Worldwide child and youth poverty remain the biggest barrier to achieving a better life in adulthood. Progress in lifting children out of poverty in the last decades has been slow and limited in the developing world, while the recent global economic crisis has exacerbated child poverty, youth unemployment, and social exclusion in many developed countries. 

This book critically examines the long-term consequences of growing up poor, the close linkages between deprivation and human rights violations in childhood and adolescence, and their effects on labor market entry and future career in a number of developing and developed countries. Drawing on multiple disciplinary perspectives, it makes a forceful case for the eradication of child poverty to take center stage in the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Contents page:

INTRODUCTION 

  PART I: CHILD AND YOUTH POVERTY, RIGHTS AND SOCIAL PROTECTION

•   A Review of Child Poverty Approaches: The European Experience.

•   Child Poverty and Intergenerational Poverty Transmission in The EU: What is the impact of social protection policies and institutions?

•   Child Poverty, Child Rights in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): The case of the Caribbean.

  PART II: YOUTH (UN)EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION: TRENDS AND POLICY ISSUES

•   Unpacking the NEETs of Latin America and the Caribbean: Methodological challenges and surprising results.

•   "Biological Dualism": Youth employment and poverty patterns in Spain.

•   Youth in the Greek Labor Market.

•   Social Enterprises, Social and Solidarity Economy, and Youth: What is the role for policy-making?

•   "Generation Nowhere": The youth in South Africa's informal economy - the case of day laborers and waste pickers.

•   "Independent, Yet Not Grown Up": Young migrant workers' journeys in post-Mao China.

  CONCLUSION 

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All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. 

For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.

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As jobs disappear and wages flatline, paid work is an increasingly fragile basis for dignified life. This predicament, deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, is sparking urgent debates about alternatives such as a universal basic income (UBI). 

In this incisive new book, Hein Marais casts the debate about a UBI in the wider context of the dispossessing pressures of capitalism and the turmoil of global warming, pandemics and social upheaval. Marais surveys the meaning, history and appeal of a UBI before even-handedly weighing the case for and against it. The book explores the vexing questions a UBI raises about the relationship of paid work to social rights, about prevailing notions of entitlement and dependency, and about the role of the state in contemporary capitalism. Along with cost estimates for different versions of a basic income in South Africa, it discusses financing options and lays out the social, economic and political implications. 

Highly topical and distinctive in its approach, In the Balance: The Case for a Universal Basic Income in South Africa and Beyond is the most rounded and up-to-date examination yet of the need and prospects for a UBI in a global South setting such as South Africa.

Contents page:

Table of Contents  

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  

INTRODUCTION  

• Ch.1 Behind the Idea of a Universal Basic Income  

• Ch.2 The Crisis of Waged Work  

• Ch.3 The Attractions of a Universal Basic Income  

• Ch.4 Testing the Arguments Against  

• Ch.5 Financing a Universal Basic Income  

• Ch.6 The Politics and Economics of a Universal Basic Income  

CONCLUSION  

NOTES  

BIBLIOGRAPHY  

INDEX

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This scholarly book focuses on the issue of high unemployment and the challenges related thereto in South Africa. It demonstrates the urgent need for research into the contribution of job creation to poverty alleviation and economic growth. This research is relevant from a legal, economic and social sciences point of view. The main thesis of the book is to explore the influence of labour legislation on job creation. It investigates sustainability regarding employment relationships through the lens of the two primary participants: business and organised labour. 

This book adds value to the social justice context from both a societal and business point of view. It provides business and unionised labour a voice from which the influence of labour legislation on job creation and job sustainability can be addressed. 

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Although South Africa's informal sector is small compared to other developing countries, it nevertheless provides livelihoods, employment and income for millions of workers and business owners. Almost half of informal-sector workers work in firms with employees. The annual entry of new enterprises is quite high, as is the number of informal enterprises that grow their employment. There is no shortage of entrepreneurship and desire to grow. 

However, obstacles and constraints cause hardship and failure, pointing to the need for well-designed policies to enable and support the sector, rather than suppress it. The same goes for formalisation. Recognising the informal sector as an integral part of the economy, rather than ignoring it, is a crucial first step towards instituting a 'smart' policy approach. 

The South African Informal Sector is strongly evidence- and data-driven, with substantial quantitative contributions combined with qualitative findings -- suitable for an era of increased pressure for evidence-based policy-making -- and utilises several disciplinary perspectives.

Contents page:

Part I: Orientation and international context

• Analysing the informal sector in South Africa: Knowledge and policy gaps, conceptual and data challenges 

– Frederick Fourie

• The South African informal sector in international comparative perspective: Theories, data and policies 

– Martha Chen

• The informal sector in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative perspective 

– Katharina Grabrucker, Michael Grimm & François Roubaud

Part II: The informal sector at the national level: A quantitative picture

• The size and structure of the South African informal sector 2008–2014: A labour-force analysis

– Mike Rogan & Caroline Skinner

• Informal-sector employment in South Africa: An enterprise analysis using the SESE survey

– Frederick Fourie

• Entry into and exit from informal enterprise ownership in South Africa

– Neil Lloyd & Murray Leibbrandt

• Job-seeker entry into the two-tiered informal sector in South Africa

– Nwabisa Makaluza & Rulof Burger

• The informal sector, economic growth and the business cycle in South Africa: Integrating the sector into macroeconomic analysis 

– Philippe Burger & Frederick Fourie

• Informal-sector employment and poverty reduction in South Africa: The contribution of ‘informal’ sources of income 

– Paul Cichello & Michael Rogan

Part III: The informal sector in urban townships and rural areas

• Informal micro enterprises in a township context: A spatial analysis of business dynamics in five Cape Town localities 

– Andrew Charman & Leif Petersen

• Prospects for stimulating township economies: A case study of enterprises in two Midrand townships 

– Eddie Rakabe

• Limiting opportunities in the informal sector: The impact of the structure of the South African economy 

– Kate Philip

• Informal-sector employment in the rural non-farm economy in South Africa

– David Neves & Andries du Toit

• Employment in informal-sector agriculture in South Africa

– Ben Cousins

Part IV: Policy paradigms, statements, legislation and issues

• Evolving policy paradigms: The National Development Plan, employment and the informal sector in South Africa 

– Frederick Fourie

• Informal-sector policy and legislation in South Africa: Repression, omission and ambiguity

– Caroline Skinner

• Enabling the forgotten sector: Informal-sector realities, policy approaches and formalisation in South Africa 

– Frederick FourieC

Reviews:

"This volume embodies analytical excellence. I look forward to its impact on policymaking in South Africa and the world." -- Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University

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Since the great triumph of South Africa’s democratic transition, there have been many achievements; but there have also been many disappointments. Without doubt, the greatest failing has been the lack of progress in addressing poverty and inequality. The main culprit has, in turn, been massive and growing unemployment. With an official unemployment rate of 25%, South Africa is a complete outlier among developed and developing countries. High unemployment underpins extreme poverty and inequality and is a major contributor to social dislocation. Unemployed human resources on this scale also constitute a major drag on growth.

In a country with substantial resources and a government which claims to be serious about addressing the issue, this lack of progress is not only troubling but puzzling. Much more rapid growth is clearly essential, but is it enough? This book argues that growth has to be more employment intensive. If we optimistically assume an annual growth rate of, say, 4%, it will make a big difference whether employment grows at 1%, 2% or 3%. A key message of the book is that specific attention must be paid to raising the employment density of growth.

The volume brings together 25 leading economists and other social scientists from South Africa and abroad. They present a penetrating analysis of the unemployment problem, as well as proposals to deal with it. Their contributions provide an overview of employment issues, internationally and domestically, and address the impact of the structure of the economy on unemployment. Particular attention is paid to rural communities and the manufacturing sector, as well as to specific policies such as wage subsidies and public-employment programmes.

Contents:

Foreword; 

Preface; 

Acknowledgements; 

Part I: Overview

Chapter 1: Introduction: Employment-intensive growth; 

• Why is unemployment so high?; 

• Employment-intensive growth; 

• An overview; 

• References; 

Chapter 2: Employment-centred policies in an international context; 

• Introduction; 

• Employment trends; 

• Policies for employment creation; 

• Shorter-term policies for employment creation: some illustrations examples; 

• Longer-term policies for employment creation; 

• Conclusion; 

• References. 

Chapter 3: The South African unemployment debate: A basis for consistent policy on employment?

• Introduction; 

• The unemployment discourse landscape; 

• The existence of three discourses: What does this mean?; 

• Conclusion and interpretation: Policy-related implications; 

• References

Part II: Employment and the structure of the economy

Chapter 4: Employment outcomes and earnings in post-apartheid South Africa; 

• Introduction; 

• Understanding a high unemployment labour market: an overview of labour market trends and challenges in South Africa since 1995. 

• The institutional and regulatory environment remains critical

• Conclusion; 

• References

Chapter 5: Sectoral dimensions of employment intensity

• Introduction; 

• Sectoral patterns of employment; 

• Employment multipliers; 

• Conclusion; 

• References; 

Chapter 6: Inequality traps and human-capital accumulation in South Africa; 

• Introduction; 

• Inequality and investment; 

• Empirical evidence on the relationship between inequality and higher education; 

• Policy discussion; 

• References

Part III: The rural sector. 

Chapter 7: Contemporary agrarian transformation and rural development: large-scale land investments and the question of labour 

• Introduction; 

• Contemporary land grabs: patterns, actors and processes ; 

• Large-scale land investments and job opportunities: how unlikely it is ; 

• Water grabbing, green grabbing and impacts on rural livelihoods; 

• Conclusion; 

• References; 

Chapter 8: The penumbra of employment 

• Introduction; 

• Rural livelihoods in South Africa; 

• Case studies; 

• Rural livelihoods in the context of chronic unemployment; 

• Rural vulnerability, social differentiation and the labour market; 

• Conclusion

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Wrecking Ball explores, in an unprecedented manner, a decalogue of wicked problems that confronts humanity: Nuclear proliferation, climate change, pandemics, permanent technological unemployment, Orwellian public and private surveillance, social media that distorts reality, cyberwarfare, the fragmentation of democracies, the inability of nations to cabin private power, the failure of multinational institutions to promote collaboration and the deepening of autocratic rule in countries that have never known anything but extractive institutions. Collectively, or even severally, these wicked problems constitute crises that could end civilisation.

Does this list frighten you, or do you blithely assume that tomorrow will be just like yesterday?

Wrecking Ball shows that without an inclusive system of global governance, the collective action required to solve those wicked problems falls beyond the remit of the world’s 20 inclusive democracies, 50 flawed democracies and 130 extractive, elitist autocracies. Flawed democracies and autocracies that already struggle to produce goods necessary for their own citizens to flourish, are simply incapable of committing to international arrangements that address the existential threats posed by the decalogue of wicked problems.

This then is our children’s inheritance: Dystopias far, far worse than the polities that we ourselves have known. What, if anything, can mitigate the harms that are our legacy?

Wrecking Ball offers, as an answer, a ground-breaking analysis of South Africa’s political economy. It demonstrates that this country’s elitist and extractive political and economic institutions not only make resolution of ongoing domestic crises unattainable, likewise, they make meaningful responses to wicked problems impossible.

Smart people think they have all the answers. Without laboring under any such illusions, Martin Luther King Jr eloquently opined: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ But what will happen, King would acidly ask, if we continue to dawdle, and simply run out of time?

Wrecking Ball similarly operates under no such ‘smart’ pretenses, and undeterred and unmatched ventures into terrrains traversed by truly great political economists: Smith, Ricardo, Marx and Keynes. By knitting together what we all know to be the facts, with cutting edge theory in economics, sociology, history and political science, the book paints an unflinching portrait of where we are, and where we are headed.

Are we ready to be honest with ourselves about the likely future of this overheated, overpopulated planet?

 Contents page:

• The definition of wicked problems, repurposed

• PROLOGUE: Predicting SARS-CoV-2, pandemic mismanagement and how COVID-19 has accelerated permanent technological unemployment

• Ch. I: An exhalation

• Ch. II: Wicked problems defined and repurposed, problems of collective action distinguished, and the challenges that wicked problems pose to South Africa’s not quite so inclusive democracy

• Ch. III: The wicked problem of permanent technological unemployment

• Ch. IV: The consequences of permanent technological unemployment for South Africa

• Ch. V: Conclusion – ‘Doing the best we can’

• EPILOGUE: Doubling down

About the author:

Stu Woolman, Elizabeth Bradley Chair of Ethics, Governance and Sustainable Development and Professor of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, holds degrees in philosophy from Wesleyan, London and Columbia, and in law from Columbia and Pretoria.

He is the primary author of Constitutional Law of South Africa, 2nd edition and the author of two monographs -- The Selfless Constitution: Experimentalism and Flourishing as Foundations of South Africa's Basic Law and The Constitution in the Classroom: Law and Education in South Africa, 1994–2008. He is also the co-author/co-editor of several collections: the award-winning The Business of Sustainable Development in Africa as well as The Dignity Jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and Is This Seat Taken? Conversations at the Bar, Bench and Academy on the South African Constitution. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Constitutional Court Review. 

Stu has been a professor at Columbia Law School, the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, the University of the Witwatersrand School of Business and the University of the Witwatersrand School of Law, and has enjoyed extended stints as a visiting scholar at Columbia, Berkeley and Wesleyan.

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