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Image: Sakhela Buhlungu delivering the Francis Wilson Memorial Lecture. Credit: SALDRU.

“A crisis of social reproduction”: Sakhela Buhlungu on the persistent legacy of migrant labour

This article, written by Pippa Green, weaves together elements of the lecture and an interview with Prof. Buhlungu to discuss the persistent legacy of the migrant labour system and what he calls a “crisis of social reproduction.”

Public debt: Has it stabilised? Are we focusing on the full picture?

The central message of the 2026 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement is that government debt is now on a declining trend relative to gross domestic product. Andrew Donaldson suggests that this might be a premature conclusion.

Image: Portraits of Brendan Maughan-Brown and Ariane De Lannoy. Credit: Brendan Maughan-Brown and Ariane De Lannoy.

From doctoral researchers to professors: Celebrating two SALDRU careers

SALDRU celebrates the promotion of Associate Professors Ariane De Lannoy and Brendan Maughan-Brown to Principal Research Officer/Professor.

Three South African youth standing against a wall.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Wellbeing as the foundation for young people's pathways out of social and economic exclusion

In this article for Mental Health Awareness Month, Ariane De Lannoy, Lauren Graham and the BPS team draw on SALDRU research to show how poor mental health and multidimensional poverty keep NEET young people stuck in cycles of exclusion.

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Challenging inequalities through policy-relevant academic research.

Image: The J-PAL Africa team in 2025. Credit: J-PAL Africa.

What Works, and What's Next for J-PAL Africa

In this article, incoming Executive Director Matt Edmundson and Deputy Executive Director Clare Hofmeyr reflect on the work J-PAL Africa has built over 15 years and set out their plans for what comes next.

People shopping at a market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Credit: Tsion Molla on Pexels.

Financial inclusion, climate-related shocks, and food insecurity in Ethiopia

ACEIR researcher Muna Shifa and co-author Lwanga Elizabeth Nanziri describe research examining the intersections of climate-related shocks, financial inclusion, and food insecurity in Ethiopia.

Image: Housing in the Cape Town CBD. Credit: Jean van der Meulen from Pixabay.

A reflection on property wealth and taxes in Cape Town

ACEIR researcher Arindam Jana explores what data can tell us about changes in the structural and locational value of property in Cape Town, and what this implies for a fair property wealth taxation policy.

Siyaphambili interactive website

An interactive website to track and monitor qualification attainment and related information in South Africa

OpenSALDRU

The SALDRU repository contains publications from research conducted within the research unit. Select a collection to browse its contents.

SALDRU launches interactive online platform The Community Explorer

Effective community-level development requires granular insights into well-being disparities. The Community Explorer is an interactive online platform designed to map, analyse, and visualise community-level well-being data in South Africa