A Review of Methodological Approaches Used to Analyse the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Growth and Poverty in South Africa

This research paper examines the methodological approaches used to analyze the effects of trade liberalization on growth and poverty in South Africa, arguing that the debate is often polarized by an unrealistic focus on 'free trade' as a benchmark rather than evaluating trade policy against national development and industrial goals.

• The debate regarding South Africa's trade policy is highly polarized, specifically concerning the impact of trade liberalization on poverty, employment, and growth. This analysis has been conducted in existing literature through various methods, such as computable general equilibrium modelling, case studies of specific sectors, and analyses at the industry and household levels.
• The author contends that the ideological divide in the trade debate is fueled by the use of a 'free trade' system as a benchmark. The paper suggests that instead of this 'unrealistic free trade ideal', scenarios should be evaluated based on their relevance to industrial and development goals, while considering the pressures of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations.
• The paper argues that the discourse on trade reform in South Africa needs to shift away from a binary choice between 'protectionism' and 'free trade'. The central objective should be managing trade to facilitate growth and structural change for job creation without causing balance of payment issues.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). A Review of Methodological Approaches Used to Analyse the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Growth and Poverty in South Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-review-of-methodological-approaches-used-to-analyse-the-impact-of-trade-liberalisation-on-growth-and-poverty-in-south-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. A Review of Methodological Approaches Used to Analyse the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Growth and Poverty in South Africa. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-review-of-methodological-approaches-used-to-analyse-the-impact-of-trade-liberalisation-on-growth-and-poverty-in-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=A Review of Methodological Approaches Used to Analyse the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Growth and Poverty in South Africa |date=18 June 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/a-review-of-methodological-approaches-used-to-analyse-the-impact-of-trade-liberalisation-on-growth-and-poverty-in-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013review, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{A Review of Methodological Approaches Used to Analyse the Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Growth and Poverty in South Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/a-review-of-methodological-approaches-used-to-analyse-the-impact-of-trade-liberalisation-on-growth-and-poverty-in-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }