The myths of economic transformation
There is no agreed way to gauge change
A mantra carried in the winds to the ANC conference at Nasrec is that of "radical economic transformation", which paints a picture of an economy that has failed to transform. While there are mountains to climb, there has been progress by the ANC government to change the economy. The problem is often about measurement of change. "There is a huge lacuna of intellectual leadership in transformation. Perhaps one of the most immediate challenges is to ensure that we have an agreed survey method, survey frequency and an approach to measurement that is uniform and binding on all," Trevor Manuel wrote last year. "There are at least four survey reports available and generally in use - the Jack Hammer Executive Report; the Alternative Prosperity Report; the National Empowerment Ownership Survey; and the Empowerment Trailblazers Survey," he wrote.
Top end is blacker The Unilever Institute report, called "The Top End", is a fascinating insight into South African households with the highes...
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