Improvements in productivity is necessary to effectively increase economic growth in the long term.The literature emphasises a positive correlation between firm-level innovation and productivity gains, although evidence for developing countries has been less conclusive.
... See More + It is unsurprising then, that policymakers and researchers widely acknowledge that innovation is one of the major drivers of productivity growth, and is therefore of critical importance to the competitiveness and growth of firms and the macro-economy. We look at the dynamics of R&D expenditure in South Africa over the period 2009 to 2014 at the firm level using the South African Revenue Service and National Treasury Firm-Level Panel, which is an unbalanced panel dataset of administrative tax data from 2008 to 2016. Expenditure on R&D is used extensively as a proxy for innovation in the literature as it improves the capability for developing new products and processes and improving existing ones. We use a production function approach to estimate the return to R&D in South African manufacturing firms, a theoretical framework which is the predominant approach in the literature. This paper, however, is one of only a few estimating the return to R&D using firm-level data in a developing country.
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Southern Africa has a long history of human mobility centered around the migration of labor to farms and mines in the region. Patterns of migration and displacement have since been transformed by the end of Apartheid, changing economic systems, and conflict and political instability, both in the region and elsewhere.
... See More + Today mobility in the region is motivated by a combination of diverse social, political and economic reasons; shaped by long-standing historical movements and re-shaped by newer patterns of urbanization and displacement; organized through various legal and extra-legal means and governed by fragmented and contradictory legal frameworks. These complex patterns of migration and displacement, state responses to them, and the implications of mobility for job outcomes in South Africa - as the major destination country in the region - are the subject matter of this study. Our quantitative analysis on the impact of immigration on local jobs in South Africa finds that one immigrant worker generates approximately two jobs for South Africans during the period analyzed (1996 and 2011). These results and the substantiations provided in this publication are significant for policy makers and development actors in South Africa and the wider region, and as such, their implications should be seriously considered.
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Southern Africa has a long history of human mobility centered around the migration of labor to farms and mines in the region. Patterns of migration and displacement have since been transformed by the end of Apartheid, changing economic systems, and conflict and political instability, both in the region and elsewhere.
... See More + Today mobility in the region is motivated by a combination of diverse social, political and economic reasons; shaped by long-standing historical movements and re-shaped by newer patterns of urbanization and displacement; organized through various legal and extra-legal means and governed by fragmented and contradictory legal frameworks. These complex patterns of migration and displacement, state responses to them, and the implications of mobility for job outcomes in South Africa - as the major destination country in the region - are the subject matter of this study. Our quantitative analysis on the impact of immigration on local jobs in South Africa finds that one immigrant worker generates approximately two jobs for South Africans during the period analyzed (1996 and 2011). These results and the substantiations provided in this publication are significant for policy makers and development actors in South Africa and the wider region, and as such, their implications should be seriously considered.
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Disasters caused by climate extremes such as tropical cyclones and severe storms, floods, heat waves and droughts are jeopardizing Africa’s hard-won development achievements towards further growth, food security and poverty reduction.
... See More + In 2016 the food security situation deteriorated sharply in Africa–especially in East and Southern Africa as a result of droughts and floods linked in part to El Niño/La Niña–related phenomena. The risk of the El Niño-induced food insecurity in southern Africa in 2016, the recent risk of famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, and the recent outbreak of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) all demonstrate that responses are still largely reactive than proactive. Inadequate Early Warning System (EWS), coupled with limited investment and weak institutional and technical capacity, are implicated in contributing to food insecurity-related emergencies in ESA. In supporting these efforts, an assessment of food security EWSs was conducted to improve food security and resilience3 in eastern and southern Africa. This study aimed at assessing bottlenecks and opportunities for improving food security EWSs for enhanced resilience in ESA.
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The World Bank has been supporting a comprehensive program to strengthen cooperative management and development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + This program provides regional financing and analytical work that brings together the various commitments within a World Bank-financed portfolio of more than US$2 billion to facilitate dialogue among the riparian states and further drive the development of climate-resilient water resources for sustainable growth. The application of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Zambezi River Basin represents part of this broader program of support to the riparian states toward enhancing development outcomes through improved cooperation and sustainable development. The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a multi-stakeholder tool that evaluates the performance of hydropower projects against globally-applicable sustainability criteria for basic good practice and proven best practice. This policy note summarizes the experience of using this tool for a guided self-assessment of the proposed binational Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme by the Zambezi River Authority. This note presents the regional context, scope of the program, outcomes and important lessons learned.
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The World Bank has been supporting a comprehensive program to strengthen cooperative management and development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + This program provides regional financing and analytical work that brings together the various commitments within a World Bank-financed portfolio of more than US$2 billion to facilitate dialogue among the riparian states and further drive the development of climate-resilient water resources for sustainable growth. The application of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Zambezi River Basin represents part of this broader program of support to the riparian states toward enhancing development outcomes through improved cooperation and sustainable development. The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a multi-stakeholder tool that evaluates the performance of hydropower projects against globally-applicable sustainability criteria for basic good practice and proven best practice. This policy note summarizes the experience of using this tool for a guided self-assessment of the Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower Project by Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation, a joint venture between Zesco and TATA. This note presents the regional context, scope of the program, outcomes and important lessons learned.
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The risk of the El Niño-induced food insecurity in southern Africa in 2016; the recent risk of famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan; and the recent outbreak of the fall armyworm (FAW) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) all demonstrate that responses are still largely reactive than proactive.
... See More + Inadequate early warning systems (EWSs), coupled with limited investment and weak institutional and technical capacity, are implicated in contributing to food insecurity–related emergencies in ESA. Yet over the years, strong evidence has emerged on the benefits of investing in EWSs. In Ethiopia, investing in a drought EWS, which would reduce livelihood losses and dependence on assistance, has a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of between 3:1 and 6:1. Similarly, the BCR of improving national hydro-meteorological services in developing countries ranges from 4:1 to 36:1. Consistent with one of the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), increasing investment in EWSs would contribute to a substantial increase in the availability of, and access to multi hazard and disaster risk information, one of the key inputs in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
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Market-based sustainable finance initiatives led by members of the Sustainable Banking Network (SBN) have made significant progress in directing the financial sector towardsustainability.The SBN Global Progress Report is based on a unique measurement framework, the first of its kind to assess sustainable finance initiatives across emerging markets.South Africa has been engaged in promoting a greener economy for many years.
... See More + The country’s sustainability journey began as early as 2011, with the issuance of the Green Economy Accord, which promotes green finance flows. The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) views South Africa as the key country in Africa where banks have been at the forefront of introducing best practices in environmental and social (E&S) risk management and helping to drive change on the continent. South Africa’s four largest banks were among the earliest emerging market signatories of the Equator Principles (EPs).Regulatory requirements for sustainable finance have thus far focused on the pension fund sector, through the revised Pension Funds Act (2012), which requires consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks as part of fiduciary responsibility.The Banking Association South Africa (BASA) launched the Principles on Social and Environmental Risk Management in 2014. The scope of application is specified (lending and investment), and reference is made to international standards such as the EPs and UNEP FI.While voluntary initiatives exist and some regulations have been introduced, South Africa’s framework for sustainable finance is still missing some key features, such as technical guidance, supervision, and disclosure requirements. This leads to a mixed performance in its overall results. However, the South African banking industry demonstrates a clear maturity in its approach to sustainable banking and the implementation of good international industry practices.
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