Past Research Projects

Labour Demand and Labour Supply in South Africa 

This project focused on a series of South African labour market issues, ranging from the impact of trade flows on labour demand to the level and extent of wage premia and wage differentials in the labour market. The project represented the second major labour market project within the DPRU.

The project drew on a range of local researchers working on and interested in labour market issues. In addition, the project was directly linked to the research programme of the Department of Labour, who served as 'intellectual sponsors' to the project. The project produced eight working papers, which was published as a book volume. The book is titled: Fighting Poverty: Labour Markets and Inequality in South Africa. The project was funded by the us Agency for International Development (USAID).

The research project was co-ordinated by Haroon Bhorat, Director of the DPRU.

The Industrial Strategy Project (ISP) marked the first foray of the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) into the Southern African region. The ISP focused on trade and investment issues and regional industrial development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The aim was to examine key economic interactions in Southern Africa and the policies and institutions that influence these interactions.

In keeping with previous ISP work, this project retained a strong sectoral focus, with a number of key regional sectors selected for in-depth study. This research project was  carried out interactively with policy-makers and analysts in Southern Africa. Through close co-operation and involvement with governments, regional researchers and research institutions, the project seeked to contribute to policy development and capacity building in Southern Africa. The project was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Since the ISP's inception in 1998, two workshops were held and various publications have been published. 

Workshops
A vital part of the ISP was to convene annual workshops for regional policy makers, functioning as effective forums for directing and influencing the research process. The DPRU hosted the following workshops:

Work-in-progress workshop - 30 to 31 August 1999, at the Irene Country Lodge in Gauteng.

SADC Industrial Development through Regional Co-operation and Integration - 28 to 30 September 2000, at the Safari court Hotel in Windhoek, Namibia.