CURRENT RESEARCH
Enterprise Profitability and Value-Chain Consultant: African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) Action Research on Inclusive upgrading and provision of functional operational spaces and a conducive regulatory environment for Household Microenterprises at The Glen View 8 Complex, Harare.
Economic consultant in the preparation of master plans for various local authorities in Zimbabwe that includes Masvingo City, Beitbridge Town, Masvingo and Chiredzi Rural District Council, and Chitungwiza Town Council.
Economist and Data Analyst (Consultant): Zimbabwe’s land reform after 25 years. Institute of Development Studies-United Kingdom.
Researcher: Structural Transformation Domain with the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) working under UNU-WIDER, where I analyzed the spatial distribution of economic activity and how it is related to patterns of structural transformation in the City of Harare.
"Violent crime and firm entry: evidence from South Africa", with Asha Sundaram and Lawrence Edwards-under review in the Journal of Human Resources
ACCEPTED JOURNAL PAPERS
“Sustaining land registration benefits by addressing the challenges of reversion to informality in Rwanda”, with Dr Daniel Ayalew Ali, Dr Klaus Deininger and Miss Rhona Nyakulama. Land Use Policy.
THESIS CHAPTERS
Regional Development Policy and the Spatial Distribution of Firm Entry in South Africa
Using a unique business registration database that spans from the 1800s and data on the location of development zones, this paper examines the relationship between regional development policies and the spatial distribution of firm entry. Between 1982 and 1991 the South African government created Regional Industrial Development Zones in regions within and nearer to apartheid ‘homelands’. The creation of these zones marks the introduction of Sub-Saharan Africa’s first Special Economic Zones. However, little is known about the effects of such programs. Empirical results from this study show that the creation of RIDP zones increased firm entry when the policy incentives were still present, and after the removal of policy incentives, the gains were reduced by almost a half, as firm entry decreased. However, these results show that in the manufacturing and services sector, the reduction of entry after the removal of RIDP zones did not completely offset the positive effect of the policy on entry. This finding is consistent with the presence of agglomeration economies in the manufacturing and services sector. Overall, results from this chapter suggests that regional policy incentives were important in encouraging private sector development in marginalised regions of the country, although the impacts were not long lasting.
Link to paper: Entry_distribution
Impact of Crime on Firm Entry: Evidence from South Africa
In this paper, we analyse the relationship between crime and the entry of firms across local municipalities in South Africa. Using a unique database of business registration, we constructed a spatial data set of the number of firms registering in each municipality over the period 2003 to 2011. We match this data with another spatial dataset on the incidence of crime, sourced from the South African Police Service, to estimate the impact of crime on business entry. We show that property crime reduces business entry, with the effects larger for firms in the wholesale and retail sector. These results are robust to the use of rainfall shocks as an instrumental variable for crime, in order to control for potential bias arising from the fact that crime might be a consequence, rather than a cause of the entry of firms. This paper highlights the importance of strong local institutions that can lower the costs of doing business for business dynamism. Our study has implications for employment and economic growth at the regional level and hence for dealing with regional inequality.
Link to paper: Crime_Firm_Entry_Draft
Does Crime Affect Labour Migration in South Africa?
In this paper, we examine the effect of crime on the movement of labour across municipalities in South Africa. Using data on the incidence of crime, sourced from South African Police Service, and migration data from the 10 percent population census, we find that some crime types affect migration rates. Truck hijacking reduces male and unskilled migration while robbery at residential and business premises reduce migration of unskilled and skilled individuals respectively. This paper highlights the importance of strong regional institutions, such as policing and security that reduce crime on the integration of local labour markets. The paper also highlights factors that are important for reducing the persistent spatial misallocation of labour in South Africa.
Link to paper: Crime_Migration_Draft
WORKING PAPERS AND RESEARCH REPORTS
Mahofa, G., Mutyasira, V., and Sukume, C. (2022). Impact of Commercialisation Pathways on Income and Asset Accumulation: Evidence from Smallholder Farming in Zimbabwe. Agricultural Policy Research in Africa Working Paper. (https://www.future-agricultures.org/publications/apra-working-paper-89-impact-of-commercialisation-pathways-on-income-and-asset-accumulation-evidence-from-smallholder-farming-in-zimbabwe/)
Mahofa, G., Mutyasira, V., and Sukume, C. (2022). Agricultural Commercialisation, Gender Relations and Women’s Empowerment in Smallholder Farm Households: Evidence from Zimbabwe. Agricultural Policy Research in Africa Working Paper. (https://www.future-agricultures.org/publications/apra-working-paper-88-agricultural-commercialisation-gender-relations-and-womens-empowerment-in-smallholder-farm-households-evidence-from-zimbabwe/).
Sukume, C., Mahofa, G., and Mutyasira, V. (2022). Effects of Commercialisation on Seasonal Hunger: Evidence from Smallholder Resettlement Areas, Mazowe District, Zimbabwe. Agricultural Policy Research in Africa Working Paper. (https://www.future-agricultures.org/publications/working-paper-91-effects-of-commercialisation-on-seaonsal-hunger-evidence-from-smallholder-resettlement-areas-mazowe-distrct-zimbabwe/)
Mahofa, G (2021). Climate Change and Agricultural Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Economic Research Consortium Working Paper (http://publication.aercafricalibrary.org/handle/123456789/3352)
Mahofa, G and Makochekanwa, A (2021). Corruption and Firm Export Performance in Fragile Economies: Evidence from Zimbabwe. African Economic Research Consortium Working Paper FW-003 (http://publication.aercafricalibrary.org/handle/123456789/2024).
Mahofa, G., Sundaram, A., and Edwards, L. (2016). Impact of Crime on Firm Entry: Evidence from South Africa, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) Working paper 652 (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.econrsa.org/system/files/publications/working_papers/working_paper_652.pdf).
Mahofa, G and Strutt, A (2013). Strengthening Resilience of the Zimbabwean Economy to Higher Food and Fuel prices, GTAP Resource 4375 https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/resources/res_display.asp?RecordID=4375.
Mahofa, G (2009). The Impact of Trade Facilitation on Agricultural Trade Flows within SADC, Research Report Submitted to the World Bank Institute, World Bank, Washington D.C.