Tracing the historical structure of economic growth in South Africa and identifying policies for inclusive growth and redistribution

Abstract

The ar/cle will analyse the historical structure of economic growth in South Africa with a par/cular focus on the period from 1994 to 2024. This analysis will show how the social and economic base inherited from the pre-1994 colonial and apartheid periods has, along with weak state capacity, contributed to an ongoing crisis of low growth and unequal accumula/on. The ar/cle will argue that improved policy frameworks and improved state capacity to advance structural transforma/on, in a range of sectors, including land reform, industrial policy, and the management of the energy transi/on, can assist in shiIing the country’s economic trajectory onto a higher rate of inclusive economic growth and higher levels of produc/vity. The ar/cle will conclude by reflec/ng on the current balance of poli/cal forces in the country and the extent to which poli/cal factors could assist in advancing or retarding economic growth and redistribu/on.