Climate change a time for Africa to roar back
The battle for power and profits is on as the world moves towards the green agenda.
Facing the climate crisis in a world of inequality: Who should pay? Who will pay?
Climate change worsens inequality and inequality worsens climate change, warn experts.
Core services shrinkage in budget will harm the poor, MPs told
Civil society organisations criticise what they say is an austerity budget
Informal settlements could drive South Africa’s rooftop solar revolution
Informal settlements could drive South Africa’s solar revolution
Non-racial South Africa: book shows debate on nation building is still relevant today
There has been much comment recently on the lack of representation of minorities in the ANC's leadership structures
Budget pressures erode capacity of the criminal justice system
The criminal justice system faces severe challenges: as organised crime has risen, the capacity of the system has diminished. Here's what the numbers tell us
COP27 key outcomes: progress on compensation for developing countries, but more needed on climate ju
Academics unpack wins, tensions at COP27 and the way forward.
Key outcomes from COP27
COP27 key outcomes: progress on compensation for developing countries, but more still needed
Worker organisations can survive the digital age. Here’s how
In the face of a decline in traditional union membership, it’s critical to focus on where resistance is taking place, rather than where it is not.
Worker organisations can survive the digital age. Here’s how
There is a widespread view that labour has become irrelevant as a force for change.
Climate Change and Me marks Wits’ largest first-year course in its history
Climate Change and Me was launched in 2022 and became the largest course by student numbers ever offered at Wits University.
Work and economic security in the 21st Century: What we can learn from Ela Bhatt?
Eddie Webster pays tribute to Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India, who died on 2 November at the age of 89.
COP27 explained by experts: what is it and why should I care?
COP27 is the 27th Conference of the Parties (countries) that signed up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Be outraged – there are alternatives to the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement
Global leaders called on to build universal social protection systems that address inequality
The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) hosted the 2022 edition of its Annual Inequality Lecture on 18 October 2022
SA needs a bold, visionary mini budget and an end to austerity policymaking
When the minister delivers his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, he should show public leadership by announcing that the current approach to running the econ
South Africa’s public service: real spending is falling, but demand is growing
Core public services – basic education, healthcare and criminal justice – account for a large share of the consumption basket of poor South Africans.
South Africa’s public service: real spending is falling, but demand is growing
Core public services – basic education, healthcare and criminal justice – account for a large share of the consumption basket of poor South Africans.
Social grants offer cash, but they aren’t a magic bullet response to inequality in the global south
Over the last three decades, there has been a proliferation of social protection programmes across the global south in what some have dubbed a development revol
Women in SA continue to bear a double (or triple) burden
In the post-apartheid era, women in South Africa have made significant strides in the labour market.
What’s wrong with the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Pasha Podcast: Innovation in the digital space is not necessarily working for people in the global south.
Auto manufacturing is changing: how South Africa can adjust to protect workers and jobs
Technological changes in industry have given rise to contending schools of thought about their impact on work and workers.
Mozambican unions hit snooze on a national strike
Mozambique’s trade unions have not been a strong force in society – which has left a space for others to fill.
Digital labour platforms subject global South workers to ‘algorithmic insecurity’
Digital labour platforms are rapidly transforming the world of work.
Address the realities of unemployment, not just the numbers
The recent release of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) by Stats SA provides a glimmer of hope in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: a seductive idea requiring critical engagement
Narrative frames are fundamental to unifying ideologies. They frame what is possible and impossible, which ideas can be accepted and which must be rejected.
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Towards an Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and uneven impact on the global economy and on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world.
PEP releases evidence-based report on budget spending choices
The Public Economy Project has offered an independent appraisal of expenditure choices implied by the South African 2022 budget.
A reflection on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a critical framing
The first in the dialogue policy series hosted by The Future of Work(ers) Research Group at SCIS.
President Ramaphosa welcomes groundbreaking book on SA economy
The book comes at a time of great upheaval in the global economy.
Rick Turner and the enduring necessity of utopian thinking
Utopian thinking, revisiting the ideas of Rick Turner in the current political context.
Basic income support in SA: what it will take
Basic income support is not a question of government “being generous”. The money will be taken from employed citizens and the affluent.
Basic income support is unavoidable, but making it work requires political courage
A slowly worsening chronic fiscal crisis
National Treasury’s strategy to overcome South Africa’s chronic fiscal crisis rests on highly uncertain political and economic foundations.
The MTBPS clears some fiscal space but it is still a path through a swamp
Head of UNAIDS unpacks the knock-on effects of Covid-19
Greater urgency is needed in the response to pandemics, to end AIDS and to end COVID-19.
Developing countries should inform global debates on inequality
Greater urgency is needed in the response to pandemics, to end AIDS and to end COVID-19.
Work as we knew it has changed. Time to think beyond the wage
Recent developments in the organisation of production have led to the decline of wage employment across much of the world.
South African shack dwellers show how grassroots democracy is done
Trevor Ngwane shows how structures that emerged in the struggle against apartheid continue in democratic South Africa, now in conflict with the ruling ANC.
Pay the taxman his dues
A wealth tax could make a significant contribution to alleviating South Africa’s ailing fiscal situation.
South Africa’s vaccine quagmire, and what needs to be done now
South Africa has clearly suffered the consequences of poor strategic decisions to this point. It doesn't need to continue along these lines.
RFP Monitoring and Evaluation
The SCIS is looking for an evaluation specialist to support the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Centre.
Stereotypes about young jobless South Africans are wrong
Many unemployed young people are engaged in a variety of economic activities. These may not necessarily be recognised as a form of self employment.
Book calls for a rethink of capitalism amid the ravages of Covid-19
Rethinking capitalism requires that the primary focus should be on the distribution of economic power as the potential leading causal factor driving inequality.
7Qs for Academics Hannah Dawson
Today we speak to Dr Hannah Dawson Senior Researcher: Future of Work(ers) Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
7Qs for Academics Kitso Kgaboesele
Today we speak to Kitso Kgaboesele, Researcher: Communications and Engagement, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
Why forcing disclosure of wages and executive pay in SA is a good idea
Companies being required to go public with information about executive and workers pay packets is increasingly becoming the norm.
7Qs for Academics Zukiswa Kota
Today we speak to Zukiswa Kota, Programme Head at the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) at Rhodes University
SCIS internship opportunities for Wits Graduates
The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) is an interdisciplinary research centre located in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management.
The link between inequality and power
How power is distributed in SA and how those with power think about wealth and income.
7Qs for Academics David Francis
Today we speak to David C. Francis, the Deputy Director at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
7Qs for Academics Siviwe Mhlana
Today we speak to Siviwe Mhlana, Researcher: Inequality Studies at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies.
7Qs for Academics Sandiswa Mapukata
Today we speak to Sandiswa Mapukata, a research associate on the Future of Work(ers) project at SCIS
7Qs for Academics: Ruth Castel-Branco
Today we speak to Ruth Castel-Branco, Research Manager – Technology and the Future of Work(ers) Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS).
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A wealth tax for South Africa
New paper shares details on how to implement a wealth tax in South Africa.
7Qs for Academics: Rosimina Ali
Today we speak to Rosimina Ali, a Researcher in Economics at the Institute for Social and Economic Studies, (IESE)
7Qs for Academics: Fikile Masikane
Today we speak to Fikile Masikane, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Wits.
7Qs for Academics: Olivia Faite Izidine
Today we speak to Olivia Faite Izidine from the National Institute for Social Action in Mozambique.
7Qs for Academics: Ravi Srivastava
Today we speak to Professor Ravi Srivastava from the Institute for Human Development, India.
7Qs for Academics: Thandiwe Matthews
Today we speak to Thandiwe Matthews, a human rights attorney and doctoral candidate in Law and Development Studies.
7Qs for Academics: Zerihun Berhane
Today we speak to Zerihun Berhane, an Assistant Professor in the Center for African and Asian Studies at Addis Ababa University.
7Qs for Academics Edward Webster
Today we speak to Professor Edward Webster, Distinguished Research Professor at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS).
Implications of Digital Technologies for the World of Work
The COVID pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technologies within the world of work.
South Africa’s waning economic fortunes demand harsh policy adjustments: who will bear the brunt?
Resolution of the fiscal crisis depends on faster economic growth which must be led by private investment.
Polanyi in South Africa
Edward Webster elaborates on the importance of Karl Polanyi’s work for South Africa.
Reasons for Uneven Digital Technologies
This is the second of three blog posts that will examine the relationship between digital technologies and work.
Digital Technologies and the World of Work
This is the first of three blog posts that will examine the relationship between digital technologies and work.
Work from home reserved for the privileged few in SA
Digital divides ensure that only 11% of households have access to the internet.
SA's budget for COVID-19 fails to pave way for more equal society
The budget is one of the key tools that government has to effect meaningful change.
Covid-19: The full economic impact will only be known later
South Africa needs to focus urgently on how COVID-19 will reshape its labour market.
Almost 16-million people allowed back to work
New level 3 regulations mark an important strategic shift in the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic.
South Africa needs a post-lockdown strategy that emulates South Korea
South Africa cannot afford to embark on a strategy of extended periodic lockdowns. It needs to shift to mass testing and contact tracing.
To zero-rate, or not to zero-rate: why the VAT debate is more complex than it appears
The 1% point increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) rate this year has raised important questions about how the tax system can and should address inequality.
The richest 10% own 95% – products of an economic and social system
How is it possible that we can have a society with so much wealth and so much poverty?
South Africa needs approach to inequality
It is widely accepted that SA is one of the most unequal societies in the world.