M.Com. (Economics) / The aim of this study was to look at the economic survival problem that has been very much in appearance in South Africa, especially recently. This will translate into a study of poverty in South Africa. In the second chapter I tried to get a clearer definition of poverty by, firstly looking at some formal definitions relating to poverty and then to look more generally at other descriptions of poverty from a more economic point of view. In this chapter we also discuss the Lorenz curve and how that can be used to measure poverty using income and the consumption of the population. Following on from this, in the third chapter we look at some definitions and theories of income and consumption. The theories we look at are the following : The General Consumption theory of Keynes, the Relative Income Hypothesis, the Permanent Income Hypothesis and the Life Cycle Hypothesis. After narrowing down the main cause of poverty, in the next two chapters we look at some characteristics of the poor in the rural areas as well as in the urban and metropolitan areas. In the chapter concerning the poor in the rural areas, the characteristics we look at are among others, the income, climatic problems, educational problems and health problems of the poor communities in these areas. When we discuss the characteristics of the urban and metropolitan poor, we also discuss the occurrence of unemployment and some measures that can alleviate this problem. In the sixth chapter we look at a comparison of South Africa with other countries in the world regarding the poverty problem, mainly at where South Africa fits into the world picture. In the summary some possible solutions for the whole poverty problem is put forward.

The submitted thesis examines the issue of unemployment on the labor market by the age structure during the period of 1999-2009. Special attention is devoted to the unemployment of youth and older labor force. The thesis is focused on characterizing chosen age groups and inequalities between youth and older labor force in the labor market. The development of unemployment in selected age groups between 1999-2009 and the influencing factors (such as demographic structure, extending the retirement age, stage of the economic cycle) are also included. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the status development of selected age groups, particularly the status of youth and older labor force in the labor market and factors that influence the development. The main task is to evaluate the employment of youth and older labor force within the economic cycle.

The submitted diploma thesis is dedicated to the calculation of the estimation of output gap by three estimating techniques (Hodrick-Prescott filter, Kalman filtering, and Cobb-Douglas production function) for the Czech Republic during the years 1995-2009, and, consequently, to their usefulness for testing the Okun's law as a suitable predicative tool. In other words, which of the mentioned methods is the most appropriate one for an accurate prediction of the rate of unemployment. To achieve this, the Box-Jenkins methodology is used for modelling and designing the cyclical unemployment forecasts and dynamic version of the Okun's law. The results indicate that, for the given period, there is relatively strong and unstable relationship between changes in output gap and changes in cyclical unemployment in the Czech Republic. The most suitable technique for the estimating of the future development of unemployment gap seems to be the Cobb-Douglas production function approach. This is namely based on the quantity of gained forecast errors and Granger causality.

The subject of this thesis is assertion process of foreigners on the Czech labour market. Foreigners from the East are attracted to come to the Czech Republic because of its mature market and specially targeted labour programmes enabling easier entrance to the Czech labour market. The reason is a benefit in form of young, economically active people improving the demographic shape of the Czech society. The thesis is analysing specific factors and barriers that immigrants have to deal with on the labour market and the direct effects of immigration for the host country. The thesis firstly focuses on the analysis of legislative and institutional environment. Then it concentrates on factors determining the decision to migrate. Finally it analyses the impacts of labour migration on the economics and demographics situation in the country of destination. Furthermore there was made a characterization of all regional, professional, age and educational structure of the foreign labour to evaluate the influence of immigrants on the destination labour market. One of the main questions of the quantitative research is whether the foreign workers can have a positive influence on the structural unemployment in the Czech Republic.

By the end of the year 2007 and the beginning of the year 2008, the financial crisis struck the world market and over time the labor market as well. The thesis focuses on the analysis of establishing the labor market in the South Moravian region by comparing districts Brno-city and Vyskov. In the theoretical part, I explain relevant definitions in the field of labor markets and a definition of economic recession. Next, I discuss the South Moravian region's characteristics, which promote the district's means to resist the recession. I point out its weaknesses in the labor market as well. The practical part compares general indicators of labor markets in the districts Brnocity and Vyskov. The measures used are employment and unemployment rates. Towards the end, the thesis shifts its focus on employment policies. The Active Employment Policy is the main subject of concern in this chapter. Directors of various labor offices commented on the Active Employment Policy and its means of control, which helped clarify some inconsistencies resulting from the statistics.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The study upon which this dissertation was based was conducted against the backdrop of day labouring as a global phenomenon. In order to position the research topic, namely, the lived experiences and hardships encountered by day labourers in East London in the province of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a comprehensive review of the relevant available literature pertaining to the phenomenon was conducted. The review covered both international trends and the relatively few significant studies which have been conducted in South Africa. A mixed methods approach was adopted in order to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, by means of a research design whose theoretical framework was derived from systems theory and the strengths-based theory. Of the twelve hiring sites which had been identified in East London during the conducting of a national study, six were selected and a survey questionnaire was administered to three participants at each, which yielded a research sample of eighteen participants. The participants were selected at each site through the use of convenience or availability sampling. The data which the survey questionnaire generated was presented in the form of descriptive statistics and analysed by means of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to develop a socioeconomic and demographic profile of the participants. The findings of the quantitative study were subsequently evaluated against the qualitative data pertaining to the lived experiences of day labourers in East London, which was generated by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with three participants who were willing to be interviewed at each site. The qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The integration of the two sets of data enabled a credible and meaningful assessment of the lived experiences of day labourers in East London and the hardships which they are obliged to endure to be made. On the basis of the findings, recommendations are made concerning appropriate strategies for integrating day labourers into initiatives which are designed to grant social justice to groups who continue to be unfairly marginalised and to live in abject poverty more than two decades after the official demise of apartheid.

Magister Artium - MA / Youth unemployment has become a national crisis in South Africa. The South African government has put policies in place to combat this challenge. Among the policies that have been implemented to address the problem of unemployment, is the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS). The purpose of this study is to analyse the implementation of the NSDS by using the Department of Correctional Services (DSC) as a case study. The study explores the importance of public policy monitoring and evaluation within the DCS. This study analysed the implementation of the NSDS by looking at the Five C’s approach to implementation. The Five C’s (content, context, commitment, clients and coalitions, capacity) which also formed part of the literature review and theoretical framework. The Five C’s will form the basis of selection and assessing the implementation of the NSDS in the DCS and its subsequent monitoring and evaluation. The researcher used a triangulation approach as a research technique, which means that the researcher utilized different methods in collecting data. The research used DCS as a case study, and also made use of academic journals, government reports and policies.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation. Johannesburg, 2017 / South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with youth unemployment sitting at 37.5 percent in 2016. In an attempt to remedy South Africa’s unemployment, the government sought entrepreneurship as a solution. The South African government has implemented various policies and established numerous institutional bodies to accelerate entrepreneurship. Some of these policies and bodies are aimed specifically at enhancing entrepreneurship among the youth. In order to understand the best approach to assist these young entrepreneurs, it is important to understand what drives performance in current young entrepreneurs’ enterprises. This paper evaluated the impact that entrepreneurial capital (human, social, and financial capital) had on the performance of youth-owned enterprises. It surveyed 199 young entrepreneurs (between 18 and 35 years old) to understand what drives performance within their enterprises. The research found that there were high levels of performance within youth-owned enterprises, when there were high levels of human capital and social capital. However, there was a negative relationship between financial capital and the performance of youth-owned enterprises. Overall, the research concluded that high levels of entrepreneurial capital had a positive relationship with the performance of youth-owned enterprises. The objective of this study was to understand what drives the performance of youth-owned enterprises, in order to best facilitate government assistance and support for young entrepreneurs. The outcome suggests that human capital and social capital drive performance of youth-owned enterprises, it would thus be advisable for the South African government to focus on those two variables when drafting policies and forming institutional bodies to enhance youth entrepreneurship. / MT2017

Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic & Business Sciences, 2016. / No abstract.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment for the requirements for the Degree of Master of Management in the field of Public Development / The purpose of the study was aimed at understanding whether the economic hub of South Africa is able to create the jobs it wants to, specifically with reference to “Green” jobs. It will seek to understand if there are barriers to the realisation of this objective and if these barriers can be overcome. Explore whether the Metropolitan City Council of Johannesburg (CoJ or Johannesburg Municipality), which has embarked on a Green Economy trajectory, can create jobs though the Green Economy. The CoJ promised, through it long-term strategy, the Growth and Development Strategy (GDS) 2040, to play its part in reducing unemployment in the Country. The main finding is that the City is able to create jobs, both within and beyond its borders, but it cannot as yet quantify the number of jobs created or the potential number of jobs that can be created though the Green Economy. / GR2018