An Employment-Targeted Economic Program for South Africa - Hardcover

Pollin, Robert; Epstein, Gerald A.; Heintz, James; Ndikumana, Léonce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847201180 ISBN 13: 9781847201188

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007

Synopsis

`This is an exciting and stimulating work, and one that will leave its mark upon the work of social scientists and policymakers.'
- Lumkile Mondi, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa; and Presidential Economic Advisory Panel of South Africa

The people of South Africa, and the African National Congress-led government, have made extraordinary social and economic advances since ending apartheid and beginning the transition to democracy in 1994. But the country still faces severe problems of mass unemployment, underemployment and poverty. This study, sponsored by the United Nations Development Program, presents a detailed economic program designed to produce major reductions in unemployment and poverty, and a general spreading of economic well-being, and to achieve these ends in a manner that is sustainable over a longer-term framework.

The `employment-targeted' program developed here builds from standard policy tools and initiatives already undertaken by the government in the areas of macroeconomic policy, development banking and large-scale credit subsidies, labor-intensive public investments, and social welfare expenditures. The authors introduce these measures alongside specific proposals in the areas of fiscal budgetary control, inflation control and exchange rate management.

Students and scholars of development economics will find this analysis of South Africa's economy, and the authors' plan for stimulating job growth, of great interest.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Pollin and Gerald A. Epstein, Professors of Economics and Co-Directors, Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US, James Heintz, Associate Research Professor, Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US and Léonce Ndikumana, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US and Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Economic and Social Policy Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Review:

'This is an exciting and stimulating work, and one that will leave its mark upon the work of social scientists and policymakers.' - Lumkile Mondi, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa; and Presidential Economic Advisory Panel of South Africa 'Investment in South Africa is low, real interest rates are high, the employment-intensity of growth has been relatively slow. The "employment-targeted program" advocated in this book seeks to reverse these tendencies by lowering average interest rates and channeling subsidized credit to labor-intensive, pro-poor activities, particularly small-scale agriculture and small and medium-sized enterprises. This is a bold program and by challenging conventional "inflation-targeted" economic policy, the book makes a major contribution to the debate on economic policy in South Africa.' --- Keith B. Griffin, University of California-Riverside, US

About this edition

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1847201180
• ISBN 13: 9781847201188
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240