Joshua Budlender – The Conversation

The impact of extra cash payments introduced during the COVID pandemic in South Africa is being considered. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images

February 15, 2024

South Africa has spent billions in 4 years to create jobs for young people: how their wages affect the broader economy

Joshua Budlender, UMass Amherst and Ihsaan Bassier, London School of Economics and Political Science

When evaluating the costs and benefits of the employment programme, and similar ones such as social grants, ‘extra’ economic benefits need to be part of the calculation.

Millions of poor South Africans rely on social grants, including the child support grant, just to survive. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images

March 31, 2020

South Africa can – and should – top up child support grants to avoid a humanitarian crisis

Ihsaan Bassier, UMass Amherst; Joshua Budlender, UMass Amherst; Murray Leibbrandt, University of Cape Town; Rocco Zizzamia, University of Oxford, and Vimal Ranchhod, University of Cape Town

To support precarious households that can’t access existing relief during lockdown and its aftermath, the government should implement a temporary increase in the value of the child support grant.

Unused cooling towers overlooking an informal settlement in Soweto. A new study suggests that poverty in South Africa is actually higher than the figures usually quoted. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

September 3, 2015

How current measures underestimate the level of poverty in South Africa

Joshua Budlender, University of Cape Town; Ingrid Woolard, University of Cape Town, and Murray Leibbrandt, University of Cape Town

A review of South Africa’s methodology to measure poverty shows that 60% of people in the country are poor. This is way higher than the figures that are usually quoted.

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