Search Climate Insights Directory

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) challenges the National Treasury's claim that South Africa is in an unprecedented fiscal crisis. The IEJ argues that current revenue shortfalls and expenditure overruns are consistent with historical norms and are partly the result of poor planning and political choices. While debt service costs are high, the IEJ asserts that debt-to-GDP ratios remain in line with peer emerging markets and that indiscriminate budget cuts would hinder economic growth and worsen long-term fiscal stability.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) published research arguing that South Africa's current revenue shortfalls and expenditure overruns are manageable and do not constitute a 'fiscal cliff'. The IEJ proposes alternatives to budget cuts, including utilizing Reserve Bank reserves, increasing short-term borrowing, and removing tax breaks for high-income earners and corporates.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that claims of an immediate fiscal crisis in South Africa are exaggerated by the National Treasury to justify unpopular budget cuts. The IEJ suggests that current revenue shortfalls and expenditure overspends are within historical norms and can be managed through alternative fiscal strategies, such as utilizing central bank reserves and increasing taxes on high-income earners, rather than through austerity measures that could contract the economy.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice argues that the 'fiscal crisis' reported by South Africa's National Treasury is exaggerated for political reasons and can be managed without destructive budget cuts, while warning that long-term sustainability depends on economic expansion.

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC), a group of South African civil society organisations, advocates for a universal basic income (UBI) for adults aged 18 to 59 to address structural unemployment, extreme inequality, and poverty. The coalition proposes a rights-based macroeconomic shift away from fiscal austerity toward a redistributive system where a basic income is guaranteed, unconditional, and pegged to national poverty lines to ensure human dignity and social protection.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues that the South African National Treasury is using fears of a "fiscal cliff" to justify unwise spending cuts while ignoring alternative revenue-raising strategies and the severe social consequences of austerity.

This briefing, published by the Institute for Economic Justice and endorsed by 74 organisations and individuals, critiques the World Bank's 'Evolution Roadmap'. The authors argue that the Roadmap fails to address the structural inequalities of the global financial architecture and relies too heavily on the 'Cascade' approach—prioritising private finance over public interest. The document proposes a radical shift toward 'public sector solutionism', including the adoption of a human rights policy, the end of fossil fuel financing, and a rethink of how inequality is measured and addressed.

A statement by the Southern African Yearly Meeting of Quakers urging the South African government to implement a universal basic income (UBI) to address a national crisis characterized by high unemployment, inequality, and poverty. The authors argue that a UBI, provided unconditionally to all citizens and legal immigrants, is necessary to prevent social instability and stimulate economic activity, citing a pilot project in Namibia as evidence of its effectiveness.

A joint statement by the Universal Basic Income Coalition criticizing the Department of Social Development and National Treasury for failing to address systemic barriers and insufficient funding in the amended COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant Regulations.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) express concern that proposed amendments to the 2022 Regulations for the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant only address the expiry date, failing to resolve issues regarding beneficiary exclusion, the low means test, and the inadequate grant value.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) submitted a critique of the proposed amendments to the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations. They argue that the amendments are insufficient as they only extend the grant's expiry date to March 2024 without addressing systemic issues such as the inadequate grant value, exclusionary verification processes, digital barriers to application, and a restrictive budget cap.

This briefing summarizes a submission by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) regarding the 2023 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals. The IEJ argues that the current macroeconomic framework prioritizes debt stabilization over human rights and service delivery, characterizing the 2023 Budget as "anti-poor" due to austerity measures and a lack of progressive taxation to address poverty and inequality.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) submitted a critique of South Africa's 2023 Budget Review, arguing that the fiscal framework prioritizes debt stabilization and austerity over the realization of socio-economic rights. The IEJ contends that cuts to public services, the failure to protect social grants from inflation, and the conditions attached to Eskom's debt relief exacerbate poverty and inequality. The submission calls for a new macroeconomic framework targeting unemployment and poverty, the implementation of a permanent basic income support system, and the use of progressive taxation to create fiscal space for public investment.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) issued a statement on February 21, 2023, arguing that South Africa's national budgets and monetary policies have systematically undermined the government's developmental goals. The IEJ calls for a shift away from debt stabilisation and austerity toward a development-focused budget that prioritises public investment in infrastructure, the care economy, and the green economy, while specifically addressing the crisis at Eskom and the inadequacy of social protection grants.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) warns that the 2023-2024 Budget may roll back social grants, potentially contradicting the President's commitment to make the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant permanent as a basis for a Universal Basic Income. The IEJ argues that National Treasury has used exclusionary regulations and a low means test to artificially reduce beneficiary numbers, which in turn has been used to justify funding cuts.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) warns that the 2023/2024 Budget may roll back the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, contradicting the President's commitment to a permanent basic income floor. The IEJ highlights systemic exclusions caused by restrictive regulations and underfunding by National Treasury, calling for the grant to be increased to the Food Poverty Line.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) provides a critique of the 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA), arguing that the government is increasingly relying on the private sector to deliver key infrastructure and manage the energy transition, which the IEJ claims undermines state capacity and affordability for the poor.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) outlines fiscal pathways to implement a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) in South Africa between 2023 and 2030. Based on research with Applied Development Research Solutions (ADRS), the document argues that a UBIG is fiscally viable and would stimulate economic growth while significantly reducing poverty.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) 2023–2027 Strategy outlines a five-year plan to advance economic justice in South Africa and across the African continent. The organization aims to move from a 'start up' phase into 'consolidation' and 'growth' by utilizing a research-policy-advocacy nexus to challenge neoliberal economic orthodoxies and promote systemic change that prioritizes human and planetary wellbeing.

This report advocates for the prioritization of decent work and employment creation in South Africa's tourism sector planning. It notes that despite the sector's capacity to employ low-skilled workers and the establishment of a dedicated Ministry in 2009, policy focus on employment has been lacking. The document highlights the need for strategies to recover from Covid-19 job losses and supports the reinstatement of the national tourism masterplan process over the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan (TSRP).