Earnings and Employment Dynamics for Africans in Post-apartheid South Africa: A Panel Study of KwaZulu-Natal

[Excerpt] The labour market is central in determining individual and household well-being in South Africa. Therefore, an understanding of earnings and employment dynamics is a key policy issue. However, the absence of panel data has constrained empirical work addressing these issues. This paper makes use of a regional panel data set for KwaZulu-Natal to begin the study of earnings and employment dynamics. The authors find that, on average, working-aged Africans in KwaZulu-Natal experienced large gains in earnings during the period 1993–8. These gains were progressive in nature, with the highest quintile of 1993 earners and those originally employed in the formal sector actually experiencing zero or negative growth in their average earnings. The average gain in earnings varied substantially depending on the employment transitions experienced by labour force participants. Obtaining formal sector employment is found to be an important pathway to growth in earnings, yet not exclusively so. The majority of those who get ahead do so by retaining employment in a given sector or moving into the informal sector. The dynamism of the informal sector over this period is shown to be an important contributor to the progressive growth in earnings. Government policies that seek to increase employment and earnings in the informal as well as formal sectors are recommended. Understanding the constraints preventing the vast number of unemployed from engaging in informal employment is shown to be a key issue for future work

For Richer or For Poorer? Evidence from Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, and Venezuela

We analyze household income dynamics using longitudinal data from Indonesia, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal), Spain and Venezuela. In all four countries, households with the lowest reported base-year income experienced the largest absolute income gains. This result is robust to reasonable amounts of measurement error in two of the countries. In three of the four countries, households with the lowest predicted base-year income experienced gains at least as large as their wealthier counterparts. Thus, with one exception, the empirical importance of cumulative advantage, poverty traps, and skill-biased technical change was no greater than structural or macroeconomic changes that favored initially poor households in these four countries

What happened to real earnings in Egypt, 2008 to 2009?

Nominal earnings in Egypt did not respond to the increase in inflation between February 2008 and February 2009, resulting in a 12.3 (9) percent decline in average (median) real earnings among 25 to 60 years old workers. Changes in earnings differ significantly by groups: (i) those with higher initial earnings (reported and predicted) suffered the largest declines in earnings; (ii) men lost more than women but after controlling for initial earnings, women lost considerably more than men; (iii) those who were initially in agriculture also had greater declines despite rising food prices

Perceived Barriers to Entry into Self-employment in Khayelitsha, South Africa: Crime, Risk, and Start-up Capital Dominate Profit Concerns

In South Africa, the broad unemployment rate for Africans has remained near or above forty percent for most of the last ten years. One critical reason is the relatively low level of employment in small-scale entrepreneurial work. This paper explores the factors that constrain individuals from engaging in self-employment activities in a large township in Cape Town. Crime is perceived to be the dominant hindrance to entering the micro-enterprise sector. A number of other hindrances, including capital constraints, transportation costs, and community jealousy, are on par or surpass concerns over profitability or government regulation. These findings are robust to a series of alternative ranking scheme

Economists versus the Street: Comparative Viewpoints on Barriers to Self-employment in Khayelitsha, South Africa

What prevents the unemployed in Khayelitsha, South Africa from trying self-employment? Perceptions of a small group of academic economists are presented and compared to the perceptions of unemployed Khayelitsha residents themselves

Lenguaje, comunicación y Diseño

El artículo propone un recorrido histórico sobre la relación problemática entre diseño, comunicación y lenguaje. Se parte de la consideración sobre los lenguajes que hacen lasvanguardias artístico-políticas de principios del siglo XX para acceder a una primera tensión –moderna- entre lenguaje y comunicación. Por su parte, el análisis de lo desarrollado en Bauhauspermite comprender la relación entre comunicación y diseño. Luego de esta primera parte, eltexto avanza hacia los problemas comunicacionales que se presentan en la inmediata posguerra yel modo en que el diseño comienza a asimilar concepciones provenientes de la teoría cibernéticade la comunicación. En este punto, el artículo repasa los avances que en términos comunicacionales se han operado en las últimas décadas y que, en no pocas ocasiones, colisionan con eluniverso proyectual donde se ubica el diseño.The article proposes an historical review on the relation between design, communication and language. The author starts with the artistic-political vanguards of principles ofthe Xxth century to reach the first modern tension between language and communication. Onthe other hand, the analysis of the Bauhaus allows to understand the relation between communication and design. After this first part, the text goes towards the communicational problemsthat appear in the immediate postwar period and the way in which design begins to assimilateconceptions of the cybernetics theory of the communication. In this point, the article reviewsthe advances in communicational concepts in the last decades that, sometimes collide withprojects universe where the design is located.O artigo propõe um percurso histórico sobre a relação problemática entre design, comunicação e linguagem. O ponto de partida é a consideração sobre as linguagens que fazem asvanguardias artístico-políticas de princípios do século XX para acceder a uma primeira tensão-moderna- entre linguagem e comunicação. Por outro lado, a analise do desenvolvido em Bauhaus permite compreender a relação entre comunicação e design. Depois, o texto avança até osproblemas comunicacionais que se apresentam na imediata posguerra e a maneira em que odesign comenza a assimilar concepções que vêm da teoria cibernética da comunicação. Nesteponto, o artigo repassa os avanços nas comunicações nas últimas décadas e que, em ocações,chocam com o univertso projetual onde se ubica o design

Latinoamérica en la trama del Diseño. Entre la utopía y la realidad

En el ensayo de Gustavo Valdés de León se realiza un profundo análisis de las interrelaciones teóricas y pragmáticas del Diseño como disciplina emblemática de la Modernidad con la realidad -histórica, económica, cultural y política- de Latinoamérica. Para armar esta idea su autor realiza la operación de desarmar metafóricamente una gran caja llena de conceptos que es necesario comprender en profundidad para llegar a pensar en el diseño latinoamericano. Por este motivo, e intentando presentar en todo momento un recorrido por el diseño de América latina, hace referencia al diseño en sí, a Latinoamérica, su nombre y su historia, la relación entre resistencia e hibridación, como se pasa de una etapa de resistencia a otra caracterizada por la imitación.The essay of Gustavo Valdés de León develops a deep analysis of the theoretical and pragmatic interrelations of Design like emblematic discipline of modernity with the historical, economic, cultural and political reality of Latin America. In order to build this idea the author conducts the metaphorical disassembly of a great full box of concepts that is necessary to understand in depth to get to think about the Latin American design. For this reason, and trying at any moment to display a route by the design of Latin America, it makes reference to design in itself, to Latin America, its name and its history, the relation between resistance and hybridization and the change of a resistance stage into other one characterized by imitation.No ensáio de Gustavo Valdés de León realiza-se uma profunda analisse das interrelações teóricas e pragmáticas doDesign como disciplina emblemática da modernidade com a realidade - histórica, económica, cultural e política - deLatinoamérica. Para armar esta idéia seu autor realiza a operação de desarmar metafóricamente uma grande caixa cheia de conceitos que é necessario compreender em profundidade para chegar a pensar no design latinoamericano. Por este motivo, e procurando apressentar em todo momento um percurso pelo design em se, a Latinoamérica, seu nome e sua história, a relação entre resistência e hibridação, como se passa de uma etapa de resistência a outra caracterizada pela imitação

Aproximación al fenómeno de integración de las artesanías a la moda colombiana

Se puede afirmar que la artesanía colombiana, como sector de la actividad económica y socio-cultural, reviste importancia estratégica para el país. Son múltiples las razones que justifican la aplicación de esfuerzos especiales por parte de reconocidos diseñadores y nuevos creadores, para procurar el fortalecimiento y posicionamiento en mercados en los que tiene gran aceptación. Esto es debido a la variedad de artículos y al dominio de técnicas y materiales propios; que es portadora de una mezcla de elementos precolombinos, españoles, nativos y afroamericanos. Su contribución al rescate y enriquecimiento de la cultura; la afirmación de la identidad de las comunidades, de las regiones y de la nación, y a la proyección de su imagen en otros países

Earnings and Employment Dynamics for Africans in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Panel Study of Kwa Zulu-Natal

The labour market is central in determining individual and household well-being in South Africa. Therefore, an understanding of earnings and employment dynamics is a key policy issue. However, the absence of panel data has constrained empirical work addressing these topics. This paper conducts such a study using a regional panel data set, the KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study (KIDS)

Introducción a los Observatorios Temáticos: PaisajeUrbe

The thematic observatories Urban Landscape come to complete a missing space in the discipline of the handling and the interpretation of the open public and private space. Here, the outstanding professionals in precise subjects express themselves, share knowledge of handling native vegetation, public space socializing, education, design actions and proposals, their history and its disquisition. The city is the physical site and the landscape the habitat (the physical site interacting with the atmosphere); in that particular background Urban Landscape is introduced like a professional sampling of the state of our habitat, of the landscape and of the cityLos observatorios temáticos Paisaje Urbe vienen a completar un espacio faltante en la disciplina del manejo y la interpretación del espacio abierto: público y/o privado. Aquí se expresan los profesionales destacados en temas precisos, se comparten conocimientos de manejo de vegetación nativa, sociabilización del espacio público, educación, propuestas y acciones de diseño, su historia y su disquisición. Es la ciudad el sitio físico y el paisaje el hábitat (el sitio físico interactuando con el ambiente); en este contexto se presenta a Paisaje Urbe como un muestreo profesional del estado de nuestro hábitat, del paisaje, de la ciudad.Os observatórios temáticos Paisagem Urbe vêm completar um espaço faltante na disciplina do manejo e a interpretação do espaço aberto: público e/ou privado. Aqui se expressam os profissionais marcantes em temas precisos,compartilham-se conhecimentos de manejo de vegetação nativa, sociabilização do espaço público, educação, propostas eações de desenho, sua história e sua problemática. É a cidade o lugar físico e a paisagem o habitat (o lugar físico interagindocom o ambiente); neste contexto se apresenta a Paisagem Urbe como uma amostragem profissional do estado de nossohabitat, da paisagem, da cidade