Researching the fields of labour markets, inequality and poverty


Technical Assistance Course 2003

Analysis and Measurement of Poverty and Inequality

 

During the 2003 calendar year – 23 June to 4 July – the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU), in association with the Secretariat for International Support for Economic Research in Africa (SISERA) and the National Institute for Economic Policy (NIEP), hosted a very successful Technical Assistance Course: Analysis and Measurement of Poverty and Inequality.

The two-week course was run at the University of Cape Town and was presented by international leaders in their respective fields from the USA:

  • - Prof. Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University

  • - Prof. Stephen Younger, Cornell University
         - Assistant Prof. Paul Cichello, Xavier University

The DPRU staff who were involved in the course were:

  • - Haroon Bhorat

  • - Laura Poswell

  • - Morné Oosthuizen

The Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) is based in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town and has as its main focus South African labour market and poverty research. The Unit is also involved in training and capacity building with the objective of expanding both the quantity and quality of researchers in South Africa in these fields.

As part of our aim to build research capacity in South Africa,  members of staff from different organisations were invited to participate in a course facilitated by the DPRU. The aim of this course was to provide staff members with competences in working with South African survey datasets, particularly in the fields of labour markets, and the analysis of poverty and inequality.

The course included formalised reading time and lectures based on the assigned readings. Practical computer-based exercises using the statistical software package STATA was applied to draw on the readings and lectures.

 

The course was funded by the Secretariat for Institutional Support for Economic Research in Africa (SISERA), and the costs of transportation to and from Cape Town and accommodation and meals for the duration of the course was covered in full for all participants. 

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