Using Match Attractiveness Measures to Evaluate the Structure of the Currie Cup

Recent remarks in the media suggest that the Currie Cup competition, the premier rugby union competition in South Africa, is in need of a revamp. This is not a new inclination; the structure of the Currie Cup has had numerous alterations over the preceding two decades. But why has the Currie Cup suddenly lost its glamour? Existing measures of competitive balance used in the economics of sports literature are found to be unsatisfactory for rugby union competitions. Using a new measure of match attractiveness, this paper shows that the existing Currie Cup performs poorly compared to the top rugby union competitions across the world. 21 years of Currie Cup rugby are assessed to determine which structure yields the most attractive rugby. It is found that it is not the number of matches or the format of the competition that determines the “attractiveness”, but rather how many teams participate. A structure where only the five Super 14 franchises compete yields the most attractive outcomes. Yet, even a competition of “five plus one” will be relatively more attractive than most current rugby union competitions, while also contributing to broadening participation and representation in South African rugby. A format is proposed where the five Super 14 franchises and one team open to promotion/relegation compete. The existing Vodacom Cup excluding the five Super 14-unions can be used as qualification tournament for the sixth team. Promotion for the sixth team should be determined on the highest league log points at the end of the tournament (Vodacom Cup) and not in a play-off match.Economics of sport leagues, Competitive balance, Match attractiveness, Rugby union, Currie Cup

From Competitive Balance to Match Attractiveness in Rugby Union

Professional sports leagues aim to provide attractive contests that maximise fan interest. Literature on the demand for professional sport suggests that fans derive utility from identifying with teams and from the quality of contests, which depends on uncertainty of outcome and demonstration of the skills required to excel at the game. Measures of the attractiveness of sports contests should incorporate these two dimensions of quality. This paper proposes measures of the attractiveness of rugby union matches corresponding to Newton’s gravity equation. These measures proxy the extent of uncertainty of outcome by the points margin between the participating teams and demonstration of playing skills by the total number of points scored in a match, respectively. Using hypothetical match scores, the paper shows that the most accurate of the proposed measures uniquely identify degrees of “attractiveness”. A comparison of major rugby leagues for the period 2006 to 2008 suggests that the Guinness Premiership provided the most attractive matches, followed by the Magners League and the Super 14.Economics of sport leagues, Rugby union, Competitive balance, Uncertainty of outcomes, Match attractiveness

Book Review: Local Government Finance: A Comparative Study

Book Title: Local Government Finance: A Comparative StudyBook Author: Dirk BrandSUN Media, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2016. ISBN 978192068998

Poverty in South Africa: A profile based on recent household surveys

This paper provides a non-technical, snapshot-like profile of poverty in South Africa based on two surveys recently conducted by Statistics South Africa: the Income and expenditure survey of households 2005/06 (IES2005) and the General household survey 2006 (GHS2006). It uses various “poverty markers” (including geographical location, population group, gender, household structure, the age of the head of the household, and employment status) to identify key characteristics of poverty groups, and also highlights other important dimensions of poverty (deficient access to infrastructure services, high transport cost burdens, limited education attainments, and exposure to hunger). The paper further emphasises that the expansion of social grants since 1999 has significantly reduced extreme poverty.Poverty, Poverty markers, Burden of poverty, Social grants, South Africa

Efficiency and equity effects of social grants in South Africa

This paper discusses the nature and effects of social grants programmes in South Africa against the backdrop of international trends in the reform of social assistance systems. It shows that South Africa has a well-developed social assistance system that significantly reduces extreme poverty, in part because the grants are very well targeted. The review of existing literature and new evidence presented in this paper suggest that the grants influence the behaviour of recipients and potential recipients in various ways, not all of which are necessarily benign. The paper also highlights the scope for further research on the potential of workfare programmes, conditional cash transfer programmes and other innovative social assistance schemes in the South African context.Social security, social grants, social pensions, child support grants, effects of social assistance, South Africa

The limits of laws : traffic law enforcement in South Africa

CITATION: Du Plessis, S., Jansen, A. & Siebrits, K. 2020. The limits of laws : traffic law enforcement in South Africa. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 23(1):a3430, doi:10.4102/sajems.v23i1.3430.The original publication is available at https://sajems.orgBackground: The aim of many public policies is to change behaviour. Governments tend to rely on regulations, taxes and subsidies to effect such change. These measures, which affect agents’ economic incentives, have a mixed record. A key insight of the New Institutional Economics is that the efficacy of such formal institutions depends on the strength of their enforcement and the extent to which they are compatible with prevailing informal institutions. Aim: This article uses the road safety situation in South Africa as a case study to explore aspects of the relationships among formal institutions, law enforcement and informal institutions. Setting: South Africa has a strong suite of road safety laws but poor road safety outcomes. Methods: The article draws on ideas about the relationships between formal institutions, law enforcement and informal institutions to undertake a case study of the road safety situation in South Africa. Results: The article argues that improved law enforcement cannot fully solve the problem; complementary changes to the informal institutions shaping the behaviour of road users are essential. Conclusion: Institutional economists have to take a greater interest in the insights of research in behavioural economics, behavioural and cognitive science and other disciplines in order to provide useful advice in settings where such change is an important policy objective.https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/view/3430Publisher's versio

Reflections on the effectiveness of child support grants

CITATION: Siebrits, K. 2020. Reflections on the effectiveness of child support grants, in Grobbelaar, J. & Jones, C. (eds) 2020. Childhood vulnerabilities in South Africa : some ethical perspectives. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928480952/09.The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/zaSouth Africa’s unusually large social assistance system annually transfers some 3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to the poor as cash grants.1 The child support grant (CSG) programme is one of the cornerstones of this system. Government spending on this programme exceeds 1% of South Africa’s GDP, and, in March 2019, nearly 70% of the 17.8 million grants disbursed in South Africa were CSGs (South African Social Security Agency 2019:18). The premise of this chapter is that a humane society should maintain safety net schemes to meet the basic needs of children and other vulnerable persons. Given the extent of poverty in South Africa and its severe effects on large numbers of children, this premise implies that measures, such as the CSG programme, are essential. Yet the same factors that make such interventions essential also underscore the necessity of ensuring their effectiveness. An appropriate criterion for assessing the effectiveness of the CSG programme is the degree to which its benefits to children are maximised. The design and implementation of the programme, as well as the usage of the funds by households, all influence its efficacy. In turn, the choices that manifest in these aspects of the programme reflect the beliefs of society about its obligations to poor children, those of policymakers about the requisites and agency of the poor, and those of caregivers about the needs of children and the role of grant money within household budgets. The salience of choices rooted in beliefs imparts a strong ethical slant to attempts to assess the effectiveness of the CSG programme. The chapter proceeds with an overview of economic and social influences on the living conditions of South African children. This section highlights the high incidence of poverty in South Africa and its severe effects on children. Next, the chapter sketches the history of the CSG programme and outlines its main characteristics. A review of empirical research into the effectiveness of CSGs follows. This section also identifies limitations of the programme. Against this backdrop, the final section offers broad suggestions for improving the CSG programme itself and for enhancing its effectiveness by means of changes to other policies that affect the living conditions and future prospects of children.Publisher's versio