Economic and Development Problems in Africa 2012
Semester 2
Nicholas Spaull & Nico Katzke
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
A little bit about me…
•
Nicholas Spaull
•
I’m a Christian
•
I love to Travel
•
Studied at UKZN / SUN / UCT
•
Economics by profession (PhD...)
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Education by passion
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Office: Schumann 202
• NicholasSpaull@gmail.com
• NicSpaull
• nicspaull.wordpress.com
______________________________
Second half of the course: (proper intro in
week 8) nicokatzke@sun.ac.za
Admin
Course information
3 American credits; 6 ECTS credits
Venue: Van der Sterr 1052
(There will be a different venue on the
following dates: 3 Sept, 8 Oct, 15 Oct - TBA)
Monday
14:00 – 17:00
___________________________
Evaluation
3x MCQ tests
45%
Group assignment
10%
Essay:
40%
Class participation:
5%
There will be no exam.
**The above is subject to change
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What we want to accomplish in this course
The aim of this course is to get you to think
critically about some of the major developmental
issues facing Sub-Saharan Africa today.
Some caveats:
• This is not a typical course
• Multiple lecturers (incl. guest lecturers)
But…
• It will be interesting!
• You will learn how to think and you will
learn about Africa (esp SA).
•
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More specifically…
Week 2 & 3 – Why is Africa poor?
Economic and Development Problems in Africa
Johann Fourie
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Case study – Session 4 (still TBD)
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Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 5 – Understanding Foreign Aid
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 6 – Poverty and Inequality in SA
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 7 – Education in SA
?
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Topics to be addressed
• Session 8:
• Development of financial markets in South Africa
• Lecturer: Nico Katzke (Financial Economics lecturer, SU)
• Session 9:
• The role of Social Media in the development of the
state and the economy, through the availability of
information and ease of mass-communication
• Lecturer: Dirk Bosman (Social media researcher at
Kalahari.com)
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Topics to be addressed
• Session 10:
• Impact of the European Debt crisis on Southern
African economies
• Lecturer: Prof. Rudolf Gous (Chief Economist at Rand
Merchant Bank, Director at RMB Holdings)
• Session11:
• China’s role in the development of markets in
Southern Africa
• Lecturer: Dr Daouda Cisse (accomplished Research
Fellow
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at the Centre for Chinese Studies-Stellenbosch
Topics to be addressed
• Session 12:
• Developing and managing the public sector in Southern
Africa
• Lecturer: Prof. Estian Calitz (Former Director-General
of Finance to the South African Government)
• Session 13:
• Mining in South Africa: would the people benefit from
a nationalized mining sector?
• Lecturer: Nico Katzke (Financial Economics lecturer, SU)
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Summary of topics discussed:
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•
•
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Development of financial sectors
Social media
China / Africa relations
Euro Debt crisis impact on Africa
Public economics (the state’s role in
development)
• Mining and the on-going Nationalization
debate
Although certain finance / public economics topics will be
addressed in this section, you
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will in no way be
disadvantaged if you do not possess a
What do I expect from you??
• To think!!!!
• To learn!
More specifically…
 Attendance!
 One essay
 One group assignment
 {no exam}
My marking philosophy…
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(9-10) inspired, (7-8) clever and interesting, (5-6) meets expectations, (3-4)
below expectations, and (0-2) needs serious improvement.
Essay?
You will be required to write one essay of approximately 6 pages which will be one
of the following topics:
1. “Weighing the case of aid in Africa: Do the positives outweigh the
negatives?”
2. “The state of education in South Africa – reason for hope or despair?”
3. “China’s emerging influence in Africa. Poison or Panacea?
4. “Should South Africa adopt a strategy of investment targeting?”
• Research  Draft  Discuss/consult Final
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Instructional method?
• Lectures
• Readings
• Podcasts (interviews and videos)
• Case studies
• Class discussion (!)
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Lowest GDP per head ($, 2008)
Fastest growing cities
(Total growth, 2010-15, %)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Burundi
Congo-Kinshasa
Liberia
Guinea-Bisau
Malawi
Somalia
Zimbabwe
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Sierra Leone
140
180
220
270
290
300
310
320
340
350
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Lilongwe, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi
Abuja, Nigeria
Huambo, Angola
Luanda, Angola
Trivia
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•
•
•
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Longest river?
Biggest desert?
Top 8 countries most economically
dependent on agriculture (all African)
Least literate, most AIDS deaths
43.8
38.5
28.9
28.8
28.4
26.1
26.0
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Questions to consider...
• Course resources – DVD + website
• Current affairs in SA – stay up to date by
reading a local newspaper and watching the news
• Academic writing – Referencing is compulsory.
• Email addresses…
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Questions ???
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