ABOUT.htm

More about the DPRU The Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) is part of the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town. We conduct research in the fields of labour markets, poverty and inequality.
Research	Most recently, and ongoing, the DPRU is involved with JIPSA (the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition) which is a working project in support of ASGISA (Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa). This was initiated by the Deputy President. The DPRU is also involved in the Employment Promotion Programme. Current activities also include work on alternative ways of measuring poverty and inequality, exploring key factors that affect educational outcomes, regular labour market reviews and an analysis of the national school feeding scheme. Most work is undertaken for government departments from the National and Provincial Treasuries to the Departments of Labour, Trade and Industry, Education and Social Development.

Publications	The DPRU has a number of online publications. Most of our research is published as working papers and policy briefs. These publications are available to order as hard copies, or to download from our web site. Many research reports have been published in journals such as Development Southern Africa, Studies in Economics and Econometric and the South African Journal of Economics. Some of the research have also been published as books and as chapters in books (follow the publications link for more information).

Media	Our research has been covered by various radio programmes, television programmes and newspapers. See here for more information.

E-mail Circulation List	This list is used to inform our research network about new publications, workshops and conferences. Join our e-mail list on our web site and stay informed.

Conferences	The DPRU convenes annual conferences and workshops on topics related to labour market issues in South Africa and have since expanded into the rest of Africa with the joint DPRU/TIPS/Cornell Forum in 2004. Conference 2006: The 2006 Conference on Accelerated and Shared Growth in South Africa: Determinants, Constraints and Opportunities was again jointly hosted by he Development Policy Research Unit and Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies. This years conference looked in detail at the concept of accelerated and shared growth and, specifically, how the poor are to be engaged in development, covering areas ranging from small business development, trade and industrial concentration, to quality education, skills development and youth unemployment. Conference 2005: The Development Policy Research Unit and Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies, in association with the World Institute for Development Economic Research of the United Nations University (UNU-WIDER), is once again hosting a joint annual forum. Conference 2004: Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU), and Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), in association with Cornell University, hosted a joint conference in 2004. The conference for 2004 took place, at the Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa. It was held over three days during the week of 13 - 15 October 2004. The theme to the conference was on African Development and Poverty Reduction: The Macro-Micro Linkage. Conference 2003: This year the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) joined the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) who hosted its seventh annual forum in September 2003. The annual forum serves as a platform for researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders to discuss ongoing research and to enter into dialogue on policy-relevant issues resulting from research. This years forum focused on SAs progress in addressing growth and poverty since democracy and the challenges it still faces in these areas. Conference 2002: Our second annual conference was held from 22-24 October 2002 at Glenburn Lodge. Conference 2001: We hosted a conference in conjunction with FES from the 15 to 16 November 2001. The conference was titled Labour Markets and Poverty in South Africa.

Workshops	The DPRU continues to be involved with training workshops: In 2006 the DPRU presented a workshop on Poverty Reduction and Social Security for the National Treasury. The four-day workshop aimed to provide theoretical background and facilitate discussion on the various complex issues surrounding poverty, inequality, social security, public spending and poverty, and the labour market. The following courses were hosted by the DPRU over the period 2002-2004: A Two day Extension Course in Labour Economics and Labour Market Policy in 2002 and 2004. The course is designed for policy makers, implementers of policy and other industrial relations practitioners. It provides a comprehensive snapshot of the most critical issues confronting the labour market in South Africa. The Technical Assistance Course in Analysis and Measurement of Poverty and Inequality in 2003 and 2004. Papers were presented at the DPRU's Second Research-in-Progress Workshop in 2000. Some of these papers should be printed out from and read from the PDF files as the on screen viewing is not possible. Please contact the authors of those papers with abstracts only.

Find MORE DETAILS about our involvement with teaching and training HERE

More about the DPRU