Department of Economics

Masters and Doctoral students' current research

The department currently has approximately 90 masters and doctoral students at different stages in the postgraduate programmes. The research topics vary,from monetary economics to development economics.

Below is a list of current research being undertaken. For a detailed collection of completed dissertations and theses, please browse the Unisa library collection.

Masters and Doctoral student research (2024)

A rural development index for South Africa: construction and application

Gender norms, intrahousehold bargaining and financial decision-making: Evidence from South Africa (2008-2018)

Financial inclusion and poverty alleviation in Ethiopia

Fiscal Federalism in Ethiopia:  a comparative review

 The effect of Covid-19 on poverty, inequality and unemployment in the North West Province of South Africa

 Migration and remittances for development:  The role of European Union

Examining the impact of higher education on economic growth and alleviating unemployment in South Africa

Financial Development and Monetary Policy Transmission Dynamics: Evidence from Emerging Africa

The asymmetric effects of economic policy on stock market prices in South Africa

The effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policy on economic growth: A case of Namibia

Capital inflow, governance and economic growth in SACU Countries

Financial integration, institutional advancement and total productivity nexus in SADC

Inflation and economic growth:  Empirical evidence from selected East African Countries

The Role of Bank Supervision on Banking System Performance: A Cross-Country Study

Human capital formation in Ethiopia and its impact on poverty alleviation

The impact of external shocks on monetary policy effectiveness in Non-UEMOA West Africa

Embeddedness, resilient networks and the likelihood of demand inducement behaviours in the South African private healthcare market

Effect of Energy Infrastructure on Manufacturing Output Growth in Kenya

Analyzing the relationship between energy consumption, carbon emissions and mitigating strategies in Ghana

An Analysis of Energy Transition Pathways and Economic Growth in Ghana

The relationship between energy cost and the cost of doing business in South Africa: A case study of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises in Gauteng Province

Does financial inclusion promote income inequality and poverty reduction in South Africa?

Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and Business Cycle: A Cross Country Analysis

Determinants of banks¿ credit to the private sector in Ghana: A diagnostic panel data analysis

A Comprehensive Examination of the Impact of External Shocks on Macroeconomic  Performance in Ghana

Impact of microcredit on poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Estimating the cost of load-shedding (electricity blackouts) in South Africa

Macroeconomic Impacts of the African Continental Free Trade Area on Ethiopia

Implications of universal free education policies on Public and Household education expenditure in Tanzania

The dynamics of preferential rules of origin on trade in industrial/manufactured product in Africa:  The case of EAC

The relationship between market structure, efficiency and profitability of financial institutions in Ethiopia:  The case of the Banking and Insurance Sector

Artificial Intelligence (AI), employment, manufactured exports and foreign direct investment:  Firm level analysis in Africa

Monetary-fiscal policy interactions in Ghana over the period 1980 - 2020

Technological Innovation and Carbon Emissions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Moderating role of Global Uncertainty

Government Expenditure, Public Debt and Poverty Reduction in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

The impact of government debt and the tax burden on consumption expenditure: Covid-19 and the South African economy

Electricity accessibility in Sub-Saharan Africa:  The relevance of international remittances, income inequality and governance quality

Economic effects of political instability in Ethiopia:  An empirical application

Nexus between financial development and income inequality in Sub-Saharan African countries

Decentralisation, education service delivery and poverty reduction in Uganda

Regime switching dynamics in fiscal-monetary interactions in South Africa:  Three essays

Higher education expansion and income inequalities in Zimbabwe: an empirical analysis

The effectiveness of depreciation tax allowances in boosting mining output, investment, and employment in South Africa

Barriers to mineral beneficiation in selected African states, with a specific focus on South Africa and Tanzania

The Impact of mineral extraction on social wellbeing in South Africa

Understanding productivity growth in Africa and how the continent can accelerate its income growth

The Effect of Public Financial Incentives on the Innovation Behavior of US Medicare Advantage Plans

Economic diversification: the case of South Africa North West Province

Poverty among rural women in South Africa

An economic analysis of the feasibility of free tertiary education for South Africa

E-commerce and taxation in developing countries: the South African case

The relationship between economic growth and unemployment:  investigation of Okun's Law in South Africa

Youth unemployment and crime in Nigeria: Discovering the extent to which youth unemployment contributes to crime

The relationship between financial system and economic growth in South Africa

The relationship between economic growth and public expenditure in Eswatini            

The impact of monetary policy on income inequality and inflation in South Africa

Implications of social and economic infrastructure on productivity in South Africa

The impact of income distribution on government expenditure and revenue in South Africa, 1995-2022

Analysis on the Economic Effects of Energy Supply in Southern Africa and Strategies to close the Demand Gaps

The Institutional Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in South Africa

The impact of trade liberalisation on economic growth:  Case of South Africa

Labour market dynamics and wage inequality in the industrial sector of South Africa

The role of SACU integration on the economic development of its member countries

Evaluating the Involvement of women in the mining sector to achieve economic empowerment

The impact of household debt levels in determining household consumption expenditure patterns in South Africa in 2023

An analysis of manufacturing sector as an engine of growth in South Africa economy

Russian-Ukraine 2022 war:  The effects of the war on the South African economy

The impact of electricity prices on manufacturing sector output: A case study of South Africa

Trade facilitation measures and economic development in the African union:  An empirical analysis

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic to the informal economic sector in Gauteng:  Opportunities, constraints and policy gaps facing informal street traders

Aftermath of greylisting on the Financial Sector and South Africa’s economic development and growth

The bond market and economic growth nexus in South Africa:  2007 to 2022

The Impact of Fintech on the South African Banking Sector: An economic perspective

Empirical analysis of public expenditures on economic growth in South Africa

Economic growth and unemployment: a study examining Okun's Law applicability to the South African economy

Free State economic outcomes as a function of deteriorating public infrastructure

The impacts of inflation on consumers employed in the public sector

An empirical analysis on the effects of inflation, unemployment and interest rates on economic growth of South Africa

Asymmetric analysis between energy consumption and population growth on CO2 emissions

Factors impacting electricity consumption in South Africa: Analysis of customer data and economic variables for improved predictive modelling and effective risk mitigation

The Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and economic growth in South Africa

Measuring the macroeconomic effects of inflation targeting in South Africa:  A Factor Augmented Vector Auto Regression (FAVAR) approach

The effect of Exchange rate volatility on Trade flows in South African

The effect of population growth on economic growth in South Africa for the period of 1950 to 2020

Effect of monetary policy on business cycle:  South Africa

Analysis of South Africa's trade with BRICS and Western Countries

The link between financial development and poverty reduction in South Africa 

Impact of trade policy on environmental quality:  The case of Sub-Sarahan Africa

Quantitative analysis of the causes of Exchange rate volatility in South Africa during the global COVID-19 pandemic and the role of fiscal and monetary pol

Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Investment in South Africa: An Empirical Analysis

The nexus between trade liberalisation and poverty reduction in South Africa

The impact of renewable energy consumption on South African economic growth

Last modified: 2024/11/08