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Policy Co-ordination and Growth Traps in a Middle-income Country Setting: The Case of South Africa

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  • Haroon Bhorat
  • Aalia Cassim
  • Alan Hirsch

Abstract

South Africa has exhibited tepid economic growth over the past twenty years as well as high levels of income inequality characteristic of a middle income country growth trap. This paper compares and contrasts South Africa's growth trap relative to middle-income peer economies. In addition, we study the policies and structures of the South African economy that have indeed perpetuated the persistently low levels of growth observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Haroon Bhorat & Aalia Cassim & Alan Hirsch, 2014. "Policy Co-ordination and Growth Traps in a Middle-income Country Setting: The Case of South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-155, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2014-155
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2014-155.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexia Lochmann, 2022. "Diagnosing Drivers of Spatial Exclusion: Places, People, and Policies in South Africa’s Former Homelands," CID Working Papers 140a, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    2. Alexis Habiyaremye & Olebogeng Molewa & Pelontle Lekomanyane, 2022. "Estimating Employment Gains of the Proposed Infrastructure Stimulus Plan in Post-Covid-19 South Africa," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(1), pages 540-567, February.
    3. Wendy Geza & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi & Rob Slotow & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, 2022. "The Dynamics of Youth Employment and Empowerment in Agriculture and Rural Development in South Africa: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    4. Glenda Kruss, 2020. "Catching up, falling behind: the need to build upgrading coalitions for innovation and inclusive development in South Africa [Catching up, falling behind: a necessidade de coalizões políticas para ino," Nova Economia, Economics Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil), vol. 30(spe), pages 1115-1144, December.
    5. Haroon Bhorat & Safia Khan, 2018. "Structural Change and Patterns of Inequality in the South African Labour Market," Working Papers 201801, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    6. Johan Fourie, 2016. "The long walk to economic freedom after apartheid, and the road ahead," Working Papers 11/2016, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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