Too good to be true? The importance of collecting better data
Many evaluations rely almost exclusively on perception based data collected through interviews with, or surveys of, implementers (programme providers) and/ or beneficiaries (programme users). While interview data is relatively easy to collect and often provides valuable insights, such data suffers from a number of shortcomings, biases and limitations. We highlight a number of these issues in the context of educational research and suggest potential ways of reducing the risk that such issues result in incorrect research findings and recommendations.
At what price? The budgetary implications of fee free higher education
Much of the on-going debate around fee-free higher education has centred on its appropriateness and fairness for students, universities and colleges. The unavoidable and large budgetary trade-offs this policy creates – i.e. its effect on other government programmes and expenditures – has however received little attention. While the longer term costs and benefits of fee-free education are difficult to quantify, we look at the large short term adjustments that were necessary in government’s 2018/19 budget. The data shows that significant budget cuts have already been necessary across government, many of which are likely to impact on the lives of the poor and / or the growth potential of the economy.
The National Credit Act: is the regulation of payday lending sufficient?
The recent spate of newspaper articles detailing the level of indebtedness of South African consumers is a cause for concern. Is it driven by the actual need of citizens, or by the increasing ease with which short term, high cost credit can be accessed, given that limited credit checks are conducted on those who access them?
On call: bolstering the supply of doctors
South Africa, like many developing countries, faces severe shortages in doctors. Recently, a group of South African doctors put forward a creative solution to this problem – the establishment of a private medical school to increase the number of medical graduates. This idea was rejected outright by government.
Rising costs in the healthcare sector – who’s to blame?
South African medical costs have increased at an average rate of 8.6% per annum between 2010 and 2012. This has led to all sorts of accusations in the media and from the Government – but who exactly is to blame? Our first response is to point a finger at the insurer. The insurer in turn points to the private health care sector who then points to the costs of their inputs and suppliers. This leaves us guessing as to where these cost/price increases truly originate.
Export diversification in South Africa
The National Industrial Policy Action Plans (IPAP) released in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013 serve to identify and develop the sectors that South Africa should focus on in achieving faster growth and employment. The choice of these sectors in the various IPAP reports is not based on any substantive analysis as to where South Africa’s export potential lies. The ‘product space’ is an easy to use and comprehend analytical instrument which could be used to fill this gap.This blog serves to illustrate how this technique works and what it reveals.