽  
pp. 274-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
De Bruyn C. ◽  
Meyer N. ◽  
Meyer D.F.
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
National Development ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Developmental Problems ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Developing Region ◽  
Vaal Triangle ◽  
The Impact

According to the National Development Plan (NDP), the three main developmental problems South Africa is facing include: high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. Tourism, as an economic sector, has been cited as a possible solution to create much-needed employment and income which could lead to reduced poverty and improved inequality. Tourism could be used in developing regions as a driver of economic growth. The objective of this study is to determine the dynamic impact of the tourism sector on economic growth in a developing region in South Africa, namely the Vaal-Triangle region. The research methodology followed a quantitative design, using a pooled panel approach including the two municipal areas of Metsimaholo and Emfuleni which comprises the Vaal region. Annual data from 2001 to 2017 were used to analyse the impact of growth in tourism on economic growth. Economic growth was set as the dependent variable and tourism measurements such as tourism spending and trips as the independent variables. Results from the analysis confirm the original hypothesis that tourism growth has a significant impact on economic growth. The sector therefore, has the potential to create employment opportunities and alleviate poverty in a developing region if promoted and supported to its full potential.  

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