SALDRU News

In this commentary on the Budget, SALDRU Associate Andrew Donaldson reflects on the extent to which the current moment truly reflects a turning point – in terms of debt and financial projections, growth, and the performance of government

As part of the Human Capital for Sustainable Development in Africa and Coastal Regions project, Professor Wolfgang Lutz spent three weeks at SALDRU engaging with the locally-based team.

The workshop aims to provide a South African venue where overseas-based and local researchers can present and engage with frontier Economics research under the theme of “Frontiers in Applied Economics for Developing Countries”.

An event was held at UCT to celebrate 50 years since the founding of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit on the 10th of December. About 100 people gathered to mark this milestone and hear about SALDRU's history.

SALDRU hosted a lunch to mark Murray Leibbrandt’s formal retirement from UCT. This article by Charmaine Smith draws together the multitude of tributes Murray has received.

In the first week of December, SALDRU’s Deputy Director, Associate Prof. Ariane De Lannoy, and SALDRU’s Director, Prof. Vimal Ranchhod, participated in the international Future of Social Mobility conference in Santiago, Chile.

Using longitudinal data from the National Income Dynamics Study, the authors track individuals moving between historical Apartheid settlement types to determine if ‘exiting’ segregated spaces translates into wealth accumulation.

Associate Prof. De Lannoy contributed to high-level discussions in Doha on youth participation, youth unemployment, and strategies to support young people facing socio-economic exclusion.

J-PAL Africa’s African Scholars Program was born out of a need to address disparities in access to research funding, mentorship, training opportunities, and global academic networks that have limited African economics researchers.

After twenty-two months as Executive Director of SALDRU, Reza Daniels will be stepping down from the role. In this farewell message Reza reflects on the SALDRU's accomplishments and achievements over the period.

The Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) and Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) are pleased to invite you to the 2025 December Workshop on Frontiers in Applied Economics for Developing Countries.

The University of Cape Town invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship position funded through the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and National Research Foundation's (NRF) South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI).