Browsing by Author "Cwele, Fundisiwe"

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    Towards an inclusive, green growth path : a review of South Africa's National Development Plan's approach to economic growth
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Cwele, Fundisiwe; Muller, J. I.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : To counter current challenges, South Africa’s growth path must support the greening of the economy, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and address poverty, inequality and unemployment concurrently. The country’s growth path therefore needs to be both green and inclusive. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework that identifies the determinants of such a path and it reviews South Africa’s National Development Plan against this framework to understand whether it has the characteristics necessary to move the country onto an inclusive, green growth path. It is argued that the country needs to transition to this path to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges it faces. A traditional narrative literature review was conducted to create the conceptual framework, with the focus on the alternative pro-poor, inclusive and green growth paths to identify the necessary determinants. A coding process was used to identify five categories and their related themes: the social category with themes of social protection, education and training, and poverty alleviation; economic category covering growth and structural transformation, small business development, financial inclusion, job creation and inequality reduction; environmental category comprising themes of green industries, natural resource management, green finance, green jobs and green skills; spatial development category encompassing themes of economic infrastructure and rural development; and the governance category focused on themes of strong institutions and public participation. The five categories and 16 themes provide a framework for an inclusive, green growth path. South Africa’s National Development Plan, specifically chapter 3 focused on economic growth and chapter 5 focused on the environment, is analysed against this framework. Various other chapters related to education, training and innovation (chapter 9), social protection (chapter 11), economic infrastructure (chapter 4), the rural economy (chapter 6) and building a capable and developmental state (chapter 13) are also reviewed to provide context. The thematic content analysis indicates that the National Development Plan displays many of the characteristics necessary to transition to an inclusive, green growth path, but it does not adequately integrate economic growth and environmental sustainability considerations, nor does it place enough emphasis on the need for supporting green finance models, green industries and the necessary green policy design. This study provides a set of recommendations related to fiscal, economic and industrial policymaking and policy planning that would support the transition and contribute to sustainable development in South Africa.