Profitability and Crisis in the South African Economy

Christopher Malikane

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Based on new quarterly estimates of the general rate of profit over 1960-2016, this paper shows that the South African economy experienced two phase changes in the pace and rhythm of capital accumulation. The rate of profit exhibits a cyclical tendency to fall, mainly driven by the tendency of capital intensity to rise. The economy experienced a crisis of absolute overproduction of capital in the mid-1980s. This crisis was not only characterised by stagnation in the mass of profits, it was also characterised by a halt in capital accumulation. Thereafter, the rate of profit recovered primarily because of the fall in the capital-output ratio but it failed to reach the levels seen in the 1970's. We estimate that in 2012, the South African economy entered a new and on-going crisis of overproduction of capital characterised by stagnant profits and prolonged overaccumulation, which makes it impossible for economic growth to recover.

Keywords: falling rate of profit; capital intensity; overproduction of capital; overaccumulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B5 E11 O5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-01-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-his, nep-hme and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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