Creating employment and reducing emissions: Options for South Africa

Harald Winkler () and Anthony Black ()
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Harald Winkler: Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and research associate, Policy Research in International Services and Manufacturing (PRISM), University of Cape
Anthony Black: PRISM, School of Economics, University of Cape Town.

No 2021-06, SARChI-ID Working Papers from SARChI Industrial Development (SARChI-ID), University of Johannesburg (UJ)

Abstract: Apart from having amongst the highest rates of unemployment and inequality in the world, South Africa is also a highly emissions-intensive economy. This paper examines the key drivers of the historical growth path that led to an economy based heavily on mining, mineral processing and heavy industry, subsidised by cheap electricity. It then considers how South Africa could shift to a more employment-intensive and low-emissions development path. An integrated employment and mitigation strategy is required. This means aligning the two objectives, seeking synergies across industrial, energy and climate policy, while at the same time managing trade-offs.

Keywords: Employment intensity; carbon intensity; climate change mitigation; unemployment; South Africa; poverty; capital intensity; industrial policy; energy policy; climate policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 I3 J18 L52 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 40 pages
Date: 2021-09, Revised 2021-09
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:adz:wpaper:202106

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