Recession, Recovery And Reform – South Africa After Covid-19

Every South African knows that we urgently need “new ways to fix old problems”. Recession, Recovery And Reform acknowledges that our country “has not lacked for robust public discourse over many years, especially on economic issues. Yet it has become increasingly apparent that there must be a proper balance between prolonged debates and effective decision-making.”

Therefore, this astute collection of essays by 15 experts in their field provides action-oriented recommendations on a broad range of priorities. From Ann Bernstein to Thuli Madonsela, from Bonang Mohale to Temba Nolutshungu – they show us a better way forward.

Topics include:

• The roles of law, the media and a free press
• The critical need for labour market reforms
• Lessons from the radical economic transformation exercise
• Evaluation of South Africa’s land reform process since 1994
• Why South Africa pursues inflation targeting, as well as the relationship between monetary policy and fiscal policy
• Analysis of South Africa’s industrial landscape in terms of competitiveness and productivity
• The relationship between business, government, and the banking sector
• The township economy.

Each essay offers well-informed views substantiated by useful statistics, to support the formulation of coherent policies. Because it was published in 2020 it doesn’t particularly focus on addressing the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite its title.

Recession, Recovery And Reform is an informative read that scrutinises the forces that shape society, to strengthen democracy and bring about productive change.

Review by Lise-Marie Keyser