1,720,968 research outputs found
South African trade hegemony: is the South African–EU Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement heading for a BRICS wall?
No full textSouth African dominance of trade in Africa as well as its position as a regional hegemon was entrenched by the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) with the European Union in 1999. South Africa’s full-blown integration into the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) formation since 2011 has brought new dynamics, however, as South Africa now has a marked BRICS orientation. Although the European Union (EU) as a bloc is still South Africa’s largest trading partner, China has become South Africa’s largest single-country trading partner. The question arises as to whether this new found loyalty makes sense in terms of South Africa’s regional position and its trade prospects. Against the background of more intra-industry trade with the EU and the new and growing inter-industry trade with the other BRICS economies, South Africa’s trade share of African trade has been in relative decline. This study uses an international political economy framework to analyse South African trade hegemony based on the TDCA and the possible effects of a shift towards BRICS. The conclusion is that, although the shift towards BRICS can politically be justified, economically it should not be at the expense of the benefits of the more advantageous relationship with the EUhttp://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsaj20/currenthttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10220461.2013.811338#abstractDOI:10.1080/10220461.2013.81133
A shift-share analysis of job creation in the Platinum SDI during its first decade (1996-2006)
Get PDFThis study evaluates the performance of the Platinum Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) development corridor in South Africa, which was initiated during 1996. Next to descriptive data, the study employed shift-share analysis to investigate the economic growth and job creation potential of the manufacturing industries in the SDI region. Analysis of the North West Province was also done to enable comparison with the Platinum SDI. The results revealed that development in the Platinum SDI since 1996 was slightly better than the rest of the province. Sectors with the highest potential were wood and paper products, food and beverages, electronics, furniture and metal products, which merit attention in future development initiatives. Economic growth in the Platinum SDI was, in most cases, better than the rest of the province, and the industrial mix and regional competitive share effects had strong effect on employment and growth in specific sectors
Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa: making sense of a new economic reality
Get PDFChina's economic progress and relations with other developing regions have received much attention, particularly the way in which Sino-African relations have evolved since 2000. This paper aims to put Chinese FDI in Africa into perspective and provide some answers on the nature and possible impact of these flows to the continent. The study examines Chinese FDI flows to Africa between 2003 and 2008. During this period, China's outward FDI to Africa was concentrated in diversified, medium growth economic performers, with Southern Africa being the most popular region for Chinese outward FDI. A literature survey on Chinese investment deals concluded in Africa, demonstrated a definite Chinese interest in mining, oil and infrastructure in Africa. Using panel data analysis, agricultural land, market size and oil are found to be important determinants of Chinese FDI. The fact that market size was important indicated that Chinese investment was not solely resource-driven. As regards the possibility that Chinese FDI could positively contribute to economic growth in Africa, causality tests concluded that the relationship between African GDP and Chinese FDI was bi-directional, while uni-directional relationships were established between Chinese FDI and African infrastructure and corruption, respectively
Profiling sectoral risks of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa for the first decade of the 21st century
Get PDFDespite Africa's strong foreign direct investment (FDI) performance since 2000, the majority of FDI inflows have been directed to a few selected countries. As investors face many risks when investing in developing countries, it is argued that risk perception plays a vital role in the FDI inflows into Africa. This article focuses on the relationship between risk and FDI. A structural equation model is used to analyse this relationship with a dataset of ten risk categories and FDI data from 42 African countries. The study focuses on four sectors, namely metals, automotive, communications and real estate. Overall, results indicate that government effectiveness and legal and regulatory risks produce the biggest concern for investors. The conclusion is that each sector's risk pattern regarding FDI differs. The most important empirical results indicated that African countries should focus more on government effectiveness, stability and transparency to attract the levels of FDI required to stimulate economic growth
The state of decoupling before and during the Great Recession
Get PDFPhD (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2016This thesis examines the decoupling debate, which gained special prominence during the Great Recession years. Since the credit crunch that started in 2007 seemed initially to be contained within advanced economies, it was speculated that emerging market business cycles had decoupled from those in advanced economies. A theoretical review on business cycle comovement highlights the fact that there are many possible transmission mechanisms through which the Great Recession could have been transmitted to emerging markets. These include international trade and finance. Though the high levels of globalisation which characterised the world economy at the onset of the Great Recession meant that many of these transmission mechanisms were well established, the theory predicts unclear outcomes. For instance, while international finance could have been a channel through which the crisis was transmitted, it could also have allowed emerging markets to diversify and thereby shield themselves from the crisis. As the theory on business cycle comovement reaches no clear conclusion, so too the literature review of prior empirical studies is inconclusive. While some studies find evidence of decoupling, others find evidence of increased business cycle comovement worldwide. Using dynamic factor analysis and rolling regressions to analyse data spanning the period between 1979Q3 and 2011Q2, it is investigated whether emerging market economies did indeed decouple or not. The period covered allows for a long-run view of business cycle comovement development between emerging market and advanced economies. The analysis is carried out for 15 emerging market and 17 advanced economies, and for China as a standalone economy. Sub-Saharan African economies are also analysed. Results show that, broadly speaking, emerging market economies display increased comovement with advanced economies during the Great Recession years. This becomes evident from the decade-by-decade analysis which breaks the overall sample of 1979Q3 to 2011Q2 down into three smaller samples, each spanning roughly a decade, or forty quarters. The coupling, or greater levels of comovement, between emerging market and advanced economies, is further corroborated by rolling regressions. There are certain exceptions though, such as India and Indonesia which displayed low levels of comovement throughout the Great Recession. Australia, New Zealand and Norway are advanced economies that also displayed low levels of comovement during this time. Dynamic factor analysis and rolling regressions for China and 17 advanced economies show that the Chinese economy has also gradually coupled to advanced economies on a decade-by-decade basis, with comovement increasing toward the Great Recession years. For emerging markets as a group and for China as a standalone economy, various factors emerge as explanatory factors for the comovement seen in each sub-period. It is noteworthy however that international trade consistently stands out as an important factor. This ties in to theory on business cycle transmission which identifies trade as an important channel through which business cycle comovement is transmitted between economies. Sub-Saharan Africa is also analysed using dynamic factor analysis, though data restrictions necessitate the use of lower frequency data which cover the period between 1980 and 2011. African economies are divided into groups based on income. These groups display different patterns when it comes to comovement with the G7, as a proxy for advanced economies. For example, middle-income African countries display higher levels of comovement than other groups, indicating that they are more integrated with the global economy. Oil-exporting African countries interestingly display low levels of comovement. Low-income African countries also display lower levels of comovement than that of middle-income counterparts. Fragile African states do not appear to comove with advanced economies, but rather with other African groups. This suggests the possible existence of an „Africa factor‟ for these countries. Overall, this thesis finds that the global economy has become much more integrated since 1980. Trade has played an especially important role in fostering business cycle comovement between advanced economies and emerging markets, and between advanced economies and African economies. It is this interconnectedness which meant that decoupling was not possible during the Great Recession, barring a few exceptions.Doctora
The state of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Africa
Get PDFThesis (M.Com. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.Chinese economic growth has astounded the world of late, with China officially becoming the world’s second largest economy in August 2010. China has also been following a more outward-orientated economic stance over the past two decades and has actively been engaged in trade, aid and investment in the world economy. As China emerges as a new global economic powerhouse, analysts strive to understand the impact that the rise of China will have on the rest of the world. The possible economic impact of China on Africa is one of the most debated and often contentious aspects of studies regarding China. Sino-African relations, though certainly not a new phenomenon, have seen a significant impetus since 2000. A popular explanation for China’s recent engagement of Africa seems to be that China is hungry for resources needed to fuel its economic growth. This conception has led to much criticism of China’s increasing involvement in Africa, causing concern that China’s interest in Africa will entrench corruption and deepen the so-called resource curse experienced in many resource abundant African countries. China’s official policy on Africa, as embodied in its White Paper on Africa, which was released in 2006, and also in FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) refutes the notion of a neo-colonialist relationship with Africa. China’s official stance on Sino-African relations, as based on these documents, declares the need for a relationship based on mutual benefit and respect for sovereignty. Sino-African relations encompass many modes of economic interaction, including investment, trade and aid. This study focuses on Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Africa, and the possible impact thereof on Africa. It is an important issue since Africa is still the poorest continent in the world and needs to manage its resources carefully in order to enhance growth on the continent. FDI has also frequently been identified as a possible catalyst for growth in Africa. This study investigates the potential impact of Chinese FDI in Africa by means of a literature study which focuses on the theoretical relationship between FDI and economic growth in developing countries, and in Africa specifically. A survey of the literature on the relationship between FDI and economic growth published between 1998 and early 2010 shows that studies on this topic are varied and inconclusive. Though there is no proof of a positive, uni-directional relationship between FDI and economic growth, it is generally accepted that FDI can enhance economic growth in a host economy, given certain basic levels of educational attainment and institutional quality. Following the literature study, the state of global FDI is investigated, focusing on the volumes of nominal FDI flows that have been received by developed and developing countries between 1990 and 2008. As expected, developed countries dominated FDI inflows during this period. Africa, as a developing region, lagged behind most other developing regions in terms of FDI inflows during this period, though the continent has seen an exponential increase in nominal FDI receipts since 2000. Looking at developing regions, developing Asia received the largest volume of FDI inflows during the period 1990 to 2008, while Developing Oceania received the smallest inflows. A basic profile of Chinese investment in Africa is also provided, illustrating clearly that Chinese investment in Africa has been rising steadily since 2000 and 2006 in particular. The profile provides background information on the specific African countries, sub regions and economic growth performers that have received Chinese FDI during the period covered. Chinese investment in Africa is widespread, with 45 of the 53 African nations receiving FDI from China between 2003 and 2008. In contrast with more traditional investors, who focus mostly on North Africa, Chinese FDI to Africa during the period under revision was concentrated mostly in Southern Africa. Surprisingly, Chinese FDI was also aimed at the more diversified countries that had achieved sustainable economic growth rates in the preceding decade. The analysis of Chinese FDI also shows that Chinese firms follow an unconventional way of doing business, often undertaking the building of infrastructure in return for access to various natural resources, such as oil and other minerals. Using data obtained from the 2008 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment, issued by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, a basic cross-section panel model is estimated. The model investigates the determinants of Chinese FDI to Africa and finds that China’s motivations for investing in Africa are more diverse than initially suspected. Though oil is an important factor in attracting Chinese FDI, agricultural land and market size are also found to be significant factors which determine Chinese FDI flows to Africa. This study concludes that Chinese FDI in Africa between 2003 and 2008 does not follow the conventional, preconceived notion of Sino-African relations. Though resources are important considerations for Chinese investors in Africa, resource security is not the only motive for Chinese FDI in Africa. Africa could potentially benefit from increased Chinese FDI, though the challenge lies in strategically managing these investments in order to ensure that Africa reaps the highest possible growth and development spillover benefits.Master
The relationship between marital status and labour market outcomes in the South African economy
Get PDFMCom (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2017Marriage has the potential to irreversibly change one‟s life, both socially and economically. For this reason, it is pertinent to investigate and understand the influences that marriage holds over the labour market outcomes of a country. This greater understanding is achieved through investigation of the influence of marriage on labour force participation, employment, and the gender wage gap in South Africa. The impact on labour force participation and employment is gauged through logistic regressions. The gender wage gap is calculated with propensity score matching and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. The results indicated that widows are more likely to be employed than married women are and that they earn more than widowers do. The results were, however, not as positive in all marital statuses. In all the other marital statuses, men earn more than women do. The findings also show that women are least likely to be employed when they are married. Marriage influences the labour market outcomes for women differently than for men. This is an important certitude, especially for policy makers that have to consider how their policies will differently affect men and women, and thereby work either against or for gender equalityMaster
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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