Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, following its ‘no limits’ unity with China, is challenging the global order in ways that highlight why the ANC’s perceptions are as misguided as their policies and practices are defeatist.  As the Cold War was about to unexpectedly and swiftly wind down, a celebrated, though frequently misinterpreted, hypothesis sought to…Continue reading SA amid a pivoting world order

Designers of self-driving cars must transcend technical challenges while calibrating how much faith to have in other drivers. Navigating South Africa’s current threats and opportunities also requires blending an odd set of skills and perspectives. Humans must make sense of the world around them to drive a car or to steer a national economy. We…Continue reading Misplaced faith

Analogy I: Fishing = purchasing power Lake SA has long been overfished ANC’s remedy seeks funding for more shallow water boats  Conversely, ocean fishing boats must compete internationally Other countries are better at taxing and regulating Their policies lead to  more and better boats access to more fish  access to more fish customers Instead of…Continue reading “SA has no future if its young people don’t get linked into global supply chains”

Affluent European voters allowed authoritarian-led Russia to exploit their ideals and trust. This led to a war which triggered devastating sanctions. Similarly ruthless exploitation of voter trust has wrecked SA’s economy. How should we respond? As our governing party benefits politically from the fiscal windfall of high commodity prices, the ANC now appears even less…Continue reading Why the Ukrainian crisis is relevant to SA

Illiberal Russian and Chinese leaders exploit how open societies overzealously embrace key ideals. South Africa’s dismal economic prospects reflect our elected leaders promoting ideals which their policies prevent us from achieving. The leaders of G-7 and many other nations have been overly confident that free trade creates middle class societies which then foment robust democracies.…Continue reading An up-to-date worldview appreciates how ideals are being exploited

Young South Africans could become lifelong liabilities, when they should be central to modernising our economy Our basic income grant (BIG) debates are irrational. They reflect twisted politics dismissing today’s core economic development success drivers. Rather than endorse deceitfully contrived social justice arguments, we are morally obligated to confront why our BIG debates depict a…Continue reading What BIG debates tell us about dependency on handouts

Investors should consider how private equity practitioners have improved companies’ governance The popularity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds has surged to the point where their tools should be freshly reappraised. Specifically, can they sharply reduce poverty in, and around, SA? Investors outpaced governments in discouraging investments in fossil fuel production last year. As…Continue reading Time for ESG managers to reassess tools to cut poverty

By Shawn Hagedorn -Dec 15, 2021 Daily Friend Digital technologies are accelerating the globalisation of services. Is this the area where investors can best spur growth and jobs in SA? Our policies reflect the preferences of unionists, Marxists, and cronies who dream of creating black industrialists and abundant well-paid factory jobs. Meanwhile, services have long been the…Continue reading SA politics versus the global economy

If the 2024 elections don’t provoke sweeping policy pivots, expect decades of economic doldrums 07 DECEMBER 2021 Business Day It is hard to imagine that we could one day view 2021 as having been a good year for SA, never mind volatility in popular metrics such as GDP and related debt ratios. Are we closer…Continue reading Break in ANC’s electoral hegemony may mark a turning point

 -Nov 29, 2021 Daily Friend The interests of the ANC’s top leaders and those in line to succeed them now diverge sharply. This should make political and economic reforms less elusive. As the ANC’s political machinery is the central impediment to much-needed economic reforms, it has become a major electoral liability for the party. The…Continue reading Why 2029 now looms large