Trade openness and economic growth: experience from three SACU countries

This study uses annual data for the period 1975-2014 for South Africa and Botswana, and 1979-2013 for Lesotho to examine empirically the impact of trade openness on economic growth in these three South African Customs Union (SACU) countries. The motivation for this study is that SACU countries are governed by the common agreement for the union that oversees the movement of goods that enter the SACU area. However, although these countries are in a com-mon union, they have quite different levels of development. Based on the country’s level of development, Lesotho is a lower middle-income and least developed country, whereas Botswana and South Africa are upper middle-income economies. Thus, these disparities in the levels of economic development of SACU countries i are expected to have different implications in relation to the extent to which trade openness affects economic growth. It is within this background that the current study seeks to examine what impact trade openness has on economic growth in each of the three selected countries. To check the robustness of the empirical results, this study uses four equations based on four different indicators of trade openness to examine the linkage between trade openness and economic growth. While Equation 1, Equation 2 and Equation 3 employ trade-based indicators of openness, Equation 4 uses a modified version of the UNCTAD (2012a) trade openness index that incorporates differences in country size and geography. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration and error-correction modelling, the study found that the impact of trade openness on economic growth varies across the three SACU countries. Based on the results for the first three equations, the study found that trade openness has a positive impact on economic growth in South Africa and Botswana, whereas it has no significant impact on economic growth in Lesotho. Based on Equation 4 results, the study found that after taking the differences in country size and geography into account, trade openness has a positive impact on economic growth in Botswana, but an insignificant impact in South Africa and Lesotho. For South Africa and Botswana, the main recommendation from this study is that policy makers should pursue policies that promote total trade to increase economic growth in both the short and the long run. For Lesotho, the study recommends, among other things, the adoption of policies aimed at enhancing human capital and infrastructural development as well as the broadening of exports, so as to enable the economy to grow to a threshold level necessary for the realisation of significant gains from trade.Economic

The development of a strategic marketing plan for the Mangaung tourism area

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 200

Determination of the fatigue properties of Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts built by a direct metal laser sintering system with standard process parameters followed by post-processing treatments

Thesis (Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2019Design of hard tissue medical prostheses is typically based on the mechanical properties of the materials used. However, apart from non-loadbearing implants, medical prostheses in use are exposed to various forms of dynamic loading. Therefore, to eventually deliver qualified medical prostheses produced through additive manufacturing (AM), it is necessary to develop a data bank on both their static and dynamic properties. This is done here with reference to the fatigue properties of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) of Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts, produced at the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) of Central University of Technology, Free State. The effect of flaws inherent in DMLS-produced specimens and their microstructure on the mechanical properties for as-built and high-temperature annealed specimens is investigated here. From literature, orthotropy in DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens, with reference to the three mutually orthogonal DMLS build directions, has been reported. It was attributed to the presence and orientation of the DMLS process-related pores within DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to their loading axis, the presence and direction of the residual stresses within the DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to their loading axis, and the direction of the prior beta () grains of DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to the loading axis. These are all factors of growth of the layers of the DMLS process in relation to the three mutually orthogonal DMLS build directions. Therefore, in this project the first step was the non-destructive testing of DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens for the presence or lack of orthotropy. It was done by the ultrasonic testing of rectangular bars of as-built Ti6Al4V (ELI) of dimensions 60 x 11 x 11 mm built to align with X-, Y- and Z-axes of the DMLS machine, where Z is the build direction and X is the direction of movement of the recoater blade. From the data obtained, the tested DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens showed to be both homogeneous and isotropic. The high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of as-built and high-temperature annealed (HTA) DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) machined and polished specimens built to align with the three mutually orthogonal machine axes were investigated. This was carried out by cycling the specimens under load control, in a tension–tension fatigue testing machine. From the data collected, semi-log graphs of maximum stress (S) against life (N) of the specimens produced along the respective three build directions were plotted, and the displayed endurance limits compared. The as-built specimens aligned with the Y- and Z-axes showed the same endurance limit of 485 MPa and it was slightly higher than the 450 MPa endurance limit of the specimens aligned with the X-axis. Whereas the HTA specimens aligned with the X- and Y-axes showed the same endurance limit of 450 MPa, the specimens aligned with the Z-axis showed a slightly higher endurance limit of 486 MPa. Optical and scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surfaces were used to compare and analyse the crack initiation and propagation characteristics of the specimens. These showed that the dominating crack initiators were DMLS process-related pores. The HTA DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens were micro-CT scanned in an attempt to relate the pores in the specimens with their fatigue properties. The micro-CT pore information from suspected crack initiation pores on the surfaces of eventually fractured specimens was used to calculate stress intensity factors, which correlated well with the decreasing cycles to failure of the fatigue test specimens for all three build directions. Three representative specimens were analysed and the “killer pore” identified in each micro-CT scan and fractographs, all which were proximal to the surface of the specimen

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic investigations of Pt-based binary (bimetallic) and ternary (trimetallic) nanoparticles

This work tests the hypothesis that nanoparticles of 75 at.% platinum (Pt) composition and anisotropic morphology, will outperform standard catalysts in (PEMFC) hydrogen fuel cells. A survey of the scientific literature on this topic is first presented. The synthetic strategies which were developed for the preparation of novel Pt-based binary (bimetallic) and ternary (trimetallic) nanoparticles, containing nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and/or vanadium (V), are then described. The synthesis protocols for solution-grown colloidal nanoparticles all required the heat-up of a chemical mixture (of metal precursors, surfactants as stabilizers, solvents and/or reductants) from room temperature to high temperatures (up to 310 °C), for thermal decomposition or thermal co-reduction. These protocols were successful in producing nanostructures of high quality, with exceptional solubility in polar solvents such as chloroform after repeated washing and drying. Detailed microstructural investigations of the synthesized nanoparticles were carried out using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), TEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nanoparticles were anisotropic with composition around 75 at.% Pt. Depending on the particular synthesis protocol, the as-prepared nanoparticles exhibited different morphologies, surface facets, size and structure (alloy or core-shell). To measure the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) functionality of these nanoparticles, electrochemical measurements were conducted, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), carbon monoxide stripping voltammetry (CO-stripping) and rotating disk electrode measurements (RDE). These measurements determined (a) electrochemical surface area, (b) mass-specific activity and (c) area-specific activity; which were used to compare the performance of the synthesized nanoparticles with the performance of a standard catalyst. The synthesised nanoparticles, containing 75 at.% Pt and having anisotropic morphologies, exhibited better catalytic functionality than the standard catalysts currently in widespread use. The enhanced functionality of these alloy nanostructures is attributed to their anisotropic nature and structure (mixed or core-shell). It is shown accordingly that high surface area nanoparticles, with platinum composition around 75 at.%, are more effective than the best catalysts currently in use. Subsequently, electrochemical measurements were used to determine longevity: catalytic functionality was measured after cycling for considerably longer than the norm in nanoparticle research (5000 cycles). These measurements show a decay in catalytic activity after prolonged potential cycles, although the final value is similar to the initial value for commercial Pt catalyst. This decay is suggestive of alloying dissolution and surface facet deformation; further work is recommended

Trade openness and economic growth:Empirical evidence from Lesotho

This paper examines the dynamic impact of trade openness on economic growth in Lesotho using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach. The study employs four indicators of trade openness, which include three trade-based proxies and an index of trade openness. The empirical results of this study show that trade openness has no significant impact on economic growth in both the short run and long run irrespective of which proxy of trade openness is used. These empirical results have important policy implications for Lesotho. Among others, this study suggests that the policymakers adopt policies aimed at boosting human capital and infrastructural development so that the economy grows to a threshold level required to reap the benefits of trade openness in its various forms. The policymakers should also pursue policies that enable the expansion in both international trade and economic growth, such that beneficial growth effects can be realized from trade with no exclusions.Economic

The role of international trade in Lesotho’s economic growth: a review

This paper investigates the role of international trade in Lesotho's economy. Over the years, the increasing role of international trade in the economy of Lesotho has become evident, particularly with the impetus from the country‘s export sector. An exploratory review approach has been used in this paper, in which the discussion mainly focuses on Lesotho‘s economic growth policy, trade policy, trends in economic growth, and trade performance. The findings point to the connection between Lesotho‘s economic growth and exports from the manufacturing sector, which driven by trade privileges. There is a further indication from this review that Lesotho‘s growth policy has been largely shaped by the country‘s need to pursue export-led growth and private-sector led growth. In recent years, developments in the country‘s trade policy have moved towards the implementation of a more liberal trade approach, as opposed to the initial import substitution industrialisation that Lesotho adopted in the 1960s. This change in trade policy has resulted in an enforcement of measures that have helped to enhance policy-driven trade. The graphical analysis shows that, generally, trends in Lesotho‘s economic growth correspond to the performance of the country‘s trade sector. Nevertheless, while international trade has made some significant contributions to Lesotho‘s economic growth, a heavy reliance on manufactured exports, which are known to be volatile to global economic downturns, poses some challenges to the country. Therefore, it is recommended that Lesotho relies on a wider range of exports, rather than manufactured exports, in order to strengthen trade-related growth in the country

The design of municipal council chamber for East London: an exploration of culture and identity in a contested socio-spatial landscape

The treatise seeks to explore the notions of African identity and culture in post-apartheid public space through the design of a Municipal Council Chamber for East London on the site of the first hearings of the Truth and Reconciliations Commissions in South Africa. Public space in post-apartheid South Africa is still a contested subject, where histories and identities of culture are not equally represented. The design project seeks to facilitate an inclusion of subjugated narratives of African culture into public spaces through architectural representation of form and cultural practices through programme. A qualitative research methodology is utilised for the study, as the focus for the research is to examine and explore culture and identity through a theoretical lens, based on exploring the existing theory of Jonathon Noble ‘Questions of African Identity: White Skin, Black masks’. The aim is to examine how culture and identity in architecture of post-apartheid South Africa engages with African consciousness through spatial and physical themes to renegotiate identity of public spaces, where subjugated narratives can be equally represented. The treatise provides evidence that within the discourse of culture and architecture in South Africa, architectural hybridity can be used as a mechanism for forging a new identity of an African discourse, facilitated through a dialogue of dominant narratives of colonial rule and subjugated narratives of an African discourse. The study concludes that explorations of African themes in the post-apartheid landscape can contribute and uplift the socio-spatial landscape through presenting new perspectives of identity and culture that reflect the narrative of African identity and culture that has been excluded in these public spaces

Relationship between China’s Economic Growth and South Africa’s Exports to China

The rapid growth of China’s economy has increased China’s demand for imports required to meet the increased demand for raw materials in its industries. In 2006, China became the largest export destination for South Africa. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between China’s economic growth and South Africa’s exports to China. The paper aims to find out whether there is any significant relationship between China’s economic growth and South Africa’s exports to China. Using an import demand function for China, we employ an ARDL framework to analyze the research problem based on quarterly data covering the period 1992 to 2015. We find no evidence that there is a significant relationship between China’s economic growth and South Africa’s exports to China. However, the results do show that there is a positive long-run relationship between South Africa’s exports to China and the price of South Africa’s exports. The positive coefficient of South Africa’s export prices indicates lack of price sensitivity in terms of South Africa’s exports to China. Based on the results, we recommend that South Africa should find ways to enable its exports sector to benefit more from the high economic growth in China. Among other ways, this could be achieved through negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Africa and China