OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Leiman, Anthony"

Browsing by Author "Leiman, Anthony"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 44

Open Access
Antidumping legislation : South Africa's anti-trade policy
(2007) Conway, Deane; Leiman, Anthony
Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-68).
Open Access
Application of cost-benefit analysis as a project appraisal technique for local government in South Africa: The case of the proposed developments at the Garden Route dam.
(2014) Ingle, Kim; Leiman, Anthony
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is widely applied as an appraisal technique particularly for use as an input into public decision-making processes. Done properly CBA both helps inform decision-makers and helps hold them accountable for their decisions. While it has the advantage of being systematic and rule-based, CBA has practical limitations regarding what it can reliably show; particularly in situations of limited information, data or resources. Those that commission CBAs may not be aware of these limitations, and CBAs are often requested, or required by regulations in these circumstances. These and other considerations for the use of CBA for local government decision-making in South Africa are illustrated with reference to the case study of the CBA of the proposed development at the Garden Route Dam in George.
Open Access
An assessment of policy responses to the collapse of the West Coast rock lobster stock off Doringbaai
(2007) Jacobs, Toughedah; Leiman, Anthony
In many of the small communities of South Africa's West Coast, the economic driver has traditionally been the fishing industry. Employment opportunities were largely located either on board the vessels or in a fish-processing factory which in some smaller centres was a monopsonistic employer. The last two decades have seen this system under threat. Fish stocks have declined and fish populations have move southward, while the fishing industry has been restructured to meet BEE imperatives, meaning that old established firms found their quotas even further decreased. To cut costs, fishing companies shed jobs and in extreme cases shut down their smaller operations. As they left the smaller centres they took with them their managerial skills, as well as capital and employment. The fishermen and women in these towns, have found it difficult to fill the vacuum, lacking as they do, organisation, access to credit, administrative and marketing skills, and above all critical information related to the process of issuing fishing rights (Isaacs, 2006, 57), (Amason & Kashorte, 2006, 48). The decline of the West Coast fisheries was latterly accompanied by the extension of the permit process; access to the resource being restructured initially in a 'medium term' and then in a long term rights application process. Those fishermen who were unsuccessful in acquiring access rights were trapped in a cycle of poverty and increasingly forced to fish illegally or 'poach' to survive. The decline of the stock means that there are no simple answers to the problem, I argue however, that it would be beneficial for the South African Government to embark on a co-management programme with these fishing communities.
Open Access
An assessment of the quantum for financial provision of mine closures: a Monte Carlo approach.
(2012) Hewitson, Shaun B; Leiman, Anthony
Poor mine closure policy threatens both society and the environment. Some of the more prominent threats that have manifested are acid mine drainage, slimes dams and toxic dust from dumps. Current legislation requires that new mines set aside funds to cover their rehabilitation costs at closure.
Open Access
Asteroid Mining and the Market for Platinum, a speculative analysis
(2021) Kieck, Charles; Leiman, Anthony
The potential existence of a high-volume asteroid-derived platinum supply is examined from an economic perspective to assess the possible impact on long-term platinum supply. It is hypothesized that space-mined resources will increasingly become available over the next 30 years to 2050, driven by growing human activity in near-Earth space. Forecasted asteroid platinum supply under 3 scenarios is compared to forecasted terrestrial platinum supply. The thesis finds that, depending on the speed at which the size of an asteroid practical to mine up-scales, space-mined platinum has the potential to significantly impact on the terrestrial platinum market.
Open Access
Beyond enrolment: academic incentives, outcomes and performance in higher education
(2023) Neethling, Leigh; Leiman, Anthony
This study examined incentives, academic outcomes, and student performance in the South African higher education (HE) sector using the University of Cape Town as a case study. The analysis was conducted using a dataset that stacked three cross-sections of first year entering students and tracked these students over time. The thesis comprises six chapters. The introductory chapter provides background content on the research. Chapter 2 presents an exploratory and descriptive analysis of the South African HE sectors over the period 2004–2015. It focuses on a descriptive analysis of key South African HE indicators and outcomes. The first objective was to evaluate access to HE by identifying the pool of potential entrants through an examination of the school-leaving cohort of each year. The second objective was to identify racial enrolment, progression, and completion patterns to observe whether significant changes occurred over the period. The author finds that the differentials in performance between racial subgroups have narrowed over time. White students are shown to have the highest student success rates at above 80%, and although other subgroups show some improvement, they do not catch up to these rates. A trend analysis of the data, however, provided support for a fall in the dropout rate for all students. This chapter also provides evidence for persistence in but slower progression through HE. Chapter 3 presents a way to consider and evaluate the Dean's Merit List (DML) incentive system in the context of an African economy. The author evaluated the impact of academic recognition policies, specifically the DML, on student outcomes. Using a regression discontinuity approach, the chapter shows that the DML as an academic incentive policy, has largely negative rather than the intended positive effects over the short- and long-term on academic performance in the South African context. The results indicate that the DML has an unfavourable impact on subsequent academic performance. Students who received the award tended to earn lower grade point averages in subsequent years than expected. The findings suggest that the DML does not reinforce academic achievement. These results appear to be counterintuitive but support Bénabou and Tirole's theoretical expectations regarding extrinsic motivation in a situation of asymmetric information between an agent and principal. Chapter 4 investigates student performance over time by introducing a ranking variable of student achievement. The main finding is that race, gender, and performance on final school leaving examinations are important determinants of academic achievement. Female students outperform male students across the distribution of grade point average, and this finding is consistent with the growing international literature. Chapter 5 presents detailed evidence on the determinants of academic outcomes using discrete-time methods for competing risks survival analysis. An important contribution of this chapter is studying the determinants of dropout and graduation in HE in the context of an African country. While graduation is the preferred route of exit, voluntary and involuntary exit before completion remain prominent for a significant number of students. Interestingly, and contrary to other international studies, the author did not find support for financial aid status contributing to either voluntary dropout or graduation, even after controlling for academic and socio-economic background factors. Students on academic programmes are shown to be more likely to be involuntarily excluded and less likely to graduate or voluntarily exit HE then mainstream students. This is a cause for concern as these programmes are an initiative intended to address transformation and equity in, HE, attracting significant resources from within and outside universities. Chapter 6 summarises and presents policy discussions. Overall, the study shows that one-size-fits-all policies within the same institution applied across heterogenous faculties do not achieve their desired outcomes in the South African HE is setting. Considerable thought should be given to the nature of recognition policies as other basic requirements, such as course progression criteria, tend to crowd out the desired incentive effects of recognition policies. In addition, academic administrators should consider programmes that promote a decrease in outcome disparities in HE, including establishing more and expanding academic development programmes.
Open Access
Competition Policy and Privatisation in the South African Water Industry
(2001-03) Conradie, Beatrice; Goldin, Jacqui; Leiman, Anthony; Standish, Barry; Visser, Martine
The aim of this working paper is to investigate the optimal regulatory routes from a competition and public interest point of view for the South African water industry. The working paper presents the basic conditions of the water sector by outlining the main characteristics of water, providing an historical and international overview of water management in South Africa.
Open Access
A critical evaluation of road pricing in South Africa Duncan Lishman.
(2013) Lishman, Duncan; Leiman, Anthony
In an attempt to provide much-needed finance for road investments, the government’s national road agency has introduced numerous toll roads over the last three decades. It is currently in the process of introducing open road tolling on a network of Gauteng’s highways. Economic theory provides a rich understanding for pricing road use, particularly with regard to the pricing of externalities. By quantifying these externalities for the South African case, this paper reveals evidence of gross mispricing for road use. Specifically, the magnitude of road freight trucks’ external costs indicates that there is an absolute underpricing of road use for these vehicles. On the grounds of the externalities considered in this paper, passenger cars should, in fact, face a toll negligible in comparison to heavy vehicles. That they do not points to massive cross-subsidisation and that the relative price between light and heavy vehicles should be revisited. Appropriate pricing will improve economic efficiency by reducing cross-subsidisation. It will also rationalise the choice of freight modalities in South Africa, with the likely effect that a greater volume of goods will be carried by rail. Despite the welfare gains that the policy offers, one must be cognisant of the distortions that optimal road pricing may have.
Open Access
Demand responsive transport : an economic study of the jitney in the South-Western Cape, 1926-1990
(1991) Munitz, Stephen Michael; Archer, Sean; Leiman, Anthony
This thesis treats the role of the jitney in urban transportation from an economic perspective. The method of enquiry begins with a theory review including a description of the jitney, the distinction between passenger and operator costs, economies of scale and scope, market structure, and an allocatively efficient pricing rule for the jitney industry. It is asserted that in an unregulated urban transportation market a socially efficient pricing structure arises, which reconciles both user and producer costs. A discussion of the rise and decline of the jitney industry in Cape Town from 1924 to 1931 and industry developments in the 1970's and 1980's places this exposition within an historic context. Policy implications of the aforegoing analysis are suggested with respect to the potential role to be played by the jitney in urban public transport. Based on this approach, an alternative consideration of the competition between the jitney and conventional transport methods is proposed.
Open Access
Economic impact of cardiovascular disease on the South African economy, 1991
(1994) Pestana, J A X; Leiman, Anthony
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a generic medical term which is applied to any malfunctioning of the circulation of blood in the body. lschaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cardiac failure and aneurysm are among the specific diseases subsumed under this term. These diseases are diseases of lifestyle, and have a severe impact on first world economies. CVD is the leading cause of death among the White, Asian and Coloured population in South Africa, and ranks third for Blacks. South Africa is currently experiencing a rapid rate of urbanisation and redistribution of income (and wealth). The rural-urban-transition is accompanied by the adoption of western lifestyles. Consequently, the incidence of CVD is expected to increase markedly. Tightening fiscal constraints have led to serious focus on allocative efficiency in the health care sector. Cost effectiveness requires that all disease categories be examined. A costing study is usually the first step in this procedure. This thesis estimates the cost of CVD to the South African economy in 1991. Health economics is in its infancy in South Africa and no cost-of-illness study has been carried out in this country before. This study is thus a pioneering work in many ways; an appropriate methodological framework in which to conduct the costing had to be developed. Types of costing in health economics, the South African health sector, the aetiology of CVD and the value of a human life are reviewed. An exposition of the major methodologies of calculating direct and indirect costs of disease is given, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed. A direct and indirect cost-of-illness method for the purpose of the project is chosen, and arguments are advanced for their suitability in any cost-of-illness study in the South African context.
Open Access
The economics of animal welfare: an appraisal of welfare issues ifn the South African poultry industry
(2012) Pretorius, Leandri; Leiman, Anthony
Growing consumer awareness of animal welfare has co-evolved with increases in intensive farming, particularly of battery chickens. This rise in consumer awareness recently saw bans on battery farming in parts of Europe. This thesis addresses the difficulties that would follow any similar attempt to curtail battery farming in South Africa. It examines the literature on animal rights and the welfare issues generated by intensive animal farming, particularly of battery chickens. Thereafter it summarises the findings of surveys into local consumer preferences and retail strategies regarding chicken products.
Open Access
The economics of water in Botswana : water use and affordability in urban areas
(2001) Koitsiwe, Monicah; Leiman, Anthony
This study discusses urban water use and affordability by different consumers in Botswana. It outlines the potential urban water requirements that are expected to accompany the continuing economic developments in the country.
Open Access
El Serafy User costs and their implications for macroeconomic policy in Africa's mineral rich economies
(2018) Moussi, Sopp Louis Romain; Leiman, Anthony
Many of Africa’s economies are mineral based. Their sustainability and their macroeconomic vulnerability to market fluctuations are accordingly matters of direct concern. This thesis asks how much of the proceeds of mining in such countries can be safely spent each year. Using El Serafy’s approach to the ‘proper’ definition of National Income, it recomputes Net Domestic Product in 11 mineral-based African economies and tests for their macroeconomic sustainability. The study finds a disturbingly poor level of sustainability in several of them; with aggregate expenditures in excess of the levels posited under efficient resource rent management given the El Serafy User cost approach. The study estimates the budget deficit and national debt as a proportion of net national product adjusted for mineral resource depletion in each country and evaluates the outcome by comparison with standard ‘rules of thumb’ concerning ‘acceptable’ fiscal deficits and national debt levels. The outcome reveals that using GDP as an anchor as opposed to an ‘appropriate’ measure that adjust for mineral resource depletion by policy-makers may lead to the implementation of sub-optimal economic policies which are detrimental for sustainable income growth and development. The findings from the study therefore highlight the need for more efficient resource management as well as the development of a ’properly defined‘ national income which corrects for resource depletion to inform sustainable fiscal policy.
Open Access
Essays on the economics of foreign aid in Niger
(2017) Pedrosa Garcia, Jose Antonio; Leiman, Anthony; Sarr, Mare
This thesis identifies the gaps in the literature on foreign aid, and tries to fill some of them focusing particularly on Niger, a country that has received aid since its independence in 1960, yet remains one of the world's poorest. The work contributes to the literature in three ways: First, it addresses moral hazard: the relationship between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country is analysed through a historical case study. Niger's requests for assistance are accompanied by promises to undertake reforms; however, once aid is disbursed, these undertakings rarely materialize. Despite this record of poor (and deteriorating) compliance, IMF aid continues to flow, engendering perverse incentives and moral hazard. Secondly, it analyses whether aid is associated with poverty reduction. Aid is correlated with poverty, which is to be expected due to its pro-poor targeting nature. However, this study found increases in poverty associated with communities which were recipients of aid. To shed more light on this, households receiving aid were compared with those receiving no project assistance at all, and with households who benefited from non-aid based development projects. The results showed that changes in poverty levels among aid recipient households were not statistically different to those among households receiving no assistance. However, households benefiting from aid under-performed those who benefited from other projects. Thirdly, it explores whether aid brings utility to households through the provision of public goods. The results suggest that aid projects do help households. However, other sources of development projects are more efficient at doing so. Information is the key: it is a vital prerequisite for projects to address the needs of the population, and not all donors have the same information. Information can be obtained through co-funding projects with other donors, although there are also coordination costs. The models estimated allow the prediction of the benefits a project could provide to a household. Such predictive abilities could allow policymakers to coordinate donors' initiatives to maximize their effectiveness. However, at present Niger lacks the capacity to achieve such coordination. Furthermore, such an approach would involve having to reduce the least efficient donors to mere providers of finance (i.e. channel their resources through other donor types), a role they might not be willing to accept.
Open Access
Finding a cohesive and effective conservation in the Overberg - an experimental application of the agglomeration bonus
(2009) Modise, Boipuso; Visser, Martine; Leiman, Anthony
The Overberg region in the Western Cape is an area rich in conservation value. This region has another distinctive feature in that there are three different landowners adjacent to one another, each boasting land rich in biodiversity value. In the event that the land use practices of the landowners are in conflict with biodiversity conservation on their land, there is a trade-off between net social benefit and landowner welfare. Currently, there is no explicit conservation regulation that governs the way these landowners manage the conservation value of their land. This study investigates the viability of the application of an agglomeration bonus as a voluntary incentive mechanism aimed promoting sound conservation practices at three sites managed within the region. The analysis is unique in its application of both the normal form game theory and spatial mapping approaches to the problem in a three-player context. The primary finding of this work is that in a controlled environment the application of an agglomeration bonus does result in the creation of contiguous reserves between adjacent landowners.
Open Access
Gold mining taxation in South Affrica : a discussion of the MPRDA, its amendments and whether internal inconsistencies exist in the mining legislation
(2008) Dowe, Karen; Leiman, Anthony
The purpose of this paper is to add to the current debate regarding the royalty imposition by discussing the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act No. 28 of 2002 and the three amendments that have been made to it. The effect on investment, production, exploration and government taxation revenue of the MPRDA, specifically on gold mining taxation in South Africa, is discussed. An important objective of the Act is to deal with past injustices. The Act results in a change in the ownership of minerals, where all mineral rights will vest in the state. The paper analyses whether internal inconsistencies in the mining legislation exist, by comparing the effects of the introduction of royalties, ring-fencing and the 'use-it or lose-it' clause. It is found that certain inconsistencies do exist.
Open Access
High-end ecotourism and rural communities in southern Africa : a socio-economic analysis.
(2013) Snyman, Susan; Leiman, Anthony
This thesis argues that at high end ecotourism sites in southern Africa good relationships with local communities are not merely a normative ‘good thing’, but are a likely prerequisite for the long-term viability of both natural resources and the economic ventures that depend on them. Communities are thus active participants in both conservation and tourism. As rising populations increase pressure on conserved land, both conservation and ecotourism will need community support and goodwill. Such rural communities adjacent to protected areas have traditionally enjoyed consumptive use of local resources. Formally set-aside protected areas may help conserve biodiversity, but often impose costs on rural communities, increasing human-wildife conflict and reducing the land available for agriculture and consumptive use. Sustained community support for these areas therefore requires visible benefits. One source of these is ecotourism. Using primary data from over 1800 community interview schedules, collected across six southern African countries (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe), the thesis seeks to establish the incentives that matter most to rural communities in conservation areas, how ecotourism affects household incomes, and the determinants of community attitudes towards conservation and ecotourism.
Open Access
Informal production in Zimbabwe : a study of production methods and intersectoral relations with special reference to the clothing industry
(1985) Leiman, Anthony
This thesis covers the constraints, both theoretical and practical, on the growth and evolution of the Zimbabwean informal sector, in particular of informal clothing and footwear production. The aim of the study was to provide a foundation for decision-making in the intersectoral allocation of resources. To this end, a survey was conducted of over one hundred and twenty formal and informal clothing producers in Bulawayo. The questionnaire was administered and completed by the author during the course of an interview, the questions requiring specific, as opposed to open-ended, answers. The production data obtained were analysed using the Kmenta formulation of the Constant Elasticity of Substitution (C.E.S.) production function, with a view to obtaining the production parameters. The data from formal and informal sector interviewees were analysed separately and in aggregate and tested for constancy of variance, significance of parameters and explanatory power. Whilst a number of conclusions are drawn in the course of the thesis, the central finding is that allocation of scarce resources to the informal sector should be based on the standard procedures used by venture capital seeking an outlet in a normal market economy, and in particular on the ability of the entrepreneur, since this appears to be an increasingly crucial variable as firm sizes fell.
Open Access
Linking economic development and spatial planning in South Africa : a case study of state-market relations in Cape Town
(2016) Higginson, Lisa; Leiman, Anthony
In South African cities institutional practices and market forces are seen to reinforce spatial divisions. This dissertation reflects on the relationship between location fixed resources, market forces and state intervention and how the interaction of these factors influence urban spatial outcomes. It first develops the underlying economic theory that could inform good planning practice and then illustrates how state-market relations have had an impact on urban spatial outcomes in South Africa's recent history. These insights are then used to describe the spatial development of Cape Town and identifies ineffective and counterproductive interventions and illustrate how economic theories and concepts can be used to inform good planning practice. It concludes with the direction for further research and collaboration between economists and planners to improve planning and policy making in South Africa's cities.
Open Access
Marine protected areas in the management of artisanal fisheries
(2019) Sultan, Mohammed Akthar Riad; Leiman, Anthony
This thesis examines spatial patterns of effort by fishers in waters adjoining a marine protected area, and their impacts on the reserve’s ability to reduce the impacts of overfishing. The artisanal fisheries operating near Blue Bay Marine Park, Mauritius, provided case-study data for analysis. Two forms of spatial connectivity were evaluated. The first focused on spillovers of adult and juvenile fish from the MPA. Data on catch and geographical fishing location were collected from a sample of fishers over 12 months. Assessment of spillover gradients using Generalised Linear Models and economic production functions found evidence of spillovers up to 4 km from the MPA. The second connectivity study modelled fishers’ spatial behaviour, using a random utility framework and random parameters logit estimation. Fishers appeared sensitive to the expected catch, its variability, human risk and distance travelled. Expected catch and catch variability were modelled using a Just and Pope production function. The two connectivities were integrated in bioeconomic models to assess the relationship between reserve size, fishing effort and harvests. Using a Beverton and Holt recruitment function, an age-structured bioeconomic model for the dominant target species, Unicorn fish (Naso unicornis), was constructed from the catch data. In the hypothetical case of an initially over-exploited fishery, an inverted-U relationship between fisheries benefits and the Marine Park’s size was observed. No pre-reserve data was available for use as a counterfactual; the model was therefore used to estimate the pre-reserve population. This was then used to assess the performance of the Marine Park in enhancing fish population and biomass. In the light of the findings, the thesis concludes that the extent and magnitude of fishing effort should be considered when debating the placement and size of marine reserve, and proposes a step-wise approach to integrate fishers’ behaviour in the evaluation of existing and new MPAs.

Browsing by Author "Leiman, Anthony"

Results Per Page

Sort Options