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Fiscal incidence of social spending in South Africa, 2006

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Author Info

  • Servaas van der Berg

    () (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken for the South African National Treasury regarding the expenditure incidence of social spending in South Africa in 2006, and also regarding changes in incidence in the period following democratisation. Concentration ratios and concentration curves show that there have been considerable shifts in social spending incidence in the period 1995 (the year after democracy) and 2006, the most recent observation. In particular, social spending grants have become a major tool of targeting resources to the poor. Although the poor now get considerably more of social spending than their population share, the very skew underlying income distribution means that the post-fiscal situation still is one with great inequality. Moreover, evidence is presented that spending efficiency for social spending is low, thus there is only a tenuous link between social spending and social outcomes. Thus great shifts in social spending have had a limited impact on poverty and inequality in South Africa.

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File URL: http://www.ekon.sun.ac.za/wpapers/2009/wp102009/wp-10-2009.pdf
File Function: First version, 2009
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 10/2009.

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Date of creation: 2009
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:sza:wpaper:wpapers82

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Related research

Keywords: Fiscal incidence; Social spending; Poverty; Inequality; South Africa;

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Cited by:
  1. Servaas van der Berg & Krige Siebrits, 2010. "Social assistance reform during a period of fiscal stress," Working Papers 17/2010, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
  2. Miquel Pellicer & Vimal Ranchhod & Mare Sarr & Eva Wegner, 2011. "Inequality Traps in South Africa: An overview and research agenda," SALDRU Working Papers 57, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
  3. Ada Jansen & Elizabeth Stoltz & Derek Yu, 2012. "Improving the targeting of zero-rated basic foodstuffs under value added tax (VAT) in South Africa - An exploratory analysis," Working Papers 07/2012, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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