© 2024 by Southern Centre for Inequality Studies.
Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
Quinquennial Review Report I July 2024 Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management
Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
North Lodge, Parktown Management Campus 2 St David’s Place, Parktown University of the Witwatersrand www.wits.ac.az/scis
Design and layout: Ink Design Publishing Solutions, Cape Town, www.inkdesign.co.za
Seven years ago, in October 2017, the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) was established to undertake research on the growing levels of inequality across the world, but especially in the global South. The founding team developed five strategic objectives.
To build internal SCIS research capacity.
To advance the inequality research agenda.
To develop linkages across the global South.
To foster a cohort of [inequality] scholars from the global South.
To effect real change through policy and advocacy (added in 2019).
Our plans were ambitious: To challenge the dominance of the global North in the study of inequality, build strong networks, nurture a new generation of inequality scholars in the global South, produce new knowledge for understanding inequality and effect real change through policy and advocacy.
Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we would exceed our ambitions in less than a decade. But we have – despite the impact of the Covid lockdowns that severely disrupted our planned activities, especially the hosting of international academic conferences to encourage new research. Today, the SCIS is a prominent, well-respected driver of academic research and international research collaborations, and influencer of policy and opinion on inequality.
A key motivation for the SCIS was the need to understand how inequality is produced and reproduced in the global South, and how to address inequality through structural reforms of the economy and society. At the time, the study of inequality was growing in importance globally but was being driven almost exclusively by universities in the global North. There was a need for research from the global South, where inequality is more severe and different in character from the global North.
Despite being a relatively new research centre, the SCIS’s research has already made an impact. Just two years after opening (in 2019), the Centre produced the Inequality Studies in the Global South book, which is currently being updated. Staff members have also been invited to write a book on wealth inequality and to commission the Routledge Inequality book series.
The SCIS has pioneered interdisciplinary inequality research in, of and for the global South, opening up new areas of research and inquiry. The Centre is recognised for its innovative and distinctively Southern approaches and for contributing valuable, high-quality and original knowledge.1
In 2018, the initial small SCIS team met with international organisations (mostly from the global North) to discuss potential research collaborations and partnerships. Joint research projects, funded partnerships and a range of joint projects resulted, with many of these organisations remaining active collaborators today.
A major achievement was receiving funding from the Ford Foundation to participate in the Emerging Political Economies (EPE) Network, which is a network of centres at 16 universities around the world, including six in the global South. In addition to the EPE Network, in six years, the SCIS has tripled its international partnerships with academic, research and nongovernment entities.
The strengthening of local, continental and international partnerships continues to be a key goal, achieved through conducting research visits and engagements with Southern scholars to develop global South epistemologies, and regularly hosting conferences for Southern researchers
The ultimate objective of the SCIS research work is a comprehensive and broadly shared understanding of how inequality is produced and reproduced in South Africa, and the identification of the sources of power that can address and overcome this inequality. Our work was founded on four approaches that find expression in the SCIS’s research projects (Figure 1), which seek to fill gaps in the global research agenda.
1 Interviews with external stakeholders for the mini-evaluation of the SCIS (2018 2022)
Figure 1: The SCIS main research areas
Intersectionality Project
Climate Change and Inequality
Pre-distribution and Ownership in South Africa
The Future of Work(ers):
a. Future of workers and inequality in the global South
b. Labour markets, informality and inequality
Wealth Inequality
Public Economy Project
In just four years (from 2018−2022), the number of accredited publications and working papers produced by SCIS staff doubled. 2
The SCIS’s aim was to shape the intellectual and policy agenda on intersectional approaches to development research in, and for, the Global South. Intersectionality was a buzz word in academic circles, used to describe how social differences, such as race/ caste, gender, class and nationality/citizenship are inseparable in systems of power and inequality. However, despite calls to embrace an intersectional approach to understanding and addressing systems of power and inequality, the concept lacked specificity. There were few documented best practices of using an intersectional approach in the research process (i.e., how the research is carried out, disseminated and applied to policy). Through collaborative partnerships with researchers in the global South, the SCIS has produced eight case studies and a practical guide to putting intersectionality into practice in development research and policy.
2 Interviews with external stakeholders for the mini-evaluation of the SCIS (2018 2022)
Over the past seven years, the SCIS’s work on public economies and fiscal policy has transformed the South African debate on economic policy, from one characterised by ideological debates to one based on sound research and evidence. Today, the SCIS has created a truly independent but analytic space for fiscal policy. Staff members influence policy through their participation on various bodies, including the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, the National Minimum Wage Commission, the Financial and Fiscal Commission and the Presidential State-Enterprise Advisory Council.
The SCIS has defined and driven the research agenda on the future of work, looking at the changing nature of work (labour markets, informality) and the implications for inequality in the global South. Interdisciplinary research include looking at the intersection between digital technologies and the future of work(ers), developing a methodology for understanding labour strikes and strike waves, working from home and arguing for a global minimum wage. The SCIS also coordinates Future Works: Eastern and Southern Africa, a global research network committed to a more sustainable and inclusive world of work, with a focus on women and youth. Staff members influence policy development through their participation in the National Minimum Wage Commission.
The SCIS recognised that limited analysis had been done of how the production system and associated financial architecture increase inequality in developing countries. The work investigates how to reconfigure production systems and design policies in order to achieve more equitable outcomes within society. It focuses on inequality that results from pretaxation income disparities due to various structural, market and other institutional factors. Research to date has revealed that growing inequality cannot be addressed by focusing only on redistribution through the financial system.
The SCIS chose to focus on wealth inequality, which is more extreme than income inequality. It was a different approach to most research, which viewed inequality through the lens of the labour market. The work links wealth distribution and elite studies and focuses on inequality of income and opportunities, recognising that the distribution of wealth reflect and reinforce how power is held in society. Since 2019, with the publishing of a paper that calculated the level of wealth inequality in South Africa, the SCIS has defined and driven the research agenda and leads multidisciplinary research on wealth inequality and elites with researchers across the global South. Prof. Valodia is also the Chairperson of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Standing Committee for Science for the Reduction of Poverty and Inequality (since 2023).
As a university-based research centre, the SCIS recognised the critical contribution that it could make towards the teaching and development of a new cohort of inequality scholars. This is achieved through an MCom in Inequality Studies (since 2023), an internship programme and a PhD fellowship programme.
z For the past two years, applications for the MCom programme (both part- and full-time) have matched those of other, more established economic programmes within Wits University. The programme has grown from three students in 2023, to 12 students in 2024.
z The six-month internship programme offers students the opportunity to contribute to producing and disseminating research, while being supported by a coaching programme.
z Post-doctoral fellows from South Africa and around the world spend between one and two years at the Centre undertaking cutting-edge research. The SCIS has funded PhD fellowships with the Centre, and across the University. The Centre has also promoted and supported its staff members progression toward PhDs.
The SCIS began with a single grant of US$50,000 from the Ford Foundation and two staff members (one full-time and one part-time). Seven years later, the SCIS has 29 full-time staff members, visiting researchers who are part of the Centre’s diversified network of collaborators, and a range of funders. By growing its funding base and securing institutional funding, the SCIS has strengthened its long-term strategic focus. Most importantly, the SCIS is having an impact and influences policy. This is summed up in the findings of a minievaluation of the SCIS for the period 2018−2022: the policymakers regard your work as something that – if they’re making decisions –they must refer to. […] the policymakers actually come to you, and request further work in areas that they’re dealing with because of work that you’ve previously done.
z The SCIS’s objective to produce new knowledge for understanding inequality, leading ultimately to a more egalitarian society, aligns with section 7.1 of the plan, which covers the sustainable development goals (SDGs), solving global challenges, and advancing society, governance and justice.
z The SCIS’s objective to nurture a new generation of inequality scholars from the global South aligns with the plan’s aim to “recruit, retain, develop and nurture academic talent”.
Despite being a relatively new research centre, the SCIS has already made an impact both through the quality and innovativeness of its research. It has pioneered inequality research in the global South, opening up new areas of research and inquiry. Within two years of its establishment, the SCIS produced the Inequality Studies in the Global South book.
More recently, the SCIS has defined and driven the research agenda on wealth inequality and elites in the global South, the future of work, and climate and inequality. The Centre’s work on public economies and fiscal policy has transformed the South African debate on economic policy, from one characterised by ideological debates to one based on sound research and evidence. In a short time, the SCIS has become a prominent and well-respected research entity, which is driving both academic research and international research collaborations. It has consistently improved the quality and quantity of research outputs, and its strong research pipeline indicates that this will continue over the coming years.
One of the SCIS’s specific objectives is to nurture a new generation of inequality scholars from the global South. Therefore, significant effort is devoted to recruiting and mentoring both early-career staff and postdoctoral fellows. The Centre has created an environment that is building research capacity from graduate students upwards. This may be a slower process than importing experienced researchers, but is more sustainable in the long term. In the last few years, three SCIS researchers have earned PhDs, and five researchers at various levels have PhDs underway. We also support three PhD students in other faculties across the university as SCIS PhD Fellows. The SCIS is developing a pipeline of postgraduate students specialising in inequality studies, through the new MCom, as well as through internships and supervision of PhD students.
The SCIS staff members are involved in not only academic work but also influence policy through their participation in various bodies, such as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, the National Minimum Wage Commission, the Financial and Fiscal Commission and the Presidential State-Enterprise Advisory Council.
The SCIS’s research output has been lower than targeted. This is in part due to the significant growth of the SCIS team, includes many early to mid-career professionals, as part of the Centre’s objective to grow a new cohort of inequality scholars. However, measures are in place to mentor and grow researchers, supporting them to build their academic careers and improve their research output. Furthermore, researchers have to meet the deliverables committed to funders because grant funding is central to the SCIS’s financial sustainability. The same researchers are also expected to do fundraising, which is a capacity that needs to be further built and developed, while (as with the funders commitments) finding a balance with the need for peer-reviewed academic publications.
To gather evidence of the quality of SCIS research (SCIS outcome 1), the SCIS tracks the number of publications per year in Wits University-recognised academic journals and books, per SCIS staff researcher and in total (Figures 2−3).
Figure 3: Accredited publications per researcher (2018−2023)
Note: The researchers do not include interns who are not expected to publish�
Table 1: Research staff and publications (2018−2023)
Table 2: Type of academic publications (2018−2023)
* Published SCIS working papers can be found at: https://www.wits.ac.za/scis/publications/working-papers/
The mean rate of citation is currently 13.6 citations per universityaccredited SCIS publication
Table 3 lists the most-cited SCIS publication up to June 2024, while Table 4 provides citation data for each SCIS researcher.
Table 3: Most cited SCIS publications
Francis D and Webster E 2019 Poverty and inequality in South Africa: Critical reflections. Development Southern Africa 36(6): 788−802.
Aboobaker A and Ugurlu E (SCIS associate). 2023 Weaknesses of MMT as a guide to development policy Cambridge Journal of Economics 47: 555−574.
Webster E� 2020� The Uberisation of work: The challenge of regulating platform capitalism: a commentary International Review of Applied Economics 34(20): 512−521. 57
Francis D , Valodia I and Webster E 2020 Politics, policy and inequality in South Africa under COVID-19� Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy 9(3): 342−355. 55
Espi-Sanchis G�, Francis D� and Valodia I 2019 Gender inequality in the South African labour market: insights from the Employment Equity Act data� Agenda: A Journal About Women and Gender 33(4): 44−61.
Webster E and Francis D 2019 The Paradox of inequality in South Africa: A challenge from the workplace. Transformation 101: 11−35.
Chatterjee A., Czajka L. and Gethin A 2022 Wealth inequality in South Africa, 1993−2017. World Bank Economic Review 36(1): 19−36.
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Table 4: Citation data per researcher 3
Notes:
1 Google Scholar
2 Research Gate
3 Prof Webster was an important contributor and integral part of the SCIS until his passing in March 2024.
4 Until leaving in 2023, Hannah contributed significantly to the work of the SCIS.
3 One researcher is not included due to the sensitive nature of ongoing ethnographic research
The SCIS’s overall aim is to understand inequality, which is detrimental to people’s wellbeing. The SCIS uses participatory action research, dialogue, socially engaged research and advocacy as vehicles for influencing in pursuit of improving the wellbeing of people. Examples include the following:
Findings from the ground-breaking SCIS research (by Emeritus prof. eddie Webster et al.) were used to facilitate the self-organisation of food-delivery couriers and to advocate for changes to corporate (Uber) and government policy.
z The SCIS and other Wits researchers co-authored an article, which was published in The Conversation, on the government’s response to Covid-19 and changing South Africa’s lockdown approaches to enhance individual and community wellbeing by reducing transmission of the virus. The article was read 411 000 times.
z Senior Researcher Dr. Ruth Castel-Branco was part of a Mozambican civil society grouping that came together to respond (in 2020) to the state of emergency in Mozambique and published a brief on potential strategies to extend social security to informal workers, which was picked up by the main television stations (TVM and STV) and print media in Mozambique and influenced the approach subsequently adopted by the Mozambican government.
z In a direct follow-up to the collaborative work with Mozambican civil society organisations, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) commissioned Dr Castel-Branco to undertake further research on extending social security to informal workers. This research was presented at the National Social Protection Week, and was used (with other of her publications) during the review of the National Basic Social Security Strategy in Mozambique, directly informing government decisions about social security – and therefore wellbeing – for Mozambicans.
z As a result of this research in Mozambique, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)4 and the ILO commissioned the SCIS to explore new financing options for social security, which would have a direct impact on wellbeing. Proposals made on the WIEGO podcast were also picked up by the World Bank.
z In 2022, researchers Michael Sachs, Arabo Ewinyu and Olwethu Shedi argued in an article in The Conversation that government’s cuts to core public services (basic education, healthcare and criminal justice) would erode the quality and reach of these services, and widen income inequality, impacting negatively on wellbeing and on socioeconomic rights.
z In 2023, SCIS researcher Thoko Madonko and Research Associate Lisa Vetten highlighted in an article in the Mail & Guardian weaknesses in the Department of Social Development’s annual Budget and argued against the Government’s underinvestment in cash transfers and care services, pointing out the negative consequences that these would have for people’s wellbeing.
z In November 2023, the Public Economy Programme presented research findings that demonstrated how government cuts would negatively affect wellbeing. For instance, in education, fewer additional teachers would be hired, leading to large class sizes; and in health, there will be less overtime payments, medical supplies, fewer security services, and delayed spending on hospital infrastructure.
In addition, SCIS staff serve on various advisory bodies that contribute directly and indirectly to the wellbeing of South Africans.
z Prof. Valodia is the Chairperson of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Standing Committee for Science for the Reduction of Poverty and Inequality (since 2023).
z Prof. Valodia and Dr David Francis were involved in developing the national minimum wage policy, which is one of the most significant policies to enhance the wellbeing of South Africans. As Chairperson of the National Minimum Wage Commission, Prof. Valodia played a critical role in facilitating NEDLAC’s approval of the national minimum wage, while Dr Francis was the researcher on the National Minimum Wage Advisory Panel (2016) and addressed the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office on the issue of minimum wage (2023).
z Michael Sachs is a non-executive director of Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (a non-profit company that develops and shares change methodologies which improve learning and contribute to sustainable improvement in the public education system) and of Ilifa Labantwana (an early childhood development (ECD) programme that works to secure an equal start for all children living in South Africa through universal access to quality ECD).
An integral part of the SCIS’s objectives is the development of networks and partnerships, especially across the global South. In 2018, the initial small SCIS team met with international organisations to discuss potential research collaborations and partnerships (Table 6). Joint research projects, funded partnerships and a range of joint projects resulted, and many of these organisations remain active collaborators today.
In 2023, the Emerging Political Economy (EPE) Network was established (Table 7). It is a network of centres at 16 universities around the world, six of which are in the global South, including SCIS at Wits University. Funded by five-year grants from major international philanthropic organisations (including the Hewlett Foundation, the Omidyar Network, the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundation), the EPE Network seeks to reimagine the political economy for a more equal world and to investigate how economies in the 21st century could and should work better.
There is a growing recognition that neo-liberal economic thinking and policies, which have dominated the world over the past 50 years, have exacerbated poverty, increased inequality within and among nations, and accelerated the climate crisis. Those policies, which prioritised free market economies and were thought to be more efficient, have instead left a less equitable world, concentrated wealth among a small elite, and placed the earth on a precipitous pathway of climate change. What is needed is new economic thinking and an equitable progressive economic paradigm.
Therefore, the EPE Network’s aim is to contribute to exploring new ways of thinking about economics, which respond to present and future challenges, and to advance a global South perspective into the broader global inquiry for more equitable economic models. The network will develop new bodies of research, cross-collaborate and engage scholars, policymakers, and other role players to explore and foster alternative economic rethinking.
The SCIS is collaborating with partners in the network to develop a university curriculum and build research and information-sharing networks that focus on a new political economy, with a particular focus on global South collaborations. Other international collaborations include:
z Convening discussions, as part of the annual Indian Society of Labour Economics conference, and with the Indian Institute of Human Development.
z Participating in a multi-country research project on intersectionality in inequality research and activism.
z Coordinating the Ford Foundation-funded sustainable and inclusive economic recovery project across several countries in the global South.
z Convening the Complexity Global School, a collaboration between SCIS, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in India and the Santa Fe Institute in the USA (December 2023).
One of the network’s key activities has been to ensure that partners meet regularly to focus on the key objectives of collaboration and learning. In 2024, two engagements took place:
z In June 2024, the entire network gathered for the annual meeting in Mexico City, at the Collegio de Mexico. Five members from SCIS attended, and participated in research sharing, discussions on teaching and learning, curriculum development, and partnerships and communication. The network will gather again in London in 2025, and SCIS will host the annual meeting in 2026.
z In September 2024, the network held its first Political Economy of the Global South conference hosted by the American University in Cairo. Ten members of the SCIS attended to present work, lead a workshop on teaching and learning, and strengthen research and communication/dissemination partnerships.
Over the past seven years, the SCIS has built up partnerships and networks in the global South and globally with other academic institutions and civil society organisations (Table 7).
Table 7: International partners
1 India Hyderabad Urban Lab University of Hyderabad
2 Brazil BRICS Policy Centre Instituto Papo Reto Institute of International Relations of PUC-Rio (IRI/PUC-Rio)
3 Zambia University of Zambia
4 Tanzania University of Dodoma
5 Ghana University of Ghana (TBC)
6 Malawi University of Lilongwe
7 Zimbabwe Marondera University of Agricultural Science and Technology
8 Kenya University of Nairobi African Leadership Centre for Developmental Justice Machacos University
9 Mozambique Eduardo Mondlane University 10 Global
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Women in Informal Employment
In South Africa, the SCIS has also developed strong linkages across academia, and with both government and non-government partners.
Table 8: National partners
1 WitsUniversity
z The Centre for Researching Education and Learning (REAL)
z HE2RO – Wits Health Consortium
z Society, Work and Politics Institute (SWOP)
2 RhodesUniversity
z Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit (NALSU)
z Environmental Learning Research Centre
z Public Service Accountability Monitor
3 UniversityofCapeTown
z Family Caregiving Programme, Department of Sociology,
4 UniversityoftheWesternCape
z South African Learning Alliance in District Health Systems
z Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC)
z Budget Justice Coalition
z Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
z Ilifalabantwana
z Imali Yethu
z IndustriALL Global Union Southern Africa
z Institute for Economic Justice
z International Association for Feminist Economics
z Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI)
z Rural Health Advocacy Project
z South African Faith Communities Environment Institute
z Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative
z UNICEF South Africa
z Youth Capital
z Presidential Climate Commission
z Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment
z Department of International Relations and Cooperation
z South African Medical Research Council – Office of AIDS and TB Research
z Competition Commission
The SCIS’s postgraduate development programmes are aimed at developing interdisciplinary researchers in inequality studies. Many SCIS staff members participate in the teaching programmes in addition to working on funded research and their own research interests and studies. The participation of staff in teaching has many positive impacts, including:
z Contributing to the development of a generation of new scholars.
z Helping SCIS researchers to expand their own research and develop their thinking.
z Increasing the profile of the SCIS within the university community, Wits and beyond, and raising awareness among students of the Centre’s work.
z Building partnerships within Wits because of the electives in other departments and that we occasionally have supervisors from outside SCIS.
Staff currently teaching on the MCom and across other university departments are: Dr David Francis, Adjunct Prof Michael Sachs, Dr Ruth Castel-Branco, Dr Ujithra Ponniah, Dr Niall Reddy, Arabo Ewinyu, Julia Taylor and Thoko Madonko. These staff members are also expected to supervise MCom students.
In 2025, the one-year MCom Inequality Studies enters its third year. This pioneering programme is for researchers and policy practitioners seeking to understand inequality around the world, with a focus on the global South. The programme is offered in conjunction with the School of Economics and Finance (SEF). It provides an opportunity for co-teaching, co-networking and developing a pipeline of inequality researchers through various partnerships within the global network.
The programme aims to foster intellectual growth and interconnection through teaching and hosting various exchange programmes. This enables the SCIS to meet one of its key objectives, of being an interdisciplinary research institution that is focused on understanding and addressing structural patterns of inequality in the global South and around the world.
The MCom has attracted both full time and mid-career professionals who are registered on a part-time basis. They are of different ages and race, and the classroom experience has highlighted their diverse perspectives which has brought nuance and energy to the engagements and insights displayed.
Through the programme, supervisor engagements, and their regular participation in SCIS seminars and other events, students are exposed to a range of expertise and insights that contribute towards their overall experience.
Students registered at Wits University can apply for this six-month fixed contract, which offers them the opportunity to contribute towards producing and disseminating research. They are supported by a coaching programme designed by the SCIS, which is in its third year. The SCIS continuously works to improve the programme, based on the needs of current and past students. Many students have found the process to be extremely valuable, contributing towards their overall growth and building critical skills, which has enabled several of them to successfully apply for full time employment elsewhere.
The SCIS hosts post-doctoral fellows from South Africa and around the world. They spend between one to three years at the Centre undertaking cutting-edge research, and participating in the intellectual life of the SCIS. The SCIS has funded three PhD students who are undertaking interdisciplinary research on inequality in the global South and recently approved the first PhD fellowship. The fellowship, which will be based at the SCIS and supervised by the SCIS director, will begin in 2025. It is hoped that more fellowships of this kind will be awarded in coming years.
Several SCIS staff are also enrolled for PhD studies and are actively supported by the Centre’s research and operational staff. They are Siviwe Mhlana, Julia Taylor, Katrina Lehmann-Grube, Arabo Ewinyu, Siphelele Ngidi, Avela Njwambe and Thoko Madonko (application pending).
Staff at the SCIS undertake a range of supervision activities across the university.
Supervisor: Edward Webster
z Edward Cottle. 2023. Long waves of strikes in South Africa (1886–2018). Institute of Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University.
Co-supervised with Nicola Christofides
z Nancy Coulson. 2021. Incentivised self-regulation and the practice of health and safety representatives on South African underground mines. School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand.
Supervisor: Imraan Valodia
z David Francis. 2023. Examining the South African labour market – social reproduction and labour market participation in Agincourt.
z Sha’ista Goga. [in progress]. Social reproduction, labour markets and economic change in SA: Insights from Agincourt.
Master’s degrees (completed)
Supervisor: Edward Webster (co-supervised with Volker Schoer)
z Leslie Dwolatsky. 2021. Gender and technological change: Measuring vulnerability to technological unemployment in the South African labour market. Master of Arts in e-Science, University of the Witwatersrand.
Supervisor: David Francis
z Aliya Chikte. 2021. Wealth and suburban stratification in Cape Town: Investigating the persisting effects of housing segregation. Economic Policies for the Global Transition (EPOG) Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree, University of the Witwatersrand.
Master’s degrees (in progress)
Supervisor: Ruth Castel-Branco
z Musawenkosi Cabe. The limited impact of the NMW.
Supervisor: David Francis
z Vuyokazi Futshane. A queer economic study: Exploring the economic and social burden of discrimination against black lesbians in Johannesburg.
Supervisor: Julia Taylor
z Usithandile Zikalala. Green rents & (un)just transitions: A decolonial analysis of renewable energy mega-projects in South Africa.
z Lea Sixtl. Green colonialism: The case of South African hydrogen. Master’s in Applied Development Economics (expected graduation in December 2024).
z Thari Moroke. Exploring the role of limited contextualised African perspectives in evidence-based climate policy on climate injustice and related socioeconomic inequality. Master’s in Applied Development Economics (expected graduation in December 2024).
Supervisor: Ujithra Ponniah
Rixongile Mashele. The representation of women in South African politics. Master of Commerce in Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.
Supervisor: Arabo Ewinyu
z Lesedi Kgasago. Examining the impact of high school economics education on financial literacy in South Africa: A pathway to equality. Master of Commerce in Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.
z Mahlatse Rabothata. Investigating labour market outcomes of women in academia: The Gender pay gap. Master of Commerce in Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.
Supervisor: Michael Sachs
z Julita Rasmunder. An overview of corporate income tax in South Africa.
Supervisor: Thokozile Madonko
z Mpilo Cele. The true cost of austerity in South Africa: The insecurity of the poor and the rise of private security industry. Master of Commerce in Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.
z Amile Dlamini: Public spending on healthcare and the effect on healthcare outcomes: A case study of Gauteng’s top three academic hospitals (2020–2024). Master of Commerce in Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.
Supervisor: David Francis
z Leolin Pillay. 2021. The effect of educational attainment on employment and income inequality in South Africa during Covid-19”. Honours in Economics, University of the Witwatersrand.
z Vongai Chibvongodze. 2021. Has the wage-gap improved for Black women during the post-Apartheid era”. Honours in Economics, University of the Witwatersrand.
Since its launch, senior SCIS staff have received numerous requests to advise on policy, mainly from the South African government. This demonstrates the personal, intellectual and political capital of particular staff members, which results in a high level of interest and responsiveness from policy actors to their research outputs. the policymakers regard your work as something that – if they’re making decisions –they must refer to. […] the policymakers actually come to you, and request further work in areas that they’re dealing with because of work that you’ve previously done.5
The SCIS’s influence on South African fiscal policy is also highly visible, with SCIS researchers making frequent presentations to Parliament about the National Budget and other matters.
Several SCIS staff play formal advisor roles nationally and internationally, both through serving on boards or committees and being invited to participate in various events.
z Serves on several national government advisory committees in South Africa, including the Competition Tribunal, the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the National Minimum Wage Commission. The work of these panels has led to important changes in national economic policy.
5 From the mini-evaluation of the SCIS in 2022
z Serves on several international boards: the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); UNAIDS Global Council on Inequality, AIDS, and Pandemics; Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising (WIEGO); and the Global Development Institute.
z Invited to make Opening Remarks at Wits Mining Institute Annual Seminar and to speak on the just energy transition at Resources 4 Africa London Mining Indaba (2023).
z Invited to speak on global challenges and the implications for research at African universities at the biennial conference of African Research Universities Alliance (2023)
z Invited to speak at the Presidential Climate Commission’s public dialogue on social support mechanisms and the just transition (August 2023).
z Invited to present on policies to address inequalities at the high-level training for senior policymakers from the Namibian Government (August 2023).
z Invited (with Julia Taylor) to talk about climate change during the GIZ Advanced (Alumni) Course on Inequalities, for policymakers from the global South (Sept 2023).
z Invited to speak at the Annual Competition Law Conference on pursuing deconcentration and transformation in merger control (September 2023).
z Invited to speak at the World Food Programme’s Regional Bureau for Southern Africa leadership meeting about the state of climate science in southern Africa and its role in informing policy and humanitarian operations (October 2023).
z Invited to participate in a thinktank organised by the Social Justice and COVID-19 Policy and Relief Monitoring Alliance (SCOPRA) at Stellenbosch University, Centre for Social Justice, Faculty of Law (2023).
z Invited to participate in the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation’s influential annual Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum (2022 and 2023).
Dr David Francis
z Served on the VAT Advisory Panel (2018).
z Invited to speak at the Inequality Conference at Konstanz University in Germany (2022 and 2024).
Siviwe Mhlana
z Invited to participate in the UNDESA Inter-Agency Expert Group Meeting about the implementation of the third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, evaluating the confluence of multiple crises and recovery strategies in South Africa (2023).
z Invited to participate at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) meeting to review policies for a job guarantee in Africa (2023).
z Invited to be an external reviewer for the UNECA Economic Report on Africa (2023)
Dr. Ujithra Ponniah
z Presented “Studying Elites Around the World: Lessons and challenges” at an international panel discussion at the Elite Studies Working Group, in London (2023).
z Invited to participate in London School of Economics (LSE) Racial Wealth Divide conference (2023).
z Invited by various civil society organisations, including the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC), to participate in South African discussions about wealth and wealth tax.
z Invited to guest lecture at the LSE Department of Methodology: Methods Short Courses for PhD and MSc students (2024).
z Invited to lecture at Summer School on “Wealth Inequality Research: Capacity Building in Higher Institutions in Africa” (2024).
z Serves as Deputy Chairperson of the Financial and Fiscal Commission, which is an independent commission established by Chapter 13 of the Constitution to provide impartial advice on matters of public finance and intergovernmental fiscal relations to Parliament, provincial legislatures and other authorities.
z Serves as a member of the Presidential State-Enterprise Advisory Council, which was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020 to advise government on the reform and consolidation of state public enterprises.
z Serves as Non-Executive Director and Chairperson of Finance Subcommittee of the National Health Laboratory Services, which was established in 2000 to provide quality, affordable and sustainable health laboratory and public health services.
z Invited to participate in the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation’s influential annual Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum (2022 and 2023).
Disseminating research findings in a manner that makes the findings accessible and credible to the target audiences is critically important for achieving the SCIS’s outcomes. The Centre employs staff dedicated to this task who are responsible for publishing a series of policy briefs, concept papers and a book series, and for hosting events such as the monthly seminars. The SCIS public dissemination activities (seminars, conferences etc.) can be found here.
Research produced by SCIS staff and associates is disseminated via the website here Since late 2022, the digital collection has been managed on Wiredspace, Wits University’s internal research repository. Unfortunately, much of the data about the use and downloading of SCIS publications during its early years was lost during a Wits library IT system upgrade.
Since August 2022, SCIS publications have been downloaded 15 600 times, an average of about 1 000 downloads per month. The SCIS WIReDSace collection currently contains 87 working papers, with 22 621 downloads.
Below see some data on dissemination activities in recent years:
Figure 4: Dissemination through media Social media
The SCIS’s work features in online newspaper articles, interviews and in articles written by SCIS authors. Some of the most-read articles are by SCIS authors, illustrating reader interest in SCIS content and potentially indicating the influence that the SCIS wields in the policy domain. The SCIS presence in the media includes the following.
z In March 2020, the working paper on estimating the distribution of household wealth in South Africa authored by Aroop Chatterjee (SCIS), Amory Gethin (World Inequality Lab) and Léo Czajka’s (World Inequality Lab & Université Catholique de Louvain) was widely quoted in the Daily Maverick, Ground Up and SA People.
z In July 2023, Africa Rise & Shine podcast on Channel Africa interviewed Michael Sachs on the Public Economy Project’s research on Treasury’s outlook on the economy.
z In August 2023, SCIS was quoted in the Mail & Guardian story, ‘The Fiscal Cliff Eskom: The fiscal monster the treasury can’t vanquish’, by Sarah Smit.
z In September 2023, researcher Thoko Madonko was cited in the Mail & Guardian article, ‘Bridging the gap: Realigning planning and budgeting in South Africa’ by Jamaine Krige.
z In November 2023, Michael Sachs was quoted in the News24 article, ‘Budget will hurt key public services and fail to halt rise of debt’ by Carol Paton.
z In November 2023, Michael Sachs was quoted in Business Day article, ‘Grim MTBPS is a new budget, not an adjustment, says Michael Sachs’ by Linda Ensor.
z In January 2024, Imraan Valodia was appointed as Chairperson on the National Minimum Wage Commission.
z In February 2024, Michael Sachs was cited in the Business Day article, ‘Failed by his cabinet mates, Godongwana has to pull another dyke trick’ by Jabulani Sikhakhane
z In March 2024, The opening of the Phiroshaw Camay Library opening was covered in the Northcliff Melville Times.
z In May 2024, Edward Cottle was referenced in the Curiosity article, ‘A violent freedom’ by Beth Amato.
z In May 2024, Thokozile Madonko was quoted in the Curiosity article, ‘Social grants are a hand up and not a hand-out ’ by Beth Amato.
z In July 2024, Kabir Arora (Qabeer Jalandhari), SCIS PhD Fellow, was appointed General Secretary of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers.
z In April 2020, Imraan Valodia participated in a PLAAS webinar on the impact of Covid-19 on workers in the informal sector
z In April 2020, Michael Sachs spoke at a virtual webinar organised by the CDE on how the Covid-19 disaster and the proposed response will affect South Africa’s public finances.
z In April 2020, Aroop Chatterjee was interviewed by Michael Avery on Classic FM regarding the findings of his working paper estimating household wealth distribution in South Africa.
z In May 2020, Michael Sachs was interviewed on episode 106 of the Voices from SA Podcast on the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy, the role of the State and certain Government Departments.
z In June 2020, Edward Webster was part of a BBC Panel discussing some of the barriers to systemic reform on racism.
z In February 2021, Michael Sachs spoke to Peter Bruce on fiscal policy and what to expect in this month’ Budget on the Financial Mail podcast.
z In February and March 2021, Michael Sachs had various interviews following the 2021 Budget, including with Metro FM Part I, Metro FM Part II, Mail and Guardian, City Press and Business Day.
z In April 2021, Edward Webster in his SABC interview discuss the Uberisation of workplace brings changes to labour conditions and laws.
z In May 2021, Imraan Valodia shared his thoughts on the Amendment to the Companies Act in a Smile 90.4FM interview
z In May 2021, Shafee Verachia also shared views on the age of industrialised disinformation on Smile 90.4FM.
z In June 2021, Hannah Dawson discussed SA youth and joblessness on Cape Talk and PowerFM.
z In October 2021, Michael Sachs reviewed the BEE Chapeaux Report on SAfm with Cathy Mohlahlana.
z In July 2022, Edward Webster chaired a conversation on grassroots democracy and resistance for a Pen South Africa podcast episode titled “Grassroots Movements, Housing and Hope.”
z In July 2023, Edward Webster contributed to a Cape Talk interview about the implications of the ‘Uber Files’ on driver security.
z In August 2022, Ruth Castel-Branco, Nyanjala Nyabola and Ozayr Patel discussed the Fourth Industrial Revolution in a The Conversation podcast
z In September 2023, the SCIS was invited to talk about the structural inequalities that still exist in South Africa on the eNCA ‘We The Nation’ show presented by Dan Moyane.
z in October 2023, Prof. Imraan Valodia was invited to talk about salary transparency on SAFM Sunrise (SABC Radio).
z In February 2024, Thokozile Madonko dissected the 2024 Budget on the SABC News SA Today.
z In February 2024, Thokozile Madonko was interviewed about the upcoming 2024 Budget on Newzroom Afrika
z In February 2024, Thokozile Madonko’s discussed the five-year review ‘Leave no one behind’ on SAfm: The Talking Point
z In February 2024, Thokozilke Madonko reviewed the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on PowerFM.
z In February 2024, Michael Sachs shared his views on how budgets cuts are affecting South Africa’s health systems on SAfm
z In April 2024, Buntu Siwisa was interviewed about his op-ed, ‘Securitising responses to inequality conflict: Beware the Zimbabwe way’ by Moneyweb@Midday hosted by Jeremy Maggs.
z In April 2024, Katrina Lehmann-Grube was interviewed about SA’s Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan on eNCA
z In August 2019, David Francis and Imraan Valodia shared some nuggets of good news in the latest unemployment figures in an op-ed for the Daily Maverick.
z In October 2019, Edward Webster discussed organising precarious workers in Africa in an op-ed for Open Democracy.
z In February 2020, Michael Sachs spoke at the GIBS’ Economic Outlook 2020 Conference, which was covered extensively by Business Day and Engineering News
z In February 2020, Ruth Castel-Branco discussed why a people cannot bid farewell to their history, in a blog article for Africa is a Country.
z In March 2020, Imraan Valodia argued that bold programmes needed to be implemented urgently in light of the Covid-19 crisis in an op-ed article for the Daily Maverick
z In April 2020, Ruth Castel-Branco argued for a global universal basic income in a Friedrich Ebert Stiftung blog post.
z In April 2020, Imraan Valodia and David Francis wrote an article entitled South Africa needs to mitigate the worst of its inequalities in tackling coronavirus for The Conversation.
z In September 2020, Ruth Castel-Branco, Sandiswa Mapukata and Edward Webster wrote an op-ed piece on working from home in South Africa for Business Day.
z In October 2020, Michael Sachs argued that South Africa was on one-way ride to a debt crisis in a Business Day article
z In January 2021, Imraan Valodia, Lucy Allais, Martin Veller, Shabir Madhi and Francois Venter discussed the financial implications of a vaccine strategy with a goal of achieving herd immunity in a Maverick Citizen op-ed.
z In January 2021, Aroop Chatterjee, Léo Czajka and Amory Gethin addressed some misleading assertions about a wealth tax in South Africa in a Daily Maverick opinion piece.
z In April 2021, Edward Webster discussed the Uberisation of work and worker rights in a op-ed for Business Day.
z In May 2021, Edward Webster reflected on his vaccination moment and a need for a fundamental rethink of capitalism in a Maverick Citizen op-ed
z In May 2021, Edward Webster, Christine Bischoff and Themba Masondo wrote an op-ed article for Business Day about the low trust dynamic in SA workplaces.
z In May 2021 Imraan Valodia wrote an op-ed article for The Conversation arguing for forcing the disclosure of wages and executive pay in South Africa.
z In June 2021, Hannah Dawson sought to debunk common stereotypes about young, jobless South Africans in an op-ed article for The Conversation
z In June 2021, Imraan Valodia remembered Vishnu Padayachee in a moving tribute published in The Conversation
z In June 2021, Alex Mashilo and Dinga Sokwebu critiqued the state’s policy on electric cars in a Times Live article.
z In July 2021, Imraan Valodia, Alex van den Heever, Martin Veller and Francois Venter argued why vaccinating is the only viable strategy for living with Covid-19 in a Maverick Citizen op-ed
z In August 2021, Ruth Castel-Branco weighed in on the South African basic income grant versus jobs in an op-ed article for The Conversation and shared her insights in a CapeTalk interview
z In August 2021, Imraan Valodia and colleagues discussed Covid-19 variants, vaccines and the unlikelihood of herd immunity in a Daily Maverick op-ed article.
z In August 2021, Shafee Verachia shared his views on misinformation and the threat to democracy in a Daily Maverick op-ed article
z In September 2021, Imraan Valodia’s interview of the Head of UNAIDS about the impacts of Covid-19 was published as an op-ed in The Conversation.
z In September 2021, Imraan Valodia wrote an op-ed for The Conversation about the need for developing countries to influence global debates on inequality.
z In November 2021, Michael Sachs wrote an article for Econ 3x3 about the 2021 MTBPS and the challenges of achieving fiscal consolidation in the subsequent year.
z In February 2022, Edward Webster remembered Rick Turner, discussing real utopias and the limitations of realism in an op-ed article for the Daily Maverick.
z In February 2022, Michael Sachs wrote two articles for Business Day about how President Ramaphosa could leverage the Basic Income Grant to garner support for the ANC ahead of the 2024 elections and how political courage is crucial ingredient in income support
z In March 2022, Imraan Valodia, Julia Taylor and Shirona Patel wrote an op-ed article for the Daily Maverick about how universities can play a transformative role in addressing climate change
z In March 2022, Michael Sachs warned about future tax hikes in South Africa, in a Business Day op-ed article
z In April 2022, Imraan Valodia and Julia Taylor discussed the threats of climate change to livelihoods, especially in the Global South in an op-ed article for the Daily Maverick.
z In May 2022, Imraan Valodia and David Francis wrote an op-ed article for the South African Business Integrator analysing how socio-economic realities in South Africa affect growth and investment.
z In June 2022, Ruth Castel-Branco and Hannah Dawson published an op-ed article in The Conversation on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
z In July 2022, Ruth Castel-Branco and Hannah Dawson analysed how digital labour platforms expose Global South workers to ‘algorithmic insecurity’ in an op-ed article that was published on The Conversation and News24
z In July 2022, Siviwe Mhlana and David Francis wrote a Business Day article emphasising the need for new approaches to address unemployment in South Africa.
z In August 2022, Prof Imraan Valodia, Aalia Cassim and researcher Julia Taylor explored the macroeconomic risks and opportunities of a transition to a low-carbon economy for South Africa at the TIPS 2022 Forum.
z In August 2022, Arabo K. Ewinyu and Olwethu Shedi wrote an op-ed article for Mail & Guardian that highlighted how, despite significant advances in the labour market, women in South Africa continue to face a double (or triple) burden.
z In August 2022, Alex Mobubetswane Mashilo discussed changing auto manufacturing and how South Africa can adapt to protect workers and jobs in an op-ed article for The Conversation.
z In September 2022, Imraan Valodia, Siviwe Mhlana and Julia Taylor co-authored an article for Econ 3x3discussing the connections between gender, care and climate change.
z In September 2022, PhD Fellow Kudakwashe Manjondo shared his perspective on Harare’s political and environmental challenges in an op-ed article for the Mail & Guardian
z In October 2022, Michael Sachs, Arabo K. Ewinyu and Olwethu Shedi provided an analysis of spending in South Africa’s public service, noting that although demand is growing, real spending is falling in an article in The Conversation
z In October 2022, Ruth Castel-Branco discussed social protection programmes implemented over the last three decades, highlighting that while social grants provide cash, they are not a comprehensive solution to inequality in the Global South in an op-ed article for The Conversation.
z In November 2022, Imraan Valodia and Julia Taylor discussed key outcomes from COP27 in an article for The Conversation.
z In November 2022, Edward Webster and Ruth Castel-Branco discussed how worker organisations can survive the digital age in an op-ed article for The Conversation
z In November 2022, Imraan Valodia and Julia Taylor explained what COP27 is and why it matters in an article for The Conversation.
z In October and November 2022, Thokozile Madonko argued in two articles for the Daily Maverick that South Africa needs a bold, visionary mini-budget and an end to austerity policymaking and why we must be outraged at the fact that there are no alternatives to the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement
z In December 2022, Michael Sachs, Arabo K. Ewinyu and Olwethu Shedi co-authored an article for Econ 3x3 analysing how budget pressures have eroded the capacity of the criminal justice system.
z In October 2023, Prof Valodia & researcher Arabo Ewinyu wrote an op-ed piece for Business Day6 on executive pay transparency, which was reproduced online in the Timeslive (circulation: 62 000+) and The Sowetan (circulation: 84 000+). The Wits University media team further expanded the audience of the article by posting it online on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
z In March 2024, Director Imraan Valodia and researchers Julia Taylor and Katrina Lehmann-Grube, with Sonia Phalatse, coauthored an article in The Daily Maverick about the funding of South Africa’s just energy transition that led to multiple requests to the SCIS Climate team for radio interviews.
z In March 2024, Director Imraan Valodia wrote a moving tribute to Professor Eddie Webster in Business Day
z In March 2024, Karl von Holdt remembered Professor Eddie Webster in The Conversation article ‘Edward Webster: South African intellectual, teacher, activist, a man of great energy and integrity, and the life and soul of any party’.
z In March 2024, Professor Eddie Webster was remembered by Andries Bezuidenhout in the Mail & Guardian, ‘Obituary: Eddie Webster’s influence over generations of students extended to the country and beyond its borders’.
z In April 2024, Katrina Lehmann-Grube, Imraan Valodia, Julia Taylor and Sonia Phalatse wrote an op-ed for the Daily Maverick, What happened to the Just Energy Transition grant funding?’.
z In May 2024, Sonia Phalatse, Yashila Govender, Imraan Valodia, Katrina LehmanGrube and Julia Taylor wrote an article for the Daily Maverick, ‘Party manifestos lack a clear, coherent and inspiring roadmap for a just transition’.
z In May 2024, Buntu Siwisa wrote an op-ed in the Mail & Guardian, ‘Securitising responses to inequality conflict: Beware the Zimbabwe way’.
z In June 2024, Director Imraan Valodia wrote an article for The Conversation, ‘South Africa’s political monopoly has been broken: could it help the economy?’
6 This daily newspaper has a circulation of over 13 000 on paper and over 27 000 online
The SCIS has sufficient funding to cover costs until 2026 and continually works on medium and long-term funding, to ensure sustainability.
The SCIS has sufficient funding for the next two years (2024 and 2025) to sustain its current staff complement and cover the planned research work.
The SCIS has a diverse funding base that includes repeat funders. Currently, all of its existing programmes are funded by at least one main funder and, in several instances, multiple funders. The organisation has both core and project funding.
For the 2024 and 2025 financial years, the SCIS has the following funding:
z Ford Foundation Build 1 (ending in 2024)
z Ford Foundation Build 2 (ending in 2026)
One of the SCIS’s key donors is the Ford Foundation, which provided start-up funding to the SCIS and then awarded two “BUILD” grants.7 This funding has allowed SCIS to strengthen its operational and administrative component to keep pace with the significant growth over the past seven years (since 2017, the SCIS staff has nearly tripled in size).
z Robert Bosch Stiftung – RBSG (2024). This funding is a continuation of the RBSG’s initial two-year support for this programme.
z Economic and Social Research Council at Oxford University – ESRC (2024). This funding supports work for a period of 18 months.
z Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2024−2025). After an initial three-year grant, the Gates Foundation have approved a further round of funding for the next two-year period.
z International Budget Partnership (2024).
7 The Ford Foundation introduced its Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) initiative to help strengthen social justice organisations and increase their resilience over time� BUILD grantees receive five years of operational and organisational strengthening support.
z The Canadian IDRC (2024−2028). After initial funding for three years, the IDRC invited the project to submit a proposal to act as a research secretariat for five years. The funding was granted and covers providing research support to organisations on the continent and furthering the project’s research agenda within the SCIS.
z Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) (2025). Funding is provided to a Wits-led consortium over a two-year period.
z Open Society Foundation (2025). The funding for this work allows SCIS/Wits University to strengthen partnerships with other African universities.
z World Bank (2024).
z The Canadian IDRC (2024).
z 151 funding: SCIS currently receives support from the Wits University Council for four members of its core staff, as well as a portion of its operational and maintenance costs.
While most of the programmatic research grants will come to an end in 2024 and 2025, the research teams continuously work on identifying new funding opportunities. Furthermore, due to the quality and relevance of the work that has been produced, SCIS is often approached by funders and requested to submit applications for funding, which is an unusual accolade in the field of donor-funded research.
The SCIS has sufficient core funding until 2026 and has built up a reserve fund (with approval from donors, and with funds that have been paid to SCIS for consultancy work) to cover its core costs for at least 12 additional months. Some research programmes are funded beyond 2026, while others are entering their next fundraising cycle (in 2024/2025) and are working on securing sufficient financial resources beyond the current funding periods.
Although generating commercial returns on SCIS research is not currently part of the SCIS plans, possible sources of additional income are being considered:
z Developing proprietary tools based on data gathered by the Centre’s various research projects.
z Expanding the Centre’s capacity to provide commissioned policy research and advice to clients, such as the work commissioned by the PCC, ILO and GIZ.
Currently, the SCIS does not have funding secured for the next 10 years. However, due to its global South focus, the relevance of its work and the research produced to date, the SCIS has built long-term relationships with core funders, such as the Ford Foundation. The SCIS is working on securing long-term core funding from several other sources, to allow its research team to produce knowledge and outputs that further the organisation’s core objectives. Any shorter term research contracts will be considered as additional to core organisational funding. The intention is to diversify the SCIS’s funding streams by developing a mix of funding from the following sources:
z Donor funding, for core funding as well as for project funding.
z Wits University Council funding.
z Partnerships with other global South institutions to secure funding.
z Growing the SCIS reserve fund.
z Income from consultancies that are aligned to the SCIS’s core goals and objectives.
z Pursuing the establishment of a fully-funded Research Chair.
The SCIS operates in an adaptive and flexible manner, which enables it to pivot and respond to new calls for funding applications without diverging from the core organisational objectives of providing excellent research for, by and from the global South.
In 2018, when the SCIS was established, the main risk for the University and the Centre was the lack of a full-time SCIS Director, which was contingent on fundraising for the position. The funds were raised in 2019, and the position was filled in 2020. Since its foundation, the SCIS has successfully managed the risks associated with being a grant-funded organisation. The SCIS Management Committee constantly monitors, manages and mitigates the challenges associated with the funding environment, which include:
z A shift in funder focus areas/interests away from the SCIS core topics.
z The need for high-quality financial management and financial reporting to funders.
z The ability to attract and retain high quality staff and limit staff turnover in a context where staff contracts depend on donor funding.
z Effective and affordable dissemination of SCIS research and engagement with SCIS audiences, and researchers who take seriously their responsibility to disseminate their work publicly and to deliver accredited academic publications.
z Managing the tension of research that needs to be both academically rigorous and relevant and accessible to policymakers and policy-influencers.
Financial
A shift in funder focus areas/interests away from the SCIS’s core topics
The need for high-quality financial management and financial reporting to funders.
The ability to attract and retain high quality staff and limit staff turnover in a context where staff contracts depend on donor funding�
Effective and affordable dissemination of SCIS research and engagement with SCIS audiences, and researchers who take seriously their responsibility to disseminate their work publicly and to deliver accredited academic publications.
Strategic Managing the tension of research that needs to be both academically rigorous and relevant and accessible to policymakers and policy-influencers.
Develop ongoingly a diversified funder base and build relationships with existing donors
Adhere to University regulations and conduct regular audits
Secure long-term funding and disseminate quality research that builds the Centre’s profile/reputation (“success breeds success”).
Support researchers in disseminating their research and monitor accredited publications
Support researchers to produce outputs that speak to different audiences.
SCIS recently appointed a new Advisory Board comprising academics who are experts in various fields including legal, health and finance. This is the second iteration of the SCIS Advisory Board, which has provided useful commentary and insight into the work and management of the SCIS.
The SCIS Senior management team (ManCom) consists of the Director, Deputy Director and Head of Operations. The ManCom is the Centre’s executive decision-making body and holds regular formal meetings. It is supported by a Steering Committee comprising the research project leads and senior members of the operations team. The research team also supports the ManCom by providing strategic input and support on research matters.
Over the past three years the SCIS has completed several organisational development processes to strengthen not only its strategy but also its culture. These processes identified areas for further development, including the need to ensure that staff who manage research projects are enabled and supported to take ownership of their projects and outputs; the devolution of this responsibility has strengthened the organisation’s overall management.
The SCIS has also spent time developing and building adequate operational plans and processes to support its core work. The SCIS now has a Head of Operations, a research project coordinator (to support projects), a financial accountant and a small (two-person) communications team. The hiring of a financial accountant has enabled more effective management and oversight of SCIS finances, which have increased substantially over the past three years. This team is now able to support the SCIS’s research work through advising on research dissemination, which is crucial for meeting the long-term objective of influencing broader public and policy discourse on inequality. However, additional resources are needed to be able to monitor more effectively the results and impacts of the SCIS’s work. At present, the SCIS has a part-time Visiting Researcher who works on monitoring results and impact, but more meaningful monitoring of the research-dissemination efforts is needed.
SCIS is a new Centre, and the focus has been on recruiting and developing the founding staff. Succession planning is not a priority for now, as senior staff turnover is low, and none of the current Management Team members are near to retirement age.
The Centre has put a lot of thought into the advancement and retention of staff, particularly senior research staff. To ensure that staff prioritise their own development, the SCIS has aligned its internal promotion processes with that of the University’s Staffing and Promotions Policy:
z Senior researchers must have a PhD.
z Researchers must have at minimum a master’s degree and be working towards a PhD.
z When recruiting new staff, the importance of studying towards a PhD is emphasised.
SCIS efforts to grow and develop the capacity of early-career researchers are evident in the internship programme and the MCom programme (which is currently in its second year).
The SCIS also has a mentoring and coaching programme for its interns and early-career staff. It strives to support staff who are registered for any degree, by ensuring that they have adequate time and mentoring to complete their studies. SCIS staff benefit from the Wits University staff bursary system, and many staff have also secured research funding from elsewhere.
SCIS staff (especially administrative staff who may be pursuing academic degree studies) are encouraged to identify and enrol for relevant short courses that support their work. Those who attend short courses are mentored and coached, and have provided positive feedback about the courses, and have demonstrated the impact of these courses through their approach to work. Individual professional coaching is provided for senior staff who indicate the need for this support.
Since inception, the SCIS has strived to ensure that the principles of diversity and inclusivity are practised in staff recruitment, development and management, and embodied in the Centre’s culture. The SCIS’s support for inclusion and cosmopolitanism is evident in its deliberate engagement on the subject of inequality across the global South, rather than a focus solely on South Africa, and in its recruitment of scholars and students from other parts of the global South. Current SCIS staff include various nationalities and researchers who speak a range of different international languages. The Centre has been deliberate about building a diverse team in terms of academic disciplines, research experience and race (Figure 5).
5: Employment equity report of SCIS staff (July 2024)
Note: Includes staff and visiting researchers
Since 2022, the SCIS has provided a one-year internship to at least two candidates every year (Figure 6).
Figure 6: SCIS interns (2022−2024)
Over the years, the SCIS’s institutional culture has focused on ensuring that it reflects the principles of diversity and inclusion. Support is provided for staff in a manner that aims to support the broader principles of transformation and social justice.
In 2025, the SCIS will review the current focus on events and evaluate their impact. The aim is to review the theory of change of each project and to be more strategic in determining how the work is disseminated, including through engagements. The purpose is to ensure that the work has a long-term impact on policy and both targets and reaches the correct audiences. The SCIS is in the process of developing a detailed plan for the next five years, based on the following.
Research excellence is at the heart of the SCIS’s work. Several mechanisms are in place to incentivise and encourage research excellence among staff and associates.
All research staff have performance agreements that stipulate publication targets, which is two accredited publications per year for a full-time researcher. Staff are encouraged to publish in high-ranking journals. Annual meetings are held with all staff, to assess progress, identify barriers and ensure a planned pipeline of research outputs. The SCIS also tracks citations and dissemination of research work as part of monitoring results, and requires all researchers to gather citation information on their publications (see Section B).
The SCIS has adopted Wits University’s Staffing and Promotions Committee’s confirmation and promotions requirements for senior research staff. These align incentives for progression with incentives for research excellence, and standardise the review and benchmarking criteria.
The SCIS supports staff in studying for higher degrees. The current focus is on supporting all research staff to achieve PhD degrees.
z Three staff have achieved PhDs.
z Two staff should complete their PhDs within the next two years.
The Centre also provides research staff with financial support to attend top international conferences.
The SCIS focuses on developing relationships with publishers and journals for special issues and book series. The Centre has an inequality book series with Routledge (London) and good relationships with several journals, including Transformation, the Canadian Journal of Development Studies and Development Southern Africa. Writing and publishing support is provided to assist both emerging and senior researchers to communicate their research effectively.
As research excellence is often a collaborative process, the SCIS continues to focus on research partnerships, both with other universities, in particular through the EPE Network, and with individual researchers across the world. The Centre is currently expanding its programme of research exchanges.
The SCIS is a new Centre and, therefore, did not inherit disparities emanating from past unjust employment practices. Since its inception, it has upheld the principles of diversity and inclusivity, and supported cosmopolitanism. Rather than focusing on transforming the Centre, the objective is broader: to transform power relations in society in relation to inequality. Work on this transformation is a continuous process and will remain at the heart of the Centre’s mission. Reproducing the intellectual capacity of the SCIS is a key focus for ongoing work on transformation, which is pursued through teaching and supervising the MCom, PhDs and post-docs.
The SCIS’s international standing is built through networking and collaborative partnerships with relevant centres and organisations outside South Africa. It is part of the EPE Network (see Table 6 on page 15) and continues to develop significant international collaborations, including:
z Researching the intersection between digital technologies and the future of work(ers), as part of a global South network of scholars. From 2024, this work will expand to focus on Eastern and Southern Africa.
z Investigating wealth inequality and elites in collaboration with partners in South Africa, Brazil and India.
z Using Bosch Foundation international funding, the SCIS will be deepening its understanding of audiences and testing methods for international dissemination of our research in India and Brazil. The effectiveness of these experiments will be monitored during 2024 to establish viability and cost-effectiveness.
In addition, SCIS will build on and use networks, such as the EPE to expand its reach across the global South, as well as global North platforms, in order to influence global debates around inequality and inclusive growth and development.
The SCIS will continue to conduct research in multiple countries, publish in high-quality journals across the global South and engage with top universities around the world (particularly in the global South) through research, conferences and faculty exchanges. Through the partnerships developed over the past seven years, the SCIS will further develop and strengthen the dissemination of its research. As many partners are advocacy organisations, the SCIS will seek to effectively and strategically share and engage them around its innovative research, to ensure dissemination across various networks. This will help expand the SCIS’s footprint.
At the level of individual research staff, the annual per-head academic research output target is at least 2 accredited publications per researcher. To date, this target has not been reached annually by all staff, but there is now a strong research ‘pipeline’ in place, and deliberate efforts are being made to support unpublished researchers to achieve their first accredited publication. Overall Centre-wide indicators of our overall outcomes have been carefully considered and are listed below:
Highest impact is the contribution to new approaches to understanding inequality, and, ultimately, to a more egalitarian society.
Reports by peers in the inequality field describing SCIS as producing innovative and distinctively-southern approaches to understanding inequality. An impact assessment will be conducted every 5−10 years.
To produce excellent new knowledge about inequality (research-related)
Indicators:
z Number of publications per year in Wits University-recognised academic journals and books, per SCIS staff researcher (Senior Researcher and above) and in total.
z Number of SCIS-funded publications in University-accredited academic journals and books per year, per SCIS associate author (PostDoc Fellow, Visiting and Associate Researcher) and in total.
z Number of SCIS working papers published per year from SCIS-funded research, and number of downloads of these working papers.
z Number of citations per year per SCIS-funded publication, including all articles, papers, books.
z Number of citations per year per SCIS staff researcher (Senior Researcher and above).
To influence a variety of policy actors and contribute to policies which effect change in inequality (not research-related)
Indicators:
z Acknowledgements/references by key policy actors to SCIS research having influenced their thinking.
z Invitations to SCIS staff to play advisor roles on policy matters, or requests for advice.
To nurture (foster) a new cohort of inequality scholars from the global South (not entirely research-related)
Indicators:
z Accredited publications authored or co-authored by SCIS early-career staff (below Researcher grade) and by post-graduate students.
z Post-grad degree candidates supervised by SCIS staff.
z Degrees earned by SCIS staff and fellows.
z Annual number of graduates of the MCom in Inequality Studies.
z Qualitative internal survey data from early-career staff and post-grad students supervised by SCIS senior staff.
For the first two years of the SCIS’s existence, the focus was on producing academic research and on determining its research agenda. Awareness-raising and dissemination were not key activities, and most dissemination was through the SCIS newsletter and website. Between 2020 and 2021, the Covid-related lockdown led to research being delayed, which affected outputs. With the end of lockdown, the SCIS renewed its work with vigour, successfully delivering several outputs and in-person engagements. During 2022 and 2023, the Centre’s programmes ‘matured’ and became more established, which has resulted in more opportunities for engagement and dissemination.
The SCIS’s results-monitoring system, encourages all staff to reflect on their individual and team contributions to the Centre’s mission. Staff are required to record evidence in lists of their publications, policy engagements and influencing activities. These lists are compiled into brief Results Reports that are used for reflection and planning. For each project, an online tool is used to collect the results data, which provides evidence of how the SCIS is achieving its strategic objectives, and contribution towards the SCIS’s mission. At present, the SCIS has a part-time Visiting Researcher who works on monitoring results and impact, but more meaningful monitoring of the research-dissemination efforts is needed. This will be a priority in 2025, as demonstrating SCIS’s influence is challenging and so the monitoring of results is an important field for experimentation and innovation. Other plans for the future include:
z Developing an engagement and communications strategy aimed at influencing the inequality discourse.
z Measuring the contribution to effective dissemination through mapping audiences and motivations, and gathering evidence on how best to access different audiences.
z Developing more-sophisticated audience database, to enable disaggregated communications with various specific interest groups within the current SCIS mailing list/followers.
z Developing new indicators and data-collection methods to demonstrate the effectiveness of SCIS dissemination techniques, and to indicate the extent of consumption of SCIS content by targeted recipients. This will require greater investment in data and analytics about the engagement and readership of our publications and products.
Effectively supporting staff in their career development not only benefits staff members but is also in the interest of the SCIS, as a way of retaining good staff members. Therefore, the SCIS allocates resources to staff development. After one year of employment, staff can apply for a Wits University bursary, while the SCIS support enables them to access shorter courses outside of Wits and other developmental support, such as mentoring. To date, both junior and senior staff have applied for support to attend short training courses. In addition, SCIS has funded executive coaching for senior staff and established a mentoring programme for early-career research staff members.
Staff members are encouraged to further their studies and are given the opportunity and support to do so. Several SCIS staff are currently registered or plan to register towards PhD degrees. At present SCIS has two active PhD students on staff, two currently working on research towards their PhDs and another staff member registered for the Masters in Inequality.
To support continued research output and improve the quality of writing, SCIS staff have access to writing workshops, academic writing seminars and editing resources. The Centre is currently developing an academic mentoring and coaching programme for mid-level staff that will focus on the development of academic careers and management of SCIS research projects. A longer term intervention is to recruit a senior academic who will oversee the research programme and provide further mentoring to research staff. This position will be advertised and filled in early 2025.
Over the past two years, SCIS has had to expand beyond its original space in North Lodge to incorporate the North Lodge Annex as well. This includes two classroom spaces that host the MCom Programme and are also used for larger meetings and seminars hosted by SCIS. Other departments have also used these facilities for meetings and events.
Due to current growth, SCIS has recently submitted a request to use an additional building, adjacent to the North Lodge Annex, which is currently not utilised. This building will house the growing team that supports the work of the Pro-VC on Climate and Inequality.
Type
Publication
Year of publication: 2018
Journal Article Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2018) Minimum wage for South Africa: a question of power, in New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy, 71 (n/a) pp 34–39
Year of publication: 2019
Journal Article Francis David, Roberts Gareth, Valodia Imraan (2019) South African manufacturing firms in transition, in International Review of Applied Economics, 33(1) pp 71–92
Journal Article Schmalz Stefan, Ludwig Carmen, Webster Edward (2019) Power resources and global capitalism, in Global Labour Journal, 10(1) pp 84–90
Journal Article Espi-Sanchis Gabriel, Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2019) Gender inequality in the South African labour market: insights from the Employment Equity Act data, in Agenda : a Journal About Women and Gender, 33(4) pp 44–61
Journal Article Francis David, Webster Edward (2019) Poverty and inequality in South Africa: critical reflections, in Development Southern Africa, 36(6) pp 788–802
Journal Article Mosoetsa Sarah, Francis David (2019) Framing poverty and inequality studies in South Africa, in Transformation, 101 (n/a) pp 1–10
Journal Article Webster Edward, Francis David (2019) The paradox of inequality in South Africa: a challenge from the workplace, in Transformation, 101 (n/a) pp. 11–35.
Journal Article Chatterjee Aroop (2019) Measuring wealth inequality in South Africa: an agenda, in Development Southern Africa, 36(6) pp 839–859
Book Klaaren Jonathan, Roberts Simon, Valodia Imraan (eds ) (2019) Competition and Regulation for Inclusive Growth in Southern Africa Johannesburg: Jacana Press
Book Chapter Webster Edward, Masondo Themba, Bischoff Christine (2019) Workers’ participation at plant level: The South African case. Chapter 28 in M. Wannöffel, L. Pries and S. Berger (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Workers’ Participation at Plant Level (pp. 537–555). Palgrave MacMillan 978-1-137-48191-7
Book Chapter Scully Benjamin, Webster Edward (2019) The countryside and capitalism: Rethinking the cheap labour thesis in post-apartheid South Africa Chapter 1 in R. van Niekerk, B. Fine and J. Reynolds (eds.) Race, Class and the Post-Apartheid Democratic State (pp 31–56) Durban: UKZN Press
Journal Article Francis David, Valodia Imraan, Webster Edward (2020) Politics, policy, and inequality in South Africa under COVID-19, in Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, 9(3) pp 342–355
Journal Article Webster Edward, O’Brien Robert (2020) Ten years of the global labour journal: Reflecting on the rise of the new global labour studies, in Global Labour Journal
Journal Article Webster Edward (2020) The Uberisation of work: the challenge of regulating platform capitalism: a commentary, in International Review of Applied Economics, 34(20) pp 512–521
Journal Article Francis David (2020) Unemployment and the gendered economy in South Africa after Covid-19, in Transformation, 104 pp� 103–112�
Book Francis David, Valodia Imraan, Webster Edward (2020) Inequality Studies from the Global South (1st edition) Johannesburg: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 296 pp�
Book Chapter Valodia Imraan (2020) Tax and the informal economy: Lessons from South Africa Chapter 10 in F Carre and M Chen (eds ) The Informal Economy Revisited: Examining the past, envisioning the future (pp 92–97) London: Routledge, 9780367191511
Book Chapter Webster Edward (2020) Rethinking the world of work in Southern Africa; building a social floor. Chapter 9 in T. Uys and J. Fritz (eds.) Clinical Sociology in Southern Africa (pp 183–200) Cape Town: Juta 9781485115809
Book Chapter Webster Edward (2020) Building counter power in the workplace: South Africa’s inequality paradox. Chapter 12 in I. Valodia, E. Webster and D Francis (eds ) Inequality Studies from the Global South (pp 221–239) London: Routledge: 978-0-367-23596-3
Book Chapter Valodia Imraan, Webster Edward, Francis David (2020) Towards a Southern approach to inequality: Inequality studies in South Africa and the global south Chapter 1 in I Valodia, E Webster and D Francis (eds ) Inequality Studies from the Global South (pp 3–21) Routledge Taylor and Francis Group 978-0-367-235963
Book Chapter Belser Patrick, Francis David, Jurgensen Kim, Valodia Imraan (2020) Minimum wages: tackling labour market inequality Chapter 11 in D Francis, I Valodia and E Webster (eds ) Inequality Studies from the Global South (pp. 205–220) London: Routledge. 9780367235680.
Journal article Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2021) Inequality in the South African labour market The political economy of the national minimum wage, in Critical Social Policy, 41(3) pp 385–403
Journal article Castel-Branco Ruth (2021) Improvising an E-state: The struggle for cash transfer digitalization in Mozambique, in Development and Change, 52(4) pp 756–779
Journal article Webster Edward (2021) Competing traditions: the origins and development of worker education in South Africa, in Social Dynamics, 47(3) pp� 516–533�
Journal article Bischoff Christine, Masondo Themba, Webster Edward (2021) Worker’s participation at plant level: a South African case study, in Economic and Industrial Democracy, 42(2) pp� 376–394�
Journal article Ballard Richard, Parker Alexandra, Butcher S, De Kadt Julia, Hamann Christian, Joseph Kate, Mapukuta Sandiswa, Mkhize Thembani, Moisane Ngakaemang, Spiropolous Lukas (2021) Scale of belonging: Gauteng 30 years after the repeal of the Group Areas Act, in Urban Forum, 32 pp 131–139
Journal article Webster Edward, Forrest Karen (2021) The role of the IOL during and after Apartheid Labour Studies Journal, 46(4) pp 325–344
Year of publication: 2021
Journal article Webster Edward, Ludwig Carmen, Masikane Fikile, Spooner D (2021) Beyond traditional trade unionism: innovative worker responses in three African cities, in Globalizations, 18(8) pp 1363–1376
Journal article Cook Sarah, Ulriksen Marianne (2021) Social policy responses to Covid-19: new issues, old solutions? in Global Social Policy, 21(3) pp� 381–395� SCIS associates
Journal article Dawson Hannah (2021) Making plans through people: the social embeddedness of informal entrepreneurship in urban South Africa, in Social Dynamics-A Journal of African Studies, 47(3) pp 389–402
Journal article Castel-Branco Ruth (2021) The contradictions of formalization: domesticity and paid domestic work in Mozambique and Angola, in e-cadernos ces, 35 (n/a) pp. 140–162.
Journal article McGregor Warren, Webster Edward (2021) Building a regional solidarity network of transnational activists: an African case study, in Tempo Social, 33 (2) pp. 15–36.
Journal article Brou Daniel, Chatterjee Aroop, Coakley Jerry, Girardone Glaudia, Wood Geoffrey (2021) Corporate governance and wealth and income inequality, in Corporate Governance-an International Review, 29 (n/a) pp 612–629
Book Chapter Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2021) Why health economics input and other economic considerations are necessary for managing pandemics Chapter 11 in A Dhai and D Ballot and M Veller (eds ) Pandemics and Health Care: Principles, Processes and Practice (pp 177–190) Juta
Book Chapter Tregenna Fiona, Valodia Imraan, Ewinyu Arabo, Oqubay Arkebe (2021) Challenges and complexities of the South African economy� Chapter 1 In I� Valodia, F Tregenna and A Oqubay (eds ) Oxford University Press Handbook of the South African Economy (pp� 1–25)� Oxford: Oxford University Press�
Book Chapter Francis David, Habib Adam, Valodia Imraan (2021) South Africa’s postapartheid economic development trajectory Chapter 5 in A Oqubay, F Tregenna and I� Valodia (eds�) Oxford University Press Handbook of the South African Economy (pp 91–110) Oxford: Oxford University Press
Book Chapter Dawson Hannah (2021) “Be your own boss”: Entrepreneurial dreams on the urban margins of South Africa� Chapter 5 in P� Williams, D-O� Vicol and W� Monteith (eds ) Beyond the Wage: Ordinary work in diverse economies (pp. 114–137). Bristol: Bristol University Press.
Journal Article Dawson Hannah (2022) Living, not just surviving: The politics of refusing lowwage jobs in urban South Africa, in Economy and Society, 51(3) pp 375–397
Journal Article Chatterjee Aroop, Czajka L., Gethin A (2022) Wealth inequality in South Africa, 1993–2017, in World Bank Economic Review, 36(1) pp 19–36
Journal Article Franzoni Juliana Martinez, Cook Sarah (2022) Seizing the opportunity to do things differently: Feminist ideas, policies and actors in UN Women’s ‘Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice’, in Global Social Policy, 2(1) pp 196–201 SCIS associates
Journal Article Cook Sarah, Agartan Tuba, Kaasch Alexandra (2022) Forum introduction: Revisiting targeting and universalism, in Global Social Policy, 22(3) pp. 426–433. SCIS associates
Journal Article Cook Sarah, Staab Silke (2022) Introduction: Covid-19: Lessons for genderresponsive recovery and transformation, in Global Social Policy, 22(1) pp 172–179� SCIS associates
Journal Article Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2022) Black economic Empowerment (BEE) in South Africa: introduction and review of the labor market literature, in Transformation, 109 pp� 1–20�
Journal Article Mashilo Alex, Moothilal Renai (2022) Black economic empowerment in the automotive manufacturing industry: a case for productive capacity development transformation, in Transformation, 109 pp 112–138 SCIS associates
Journal Article Cawe Ayabonga, Sachs Michael, Valodia Imraan (2022) Dancing in concert? Aligning Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) to sector strategies, structural transformation and growth, in Transformation, 109 pp. 139–164.
Journal Article Castel-Branco Ruth (2022) Machamba is for life The contradictions of the peasantry in Mozambique, in a context of precariousness, in Actuel Marx, 72(2) pp 41–58
Book Chapter Francis David, Valodia Imraan (2022) The informal economy & informal employment in South Africa Chapter 5 in G Mills, M Jonas, H Bhorat and R Hartley (eds ) Better Choices: Ensuring South Africa’s Future (pp 120–131) Johannesburg: Picador Africa imprint of Pan Macmillan
Book Chapter Sachs Michael (2022) The origins of the fiscal crisis. Chapter 10 In G. Mills, M Jonas, H Bhorat and R Hartley (eds ) Better Choices: Ensuring South Africa’s Future (pp 214–227) Johannesburg: Picador Africa imprint of Pan Macmillan.
Book Chapter Mashilo Alex (2022) Collective bargaining during and after apartheid: economic and social upgrading in the automobile global value chains in South Africa Chapter 9 in C Teipen, Dunhaupt, H Herr and F Mehl (eds ) Economic and Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains Comparative Analysis, Macroeconomic Effects, the Role of Institutions and Strategies for the Global South, (pp 227–257) CHAM: Palgrave Macmillan Cham SCIS associates
Book Chapter Webster Edward (2022) Choosing sides: The promise and pitfalls of a critically engaged sociology in apartheid South Africa Chapter 3 in A Bezuidenhout, S. Mnwana and K. von Holdt (eds.) Critical Engagement with Public Sociology: A perspective from the Global South, (pp 41–60) Bristol: Bristol University Press�
Journal Article Dawson Hannah (2023) Faking it or making it: the politics of consumption and the precariousness of Black mobility in South Africa, in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 29 pp� 145–162�
Journal Article Dawson Hannah (2023) Father-child (dis)connections: expectations and practices of young un(der)employed fathers in Johannesburg, in Men and Masculinities, 26(2) pp 270–287
Journal Article Taylor Julia (2023) Just an energy transition? A gendered analysis of energy transition in Northern Cape, South Africa, in Agenda: A Journal About Women and Gender, 37(3) pp 76–89
Journal Article Mhlana Siviwe (2023) Precarious work and the gendered individualisation of risk in the South African manufacturing sector, 2002–2017, in Global Labour Journal, 14(2) pp 165–184
Journal Article Cottle Edward (2023) Economic long waves and long waves of strikes in South Africa (1886–2022), in South African Review of Sociology, 53(3) pp. 274–296.
Journal Article Reddy Niall (2023) Liberalization, democratization and the remaking of the South African corporate network 1993–2020, in Socio-Economic Review, 2023, 21(1) pp 213–242
Journal Article Webster Edward, Ludwig Carmen (2023) Contesting digital technology through new forms of transnational activisim, in Global Labour Journal, 14(1) pp 56–71
Book Webster Edward, Dor Lynford, Forrest Karen, Masikane Fikile, Ludwig Carmen (2023) Recasting Workers’ Power: Work and Inequality in the Shadow of Digital Age (1st edition) Bristol: Bristol University Press, 177 pp
Book Chapter Valodia Imraan, Ewinyu Arabo (2023) The economics of discrimination and affirmative action in South Africa. Chapter 20 in A. Deshpande (ed.) Handbook on Economics of Discrimination and Affirmative Action (pp 481–498)� Singapore: Springer�
Book Chapter Mashilo Alex (2023) The challenges of economic and social development in South Africa: left perspective. Chapter 7 in RJ. Balfour (ed.) Mzala Nxumalo, Leftist Thought and Contemporary South Africa (pp� 421–443)� Johannesburg: Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA). SCIS associate
Book Chapter Sefalafala Masilo, Castel-Branco Ruth, Malabela Musawenkosi (2023) Technological innovation, the changing nature of work and the implications for trade unionism in post-apartheid South Africa� Chapter 14 in S� Mohamed, A Ngoma and B Baloyi (eds ) The Evolving Structure of South Africa’s Economy: Faultlines and futures (pp� 421–443)� Johannesburg: Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA).
Book Chapter Webster Edward (2023) Going global, building local: a southern perspective on the future of labour internationalism� Chapter 14 in M� Tshoaedi, C� Bischoff and A. Bezuidenhout (eds.) Labour Disrupted: Reflections on the future of work in South Africa (pp� 270–287)� Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Book Chapter Forrest Karen, Webster Edward (2023) Precarious work after apartheid: experimenting with alternative forms of representation in the informal sector Chapter 2 in L Dor and Webster E (eds ) Recasting Workers’ Power: Work and Inequality in the Shadow of Digital Age (pp� 30–54)� Bristol: Bristol University Press
Book Chapter Ludwig Varmen, Webster Edward (2023) Crossing the divide: informal workers and trade unions� Chapter 6 in L� Dor and E� Webster (eds�) Recasting Workers’ Power: Work and Inequality in the Shadow of Digital Age (pp 125–143) Bristol: Bristol University Press
Book Chapter Ludwig Carmen and Webster Edward (2023) Global capital, global labour: the possibilities of transnational activism Chapter 7 in L Dor and E Webster (eds�) Recasting Workers’ Power: Work and Inequality in the Shadow of Digital Age (pp 144–157) Bristol: Bristol University Press
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Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
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