Structural Transformation, Economic Power, and Inequality in South Africa

This chapter examines how economic power, understood as control over accumulation, has influenced the poor progress of structural transformation in South Africa, which, in turn, has impacted on inequality through income and wealth effects. The chapter argues that the failure to diversify and develop downstream capabilities in manufacturing in South Africa reflects, among other things, the entrenched advantages of incumbent upstream firms, as well as the lack of a policy agenda for transformation that incorporates a recognition of the economic power of these upstream firms. The inability to change the patterns of accumulation underlies the persistent inequality in income and wealth. The chapter involves an analysis of interests in the South African economy within key industry groupings (specifically the metals and plastics value chains) and how these interests have set agendas and shaped policy and regulation to set the rules of the game for the benefit of upstream firms. The analysis shows that economic structure is a source of economic power, and that the relative strength of the upstream industries means that their interests are better served than those of diversified downstream industries.

Assessing the Longitudinal Change in Low Vision: A Test of Competing Hypotheses

Introduction: Visual impairment among older adults has increasingly become one of the biggest challenges to public health and personal well-being in the United States. This study aims to examine whether the intersectionality hypothesis can be used in conjunction with the cumulative advantage (disadvantage), persistent inequality, or age-as-leveler to explain heterogeneity in low vision trajectories across birth cohorts, race or ethnicity, gender, and the level of education. Methods: Growth curve modeling was used to analyze data from the 2002–2014 Health and Retirement Study. Results: The type of trajectory (i.e., cumulative advantage or disadvantage, the persistent inequality, and the age-as-leveler) that characterize low vision is largely dependent upon the characteristics of an individual (i.e., race or ethnicity, gender, and education). Discussion: Trajectories of low vision are higher among females and those from ethnic minority groups with low levels of education. Implications for practitioners: Targeted interventions and attempts to close interethnic disparities in vision functioning should begin early on in life and should focus on racial ethnic minorities, females, and those with low education.

Social policy, target populations and policy analysis in Colombia

This chapter explores persistent inequality and poverty for historically excluded groups despite dramatically increased expenditures in social policy as an issue of considerable importance in Colombia. It illustrates how the truncated nature of the Colombian welfare system contributes to the problem of poverty and inequality. It also documents how even the widespread use of targeted social policies for specific populations cannot attain the redistributive policy outcomes associated with a more general approach to welfare policy. The chapter introduces the general changes to social policies by looking into the expansion of basic welfare and then exploring the evolution of policy targeting. It points out the limited achievements of Colombia in terms of the redistribution of income through the concept of the truncated state.