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The long walk to economic freedom after apartheid, and the road ahead

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  • Johan Fourie

    (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)

Abstract

As South Africa moves further away from the political transition of 1994, the economic history of the post-apartheid era is coming up for debate. The optimism generated by the ANC’s early successes must now, after more than two decades of democracy, be tempered by its conspicuous failures. Not all is lost, though. African growth, technological innovation and private-sector participation in public sector services offer credible opportunities for accelerated development, but will only be effective if policy-makers are cognizant of the political realities. The long walk to economic freedom for many will, unfortunately, continue along a rocky gravel road.

Suggested Citation

  • Johan Fourie, 2016. "The long walk to economic freedom after apartheid, and the road ahead," Working Papers 11/2016, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:sza:wpaper:wpapers267
    as

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    File URL: https://www.ekon.sun.ac.za/wpapers/2016/wp112016/wp-11-2016.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. South Africa’s long walk to economic freedom after apartheid
      by Johan Fourie in Johan Fourie's Blog on 2016-07-07 13:41:44

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    South African economy; democracy; post-apartheid; poverty; inequality; growth; development; Thabo Mbeki; Jacob Zuma; Trevor Manuel;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • N17 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Africa; Oceania

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