Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI3x3)

The Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI) ws a national research programme aimed at deepening understanding of the dynamics of employment, incomes and economic trends. By focusing on the interconnections between these three areas, the project seeks to contribute to policy reforms and development strategies that will address South Africa’s unemployment, inequality and poverty challenges.

The research project was designed to promote dialogue across disciplines and paradigms, and to forge a stronger engagement between research and policy making. By generating an independent, rich and nuanced knowledge base and expert network, it intends to contribute to coordinated, consistent and effective policies directed to these three critical problem areas.

Objectives

The project seeks to advance an integrated response to unemployment, inequality and poverty, building on both South African research and experience and international evidence on the challenges of employment, growth and distribution, and associated policy options.

In developing a better understanding of growth and distribution dynamics, the project aims to bring together complementary and sometimes competing perspectives and methodologies – recognizing both the complexity and the interconnectedness of social and economic trends. The project seeks to articulate a multi-disciplinary framework for understanding these dynamics, and will provide opportunities for engagement between the research community, policy advisors and civil society stakeholders. Read more…

Organisation

The project is a multi-year collaborative, independent research initiative funded by the National Treasury and managed by SALDRU in partnership with the Department of Economics of the University of the Free State. Collaboration with researchers at other universities and research entities and engagement with diverse perspectives on the project’s focus areas are key objectives of the initiative.

Guidance and oversight is provided by a Steering Committee including representatives from the academic and policy research communities and a number of government departments. The funding and governance arrangements provide for an arms-length relationship between the National Treasury (as project sponsor) and participating research teams. While contributing to the formulation of the project’s scope and research questions, the Steering Committee is not responsible for research processes or findings.

People

Project Director: Prof Murray Leibbrandt, Director of SALDRU, School of Economics, University of Cape Town

Project Research Coordinator: Prof Frederick Fourie, Research Fellow, Department of Economics, University of Free State

Project Administrator

Ms Haajirah Esau | haajirah.esau@uct.ac.za
(021) 650-2696

Steering Committee

Chairperson: Mr Andrew Donaldson, Deputy Director-General: Public Finance, National Treasury

Members:

  • Dr. Neva Makgetla, Deputy Director-General, Department of Economic Development
  • Mr Rudi Dicks, Director: NALEDI
  • Prof Dori Posel, University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Prof Haroon Bhorat, University of Cape Town
  • Prof Murray Leibbrandt, University of Cape Town (ex officio)
  • Prof Frederick Fourie, University of the Free State (ex officio)

Visit the REDI 3×3 website.

Focus Area 1: Integrated approach to unemployment and employment in SA

Focus Area 1 is convened by Frederick Fourie. It builds on a wide-ranging study of unemployment undertaken in 2011 and the work of a research group active for some months prior to the initiation of the project.

Focus Area 2: Income distribution in South Africa

Focus Area 2 is convened by Murray Leibbrandt. The initial work programme of Focus Area 2 aims to build a community of researchers in the area of income distribution.

Focus Area 3: Inclusive Growth in South Africa

Focus Area 3 is convened by Haroon Bhorat. The initial work programme of Focus Area 3 will be anchored around key participants in the national research community working on inclusive growth, followed by a process to identify other interested researchers.

Funding and Incentivising Research & Capacity Building

Funding will be available for incentive grants to encourage, and contribute to the costs of research that addresses each focus area's identified research gaps and contributes to the associated policy debates.

Papers

Related papers and conference papers, including a SALDRU Working Paper and papers presented at the Towards Carnegie 3 Conference, University of Cape Town, 4 September 2012.

Econ 3×3

Econ3x3 is a REDI initiative. It is an independent forum for critical public debate on unemployment and employment, income distri­bution and inclu­sive growth in SA. It publishes accessible research based contribu­tions and expert commentaries.