The Department of Economics has a number of established research areas covering a broad range of topics in Applied Economics.

Money, Banking and Financial Markets (MBFM)

The MBFM research group is committed to investigating topical issues relating to monetary systems, banking practices, and financial market mechanisms in Africa and beyond. The research group comprises faculty and postgraduate students in this area. MBFM research interest covers a broad range of research themes.  Firstly, the theme on monetary systems explores issues relating to monetary policy, frameworks, and instruments, their effectiveness in achieving economic stability and growth, and monetary policy transmission mechanisms. The second theme is on banking practices and regulations, focusing on risk management, macro and micro-prudential regulations, and regulatory compliance and their applications in Africa. The financial markets theme explores asset pricing dynamics, market efficiency, integration, crises, contagion, and spillovers. Furthermore, MBFM addresses pressing issues such as financial inclusion and sustainable finance, and the transformative role of fintech and digital finance. Lastly, the MBFM group prides itself on applying applied advanced quantitative techniques- econometrics and machine learning- in its research.

International Trade

Lecturers whose areas of research are in International Trade focus on individual research topics which address current and topical international trade related issues. Such areas of research include: intra-Africa trade and implications for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), China’s trade and investment relations with Africa and implications for Africa’s economic development, South-Africa’s role in intra-Africa trade, China’s trade relations with the Global South and implications for trade as an instrument for industrial development for the Global South, Trade in some of the mega international regional groups, like ASEAN, ASEAN-plus-one FTA, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), trade and industrial policy, services trade and WTO issues.

Environmental and Natural Resource Focus Area (ENREFA)

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics integrates understanding of economic principles with other disciplines (Ecology, Geography, Law, Politics etc.) and the application of economic theory to real life environmental and natural resource management challenges. ENREFA researchers focus on how humans interact with the natural environment, and the costs and benefits of such interactions in an African context, with reference to the United National Sustainable Development Goals. Specific topics recently covered in this group include small-scale and urban agriculture, water management using Water Footprint Accounting methods, ecosystems rehabilitation, the transition to renewable energy sources, environmental tourism, and the costs and benefits of biological control.

Development, Institutions, and Labour Markets (DILM)

This research group includes a broad range of different topics. These include policy evaluation, rural livelihoods, food security, labour market dynamics, gender, poverty and inequality. DILM members have also recently undertaken commissioned research for, inter alia, the Afrobarometer project, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Skills Fund, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Presidential Climate Commission, the South African Presidency, and the National Minimum Wage Commission. Research is often done in collaboration with the Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit (NALSU) and the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), which are also based at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网.

Creative Economies in Africa

Cultural Economics and the cultural and creative industries include research on both traditional sectors (like theatre production, fine art markets, and crafts) as well as newer, more commercial areas (like online gaming, fashion, and graphic design). Research done by this group includes national cultural mapping studies, employment in the cultural and creative industries, international trade in cultural goods and services in emerging markets, an assessment of the online gaming and animation sectors, the value of museums and the restitution of African cultural artefacts, Festival business models and their adaption to COVID-19, and the fashion design sector in South Africa. The research group is affiliated to the South African Cultural Observatory and Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 is a Co-Lead (with the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Lagos and King’s College, London) of the new ARUA/The Guild Cluster of Research Excellence in Creative Economies: Cultures, Innovation and Sustainability

Last Modified: Mon, 20 May 2024 10:17:41 SAST