Economic growth and employment

The Impumelelo Economic Growth Lab was established in October 2024 as a unit within the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) of Stellenbosch University to focus on generating policy relevant work and building capacity to support South Africa’s economic reform agenda. “Impumelelo” means success and with the unit’s expertise in macroeconomics and an established reputation in public interest research, they are well-positioned to convert good research into even better decisions – and faster.

The Centre for Competition Law and Economics (CCLE) at Stellenbosch University promotes research and teaching related to competition policy in South Africa and beyond. The CCLE team consists of economics and legal faculty, doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, student and part-time researchers and academic associates from across the globe. The Centre was established as a research unit within the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University.

The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), an independent policy analysis and advocacy organisation, is South Africa’s leading development think tank. Since its establishment in 1995, CDE has been gathering evidence, consulting widely, and generating innovative policy recommendations on issues critical to economic growth and democratic consolidation. By examining South African and international experience, CDE formulates practical policy proposals outlining ways in which South Africa can tackle major social and economic challenges. CDE has a special focus on the role of business and markets in development.

The Centre for Household Finance (CHF) is a research group within the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. Their goal is to advance knowledge about consumer financial markets in developing countries: how they work, and which policies may make them work more efficiently and more equitably. They use tools from applied microeconomics and causal inference to study how people make financial decisions and what influences their choices. The CHF focuses on South African survey and administrative data in a variety of domains, including retirement, insurance, and credit.

The Development Action Group (DAG), established in 1986, is a leading South African non-governmental, not for profit organisation focused on urban development and housing issues. Since its inception DAG has worked to create equal, inclusive, and sustainable neighbourhoods and cities through development processes that foster human rights, equity, and dignity. Operating from the conviction that empowered citizens must actively drive their own development, DAG’s efforts are rooted in a participative and democratic approach to advancing socio-economic rights and spatial justice through collective action in South African cities. DAG’s impact in the urban sector over the years can be attributed to the organisation’s role in unlocking the development of approximately 8000 new low-cost housing opportunities; facilitating improved security of tenure for 27,000 people; providing direct assistance in securing community services to over 100 000 households in over 85 projects; securing and unlocking R275 million for housing projects; and strengthening the capacity of more than 2,100 civic leaders, with a focus on women and youth.

The Free Market Foundation (FMF) was founded in August 1975 to promote freedom of enterprise in South Africa. This occurred in response to what was evidently, at the time, a government with little interest in allowing South Africans to make decisions about their own economic affairs. Since South Africa’s infamous system of racial segregation came to an end in 1994, the FMF has responded with new zeal to a democratic government that has signalled its intention to curb the very entrepreneurial freedom necessary to undo the country’s seemingly endemic poverty.

IRR Legal originated in the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) and challenges laws and regulations which undermine constitutional rights, economic freedom, and equality before the law. It brings strategic court actions against race-based legislation – most notably employment and BEE laws – seeking to vindicate the Bill of Rights and promote non-racial, merit-based alternatives. Through public-interest litigation, IRR Legal complements the IRR’s research and advocacy by translating policy positions into direct legal challenges.

The Laboratory for the Economics of Africa’s Past (LEAP) is dedicated to the quantitative study of African economic and social history. It brings together scholars and students interested in understanding and explaining the long-term economic development of Africa’s diverse societies. Since 2023, LEAP is a Type-1 centre within the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Meridian Economics is a climate and energy strategy advisory firm that works with private firms, government and public interest organisations to develop solutions across the energy transition landscape. They leverage their extensive individual and collective experience as professionals in Southern Africa, combined with robust local and international networks, to stay at the forefront of current developments in the energy sector and beyond. Their small, highly skilled team includes senior energy sector specialists, energy engineers and regulatory and climate economists active in the South African energy space since the early 1990s.

PALS (Partners in Agri Land Solutions) is a private sector initiative by farmers in cooperation with the community. Originally launched in 2015 in Ceres the PALS initiative has since extended nationally with several PALS enterprises implemented in other areas and PALS centres envisaged for each province and region. SA PALS is the overarching national body, with the SA PALS centre in Ceres coordinating activities across South Africa. Currently regional centres in the Free State, Western Cape, as well as the Mpumalanga office facilitate projects in these regions and adjacent provinces.

Sakeliga was founded in 2011 when a group of business leaders decided an organisation was needed to resist harmful state economic intervention. Today, Sakeliga is recognised as a premier litigant on commercial matters in the public interest. They have thousands of committed funding partners, a growing business chamber network across the country and have produced substantial economic benefits for businesses and the communities they serve. The name ‘Sakeliga’ is inspired by the famous trading alliance ‘The Hanseatic League’, or in German ‘Hansaliga’, that established a centuries-long prosperous economic order across northern Europe. “Sake” is the Afrikaans word for business. Their network of funders and partners is a league – an alliance – of businesses standing together to restore and strengthen economic order for a flourishing society.

The Stellenbosch Economics PhD Pipeline Bursary Programme is a bursary and training initiative housed in the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. The programme seeks to address South Africa’s under‑representation in top international PhD programmes in economics by strengthening the local training pipeline for high‑performing quantitative students.

Since 1929, the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has advocated for a free, fair, and prospering South Africa. At the heart of this vision lie the fundamental principles of liberty of the individual and equality before the law guaranteeing the freedom of all citizens. The IRR stands for the right of all people to make decisions about their lives without undue political or bureaucratic interference.