The work of this Chair was focused on a sustained programme of research to measure and analyse the unfolding social dynamics within contemporary South Africa with particular attention being devoted to poverty and inequality dynamics. This programme of research and capacity building was anchored in the production and analysis of panel data with particular emphasis on the Cape Area Panel Study and the National Income Dynamics Study.
This Chair fully funded the salary of the Chair holder and his work. Each year, its scholarship programme (augmented by running costs) funded a post-doctoral fellow, 2 PhD students, 2 Master’s students, 2 Honours students and 2 staff development grants for 2 members of staff of the School of Economics to help them to complete their PhDs. The running costs of the Chair funded conference attendance and training opportunities for students and contributed to SALDRU’s administrative costs and to equipment purchases for SALDRU researchers.
Dates: 2008-2012; 2013-2017
Funding: National Research Foundation
The Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (CRAM) is a collaborative study which aims to inform policy using rapid reliable research on income, employment and welfare in South Africa, in the context of the global Coronavirus pandemic. The study is run by researchers from three universities: Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
One of the components of the broader CRAM study is NIDS-CRAM, the National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey. The survey investigates the socioeconomic impacts of the national lockdown associated with the State of Disaster declared in South Africa in March 2020, and the social and economic consequences of the global Coronavirus pandemic.
NIDS-CRAM is a special follow up with a sub-sample of adults from households in the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) Wave 5 (2017). NIDS is a panel survey which has been run by SALDRU. It studies the well-being of South Africans, the households they live in and how these change over time. It started in 2008 when around 28 000 people across South Africa were interviewed. People were then re-interviewed, together with anyone they were living with at the time, every two to three years. Almost 40 000 people were interviewed in 2017.
The NIDS-CRAM questionnaire incorporates inputs from members of working and reference groups which comprise researchers from multiple universities and government officials and analysts, among others. The NIDS-CRAM survey data collection and production operations for the five waves of NIDS-CRAM conducted thus far, were implemented by SALDRU.
For more on the CRAM study, view the CRAM website.
SALDRU people who have been involved with CRAM are:
Team leads
Reza Daniels
Vimal Ranchhod
Steering Committee
Murray Leibbrandt
Reference Group
Nicola Branson
Working Groups
Andrew Kerr
Cally Ardington
Rocco Zizzamia
Brendan Maughan-Brown
Tim Brophy
Kim Ingle
Thokozile Malaza
Morne Hoffman
Victoria Basopo
Fentone Omwony
Julia Tatham
Paidamoyo Bodzo
Viwe Dikoko
See the full list of the CRAM team on the CRAM website.
Valuable training and/or translation support were also provided by the following people from SALDRU:
Nobubele Tyembile
Alansa Klaasen
Lulama Mabaleka
Majara Lebenya
Nkhangweleni Theophilus Mathoma