This paper critically discusses the Basic Income Grant debate in South Africa. It briefly looks
at the theoretical framework on poverty as a background. Then it goes on to three major
theories that help build a coherent argument. Although it acknowledges the limitations of the
Expanded Public Works Programme, nevertheless it uses it as one of the reasons for
substantiating the perspective which articulates that Basic Income Grant is not an appropriate
social welfare policy framework for a developing country like South Africa. The rationale is
that social grants cannot be used as the sole tool for alleviating poverty especially because of
the chronic nature of unemployment (which is understood in this paper as causing high rate of
poverty). The assumption is that promotion of a universal grant would endorse dependency
from the social grant recipients. It argues that the structural nature of unemployment is what
has to be dealt with but not exactly through provision of Basic Income Grant but by getting
people to work, giving them jobs so they can earn a living and live an independent and decent
life. One of the few recommendations brought up (taken from Bhorat. 2002) is the expansion
of the State Old Age Pension instead of starting a totally new scheme of the social grant. State
Old Age Pension would almost have the same effect in poverty as the proposed Basic income grant. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal (in conjunction with Albert-Ludwigs-Universität), 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/5851 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Xulu, Nomkhosi. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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