South Africa

The relationship between trade liberalization and product quality is both empirically and theoretically ambiguous. This paper empirically investigates the impact of tariff liberalization on product quality upgrading in the South African manufacturing sector using highly disaggregated product-level data. The study employs panel data techniques exploiting variation at the product level using HS8 product-level data from 1988 to 2009. Tariff liberalization affects product quality through various channels such as pro-competitive, variety, or input channel effects.

This paper reports on the construction and testing of a Standard International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) computable general equilibrium model for South Africa. A 1998 social accounting matrix (SAM) for South Africa is compiled using national accounts information and recently released supply-use tables. By updating to a recent year, and by distinguishing between producers and commodities, this SAM is an improvement on the existing SAM databases for South Africa.

This paper examines climate adaptation strategies of farmers in the Limpopo Basin of South Africa. Survey results show that while many farmers noticed long-term changes in temperature and precipitation, most could not take remedial action. Lack of access to credit and water were cited as the main factors inhibiting adaptation. Common adaptation responses reported included diversifying crops, changing varieties and planting dates, using irrigation, and supplementing livestock feed.