Land reform: the case for RIA?

Agriculture is critical to achieving a number of government priorities including food security, rural development, employment creation, and poverty alleviation. The land reform programme is central to the long-term success of the agricultural sector. Two main policies proposals by the government are currently in the spotlight: the final proposal on Strengthening the Relative Rights of People Working the Land; and the Regulation of Land Holding Bill. These bills seem to be a departure from the land reform model outlined in the NDP, which had significant buy-in from stakeholders. The current proposals have therefore contributed to significant policy uncertainty. There is a need for rigorous and robust evaluation of these policies to ensure sustainable regulatory outcomes.

How much damage did the construction cartels inflict?

Recent revelations of collusion in the construction sector in South Africa have led to widespread anger and debate. In June 2013, the Competition Commission of South Africa reached settlement agreements with 15 of at least 21 construction companies implicated in the cartel. Much less has been heard on the matter in recent months, but this apparent quiet might just precede the storm to come.

SMME development in South Africa: through the voices of entrepreneurs

Globally, the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) sector has long been recognised as a key driver of economic growth, and more importantly, as major source of employment. Given the extraordinarily high unemployment rate in South Africa, and the fact that SMMEs are generally more labour intensive, it is not surprising that this sector has been the subject of significant research and support.

Smallholder agriculture: job creator or livelihood provider?

Considerable effort has been directed towards combating high levels of unemployment in South Africa. Agriculture, particularly smallholder farming, has been identified as having significant potential to address South Africa’s employment crisis and food security challenges.

Inferring dominance from market power: a road less travelled

In South African competition law, dominance is usually associated with high market share (greater than 45%) in the relevant market. While this is intuitive, it may not necessarily always be the case. This is because even with low market share, if a firm can be shown to possess market power, it can also be defined as ‘dominant’.

Moving the moola: remittance flows from South Africa to the SADC region

South Africa is a hub of economic activity in the SADC region, and many migrants move to South Africa in search of a better opportunities and a better life for themselves and their families. The money and goods that these migrants send to their countries of origin are an important source of income for many households in those countries, but for undocumented migrants in particular, there are few formal options to get money home. As a result, migrants often rely on informal channels, such as sending money via taxi drivers, which take an unpredictable amount of time, are fairly expensive, and sometimes result in the loss of funds.