Volume 3, Number 2


 

Economic policy-making: narrowing the gap between the worlds of ideas and action
Parsons, R.

Since the advent of democracy in South Africa (SA) in 1994 there has been a dramatic upsurge of interest at both the academic and policy level in the country’s economic performance. Although it is obviously also related to political developments of the period, this heightened interest is likely to persist, especially for as long as SA’s economy is seen to be under-performing. The obvious political and practical importance of the issues involved as well as the intellectual interest of many of the socio-economic phenomena and policy challenges they offer, all suggest that the interest is likely to persist. This perception is reinforced by the fact that in 2014 SA celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its democracy, as well as holding its fifth successful general election in which socio-economic and governance issues dominated the campaign.

Keywords: Economic; policy-making