The idea of a ‘second economy’ has become a feature of recent government economic policy. In this paper we focus on one important element of the second economy – the informal economy. We analyse the nature of the informal economy in South Africa, providing some descriptive statistics and...

The theoretical argument in support of trade liberalisation is based, in part, on exports that foster dynamic efficiency gains primarily through learning and technological upgrading. Using data collected in the motor vehicle components industry, the article explores whether there is any evidence...

The idea of dualism in the South African economy, characterised by a ‘first’ and ‘second’ economy, has come to dominate government thinking in recent years. Using the panel component of the Labour Force Survey (LFS), we explore linkages between the formal and informal...

This article analyses one aspect of export promotion that has come to be an important mechanism for public sector implementation of export promotion, namely trade promotion organisations. Drawing on the export experiences of firms in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, we explore the...

Using research conducted for the Women's Budget Initiative (WBI) in South Africa, this paper examines the impact of government expenditure on women. The paper uses the budget of the South African Department of Trade and Industry to assess how this department's activities impacts on women. The...

This paper attempts to address the paucity in micro-level research on the impact of trade liberalisation on manufacturing firms in South Africa. Using data from a survey of manufacturing firms in the Durban area, the second largest concentration of manufacturing activity in South Africa, we...

Drawing on South African experiences, this paper provides a critical evaluation of the World Bank's 1997 World Development Report, 'The State in a Changing World'. The paper sets out the Bank's conception of a 'good' state as it emerges from the Report. We then evaluate this conception of the...