The impact of health on poverty: Evidence from the South African integrated family survey

This paper examines the impact of health status on poverty status, accounting for the endogeneity of health status. Using exogenous measures of health status from the South African Integrated Health Survey, we instrument for health status while allowing for covariation among the unobservables influencing both health and household poverty status. Health status, as captured by the body mass index, is shown to strongly influence poverty status. Households that contain more unhealthy individuals are 60% more likely to be income poor than households that contain fewer unhealthy individuals, and this finding appears invariant to the choice of poverty line.

How important is education for getting ahead in South Africa?

The impact of education on the process of development relies crucially on what can be assumed about the way it is rewarded. Standard human capital theory assumes diminishing marginal returns to education. The purpose of this paper is to examine the empirical relevance of this assumption. We find that the standard approach to estimating this relation is not well supported by virtually all of the available evidence for South Africa. Indeed, the marginal rate of return to education is extremely high for tertiary levels of education and small (approaching zero) for lower levels of education. If human capital accumulation is an important determinant of wealth accumulation, this implies that educational reforms in the form of small policy interventions will not have any significant impact on the distribution of income and wealth, as long as key features of labour markets that govern the manner in which education is rewarded, remains unaltered

Poverty and land distribution: Evidence from a natural experiment

While land reforms have long been motivated as a potential policy lever of rural growth and development, there is remarkably little evidence of the direct impacts of such reforms. In an effort to fill this lacunae, this paper examines South Africa's Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) program. We show that the implementation of this program operates as a natural experiment in which self-selected and administratively-filltered LRAD applicants receive land transfers at random points in time. This random exit from the application pipeline creates creates exogenous variation in treatment assignment as well as treatment duration. Exploiting both sources of exogenous variation, we estimate average and long-run treatment effects that imply a discounted gain in monthly per capita consumption of about fifty per cent after three years of exposure to the program

Poverty and Land Distribution: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

While land reforms have long been motivated as a potential policy lever of rural growth and development, there is remarkably little evidence of the direct impacts of such reforms. In an effort to fill this lacunae, this paper examines South Africa's Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) program. We show that the implementation of this program operates as a natural experiment in which self-selected and administratively-filltered LRAD applicants receive land transfers at random points in time. This random exit from the application pipeline creates creates exogenous variation in treatment assignment as well as treatment duration. Exploiting both sources of exogenous variation, we estimate average and long-run treatment effects that imply a discounted gain in monthly per capita consumption of about fifty per cent after three years of exposure to the program.land reform, poverty, impact evaluation

Evaluating the Impact of Health Programmes on Productivity

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96396/1/1467-8268.12002.pd

The effectiveness of trade show marketing capabilities on the financial performance of South African companies

Trade shows are an important part of the marketing mix, however there is considerable doubt to their contribution to the financial results in an organisation. A significant amount of firm’s’ marketing budgets are spent on trade shows, with the expectation that it will yield positive financial results. However, there is little research on trade show capability; especially literature relating to direct links between trade show activities and financial performance. The objective of this study was to determine whether trade show capability of South African companies results in improved financial performance. Trade show capability in this study refers to the activities, such as the resources that are required to participate in events and the outcomes from these activities. The resource based view of a firm, and conceptual models were used to link trade show marketing activities to trade show marketing outcomes to study the effects on the sales of companies. Marketing activities were limited to the number, frequency and level of expenditure of trade shows. The marketing outcomes included the number of leads generated and alignment of trade show goals to financial goals. In addition, company specific factors such as the type of industry, size of company and complexity of product were also explored. The research design was quantitative and descriptive in nature and tested the links between trade show capabilities and the financial performance of South African firms. The research found that overall there was no statistical evidence to show that all the trade show capabilities mentioned above, with the exception of some company specific factors, impacted the level of sales. These company specific factors included the type of industry, size of company, company type and complexity of product. CopyrightDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte

Ethnic differences in regional adipose tissue oestrogen receptor gene expression

Studies have shown ethnic differences in body fat distribution, characterised by greater peripheral and less central fat accumulation in black compared to white South African (SA) women. As sex hormones play an important role in body fat distribution, our study aimed to determine whether differences in body fat distribution between black and white SA women were associated with subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) expression of oestrogen receptors (ERA and ERB) and aromatase (CYP19A1). Body fat distribution (DXA and CT) and ERA, ERB and CYP19A1 expression in abdominal and gluteal SAT were measured in 26 black and 22 white SA women. Abdominal SAT ERA and ERB did not differ by ethnicity or BMI. Gluteal ERA was higher (1.08 ± 0.06 vs 0.99 ± 0.05, P < 0.001) and ERB was lower (0.99 ± 0.06 vs 1.10 ± 0.07, P < 0.001) in black vs white SA women. CYP19A1 increased with obesity in all depots (P < 0.001). In both black and white SA women, gluteal ERA was associated with lower central fat mass (FM) and greater gynoid FM (P < 0.05), while the inverse association was shown for CYP19A1 in all depots (P < 0.01). In conclusion, ethnic differences in gluteal ERA expression were associated with differences in body fat distribution previously reported between black and white SA women

Rural livelihoods in South Africa: complexity, vulnerability and differentiation

The livelihoods of South Africa’s rural African poor have long been characterized by diverse activities, and intertwined with urban opportunities. This paper examines the interlinked nature of land, employment and rural livelihoods within contemporary South Africa, in order to examine aspects of how the rural poor survive. Drawing on a body of livelihood and poverty-oriented enquiry, several vignettes from South Africa’s former ‘homeland’ communal areas are presented and discussed. Contemporary rural livelihoods are not only located in migratory networks and diverse livelihood activities, they are considered here as constituted in terms of four broad domains. First, they are forged within various land-based and agrarian activities. Second, they are often supported by small-scale, informal economic activities, both farm and non-farm. Third, they are frequently shaped by South Africa’s comparatively well-developed system of state cash transfers and, fourth, they are patterned by culturally inscribed patterns of mutuality and social reciprocity. The complexity and vulnerability that typically characterize rural lives are examined in terms of these four domains, along with constellations of social differentiation with which they are intertwined.Web of ScienceWeb of Scienc

Reduced Gluteal Expression of Adipogenic and Lipogenic Genes in Black South African Women Is Associated with Obesity-Related Insulin Resistance

CONTEXT: Black South African women are less insulin sensitive than their White counterparts, despite less central and greater peripheral fat deposition. We hypothesized that this paradox may be explained, in part, by differences in the adipogenic capacity of sc adipose tissue (SAT). OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to measure adipogenic and lipogenic gene expression in abdominal and gluteal SAT depots and determine their relationships with insulin sensitivity (S(I)) in South African women. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: Fourteen normal-weight [body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m(2)] Black, 13 normal-weight White, 14 obese (BMI >30 kg/m(2)) Black, and 13 obese White premenopausal South African women participated in this cross-sectional study. MAIN OUTCOMES: S(I) (frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance test) in relation to expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes in abdominal and gluteal SAT depots. RESULTS: With increasing BMI, Black women had less visceral fat (P = 0.03) and more abdominal (P = 0.017) and gynoid (P = 0.041) SAT but had lower S(I) (P < 0.01) than White women. The expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes was proportionately lower with obesity in Black but not White women in the gluteal and deep SAT depots (P < 0.05 for ethnicity × BMI effect). In Black women only, the expression of these genes correlated positively with S(I) (all P < 0.05), independently of age and fat mass. CONCLUSIONS: Obese Black women have reduced SAT expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes compared with White women, which associates with reduced S(I). These findings suggest that obesity in Black women impairs SAT adipogenesis and storage, potentially leading to insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Race, altruism and trust: Experimental evidence from South Africa

This work examines the salience of group identity in explaining the behavior of high school students in South Africa, the first generation of post-apartheid school pupils. The evidence suggests that group identity matters, not only when it is a relatively temporary identity that is easily changed as in the case of school affiliation, but more particularly, for a binding identity such as race. However, group identity on its own may be insufficient to produce in-group favoritism, and its effect is different: depending on whether or not strategic concerns are present in the choice at hand. Moreover, it will depend on the extent of group connectedness, the permeability of group boundaries, the salience of the group identity and its correlation with socio-economic differences, and the evolving nature and composition of social institutions such as schools and peer groups. The evidence, for the most part, is encouraging, suggesting that as South African society continues to transform itself through greater efforts towards racial integration and reconciliation in every sphere of life, this will inevitably facilitate inter-group contact and friendships, which in turn will enhance miter-racial trust and empathy