HSRC BRICS seminar series

Provision of Affordable Social Housing to address the right to shelter: A case study and model of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg South African Metropolitan cities
Speakers: Dr Jaya Josie, Nozibele Gcora, Krish Chetty, Isaac Khambule (HSRC)

Date:                         4 July 2017
Time:                        12:15 for 12:30 14:00
Venues:                    Video Conference Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town
 

Post-apartheid democracy housing provision in South Africa is dominated by the legacy of apartheid spatial and socio-economic inequality, social exclusion and slums characterized by environmentally unsustainable living conditions. Despite governments efforts housing provision is caught between having to provide subsidized housing for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, and those wishing to access the housing market but cannot, because they dont earn enough to access mortgage housing finance.  The latter live mostly in rented accommodation on the edges of home ownership and housing provision. Households from this segment, known as the gap market, are marginalized living in slums with little or no access to shelter, water and sanitation, transport and waste removal. Government policy for the gap market thus far has resulted in a backlog in the supply of affordable sustainable housing in general and social housing in particular. Our paper provides an affordable housing financing model for sustainable public housing policy in South Africa and other BRICS countries with lessons for improving social housing policy in the context of the UN proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The study proposes a financing model for the progressive public financing of the right to housing and shelter in South Africa. The model targets the funding of affordable social housing backlogs to bring the level of such housing stock up to a predetermined policy standard. The purpose of the model is to give policymakers an instrument to finance the backlog and, the demand for affordable housing from the housing gap market made up of households caught between inaccessibility to mortgages because they don't earn enough, and inaccessibility to subsidized housing because they earn too much. In this phase of the study we apply the model and run simulations in a case study using data from three of the largest Metropolitan Municipalities in South Africa. The municipalities or Metros include Cape Town, Johannesburg, and eThekwini (Durban).

YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlZmOKUMlnE

RSVP by 3 July 2017

Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za

Cape Town : HSRC, Merchant House 116-118 Buitengracht Street Cape Town, Cape Town. Contact: Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or JWitten@hsrc.ac.za

Durban :  The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Berea, 4001 , Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400

HSRC Seminar Series

Bridging the Digital Divide: Skills for the new age and measuring digital literacy

Presenters: Krish Chetty (HSRC), Nozibelie Gcora (HSRC), Urvashi Aneja (ORF), Vidisha Mishra (ORF), LIU Qigun (CIFI), LI Wenwei (CIFI), CHEN Fang (CIFI)

Date: 28 April 2017

Time: 09:00 11:00

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)

Streaming Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qf0HanpeCo

HSRC Seminar Series

Bridging the Digital Divide: Skills for the new age and measuring digital literacy

Presenters: Krish Chetty (HSRC), Nozibelie Gcora (HSRC), Urvashi Aneja (ORF), Vidisha Mishra (ORF), LIU Qigun (CIFI), LI Wenwei (CIFI), CHEN Fang (CIFI)

Date: 28 April 2017

Time: 09:00 11:00

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)

Streaming Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qf0HanpeCo

Members of the T20 Task Force on Digitalisation present their Policy Briefs sent to the T20 Advisory Committee on the Digital Divide. The digital divide is a manifestation of exclusion, poverty and inequality and continues to be exacerbated due to the effects of unemployment, poorly functioning digital skilling programmes and socio-cultural norms in some economies often depriving women equal access to digital services. To promote digital transformation, equal emphasis needs to be allocated to digital skills development as is to infrastructure development. To ensure digital training programmes are adequately managed, a standardized data collection strategy is required to measure an internationally accepted definition of Digital Literacy. This measurement must be defined by a dynamic definition of Digital Literacy responsive to the fluid needs of the digital economy and requires the introduction of a G20 standard-setting body informing a nationally representative data collection strategy. Furthermore, the adopted standards which inform the data collection process must be cognizant of the evolving demands of employers. Measuring Digital Literacy is crucial especially amongst developing and emerging economies, as digital skills provide the poor a catalyst to break out of the cycle of poverty and empower themselves. A three-pronged digital skills strategy is required for developing countries: (1) Identify the skills required for employment (2) develop a holistic digital skills upliftment strategy, and (3) address the social and cultural norms through which these skills and systems are mediated.

nvitation

HSRC Seminar BRICS Series

Exploring the use of a common currency and/or payment mechanism amongst BRICS countries

Presenters: Dr. Jaya Josie, Head, BRICS Research Centre, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Prof Ronney Ncwadi, Head, Department of Economics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), & Babalwa Siswana, Researcher, BRICS Research Centre, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

Date: 9 March 2017

Time: 12:15 for 12:30  - 14:00

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)

Following the 2007/08 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) some BRICS countries in recent years are experiencing a slowdown in growth and development. Economic and development indicator trends for Brazil, Russia and South Africa in particular have been relatively weak compared to China and India. An important factor impacting on these countries in particular, and BRICS in general, is the role of the use of established developed economy foreign currencies in BRICS international trade and financial transactions. To mitigate the influence of this factor BRICS has established its own New Development Bank, and in addition, is considering setting up its own credit rating institutions, and the use a common currency and/or payment mechanism to be used by BRICS member states. This paper explores the use of a common currency for the BRICS group.

The HSRC seminar series is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The views and opinions expressed therein as well as findings and statements of the seminar series do not necessarily represent the views of the DST.

Kindly RSVP by 8 March 2017

Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za

Cape Town : HSRC, Merchant House 116-118 Buitengracht Street Cape Town, Cape Town. Contact: Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or JWitten@hsrc.ac.za

Durban :  The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Berea, 4001 , Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or RKhan@hsrc.ac.za , or Hlengiwe Zulu at e-mail HZulu@hsrc.ac.za

HSRC Seminar Series 

 25 years of Public Understanding of Science Research in India

Presenter: Prof. Gauhar Raza, Former Chief Scientist and Prof. AcSIR, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, India

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)

Date: 20 October 2016

Time: 12:15 for 12:30  13:30   

A truly interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary area of research started emerging in nineteen eighties. Attitudinal survey studies, Scientific Literacy, Public Understanding of Science, Public Understanding of Science, Technology and Engineering, Public Engagement of Science, Scientific Culture are some of the names that have been given to this discipline. Experts from various established disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, statistics, political science, education, history, sociology, economics, etc., directed their efforts to constitute this new area of research. Though nomenclature still remains contested, the institutionalization was gradual yet unambiguous. Regular surveys, publications of research papers and books, seminars, national and international conferences  specialized journals and groups of researchers working on various aspects of PUS, are some of the landmarks that legitimize its institutionalization as a discipline on the borderlines of science and social science.

During the past 25 years, the area has passed through many phases and a number of experts who specialize in Public Understanding of Science Research have carried out consistent debate -yet a transdisciplinary approach could be witnessed in any international conferences even now.

Public Understanding of Science Research, as a discipline, has emerged in a given international-socio-political context. However, the national needs and prevailing cultural context have a strong bearing on its orientation and research framework in various countries.

The presentation, in three parts, deals with the international context, the Indian discourse on scientific temper and its science movement, and analyses the shifts in Public Understanding of Science in India during the past twenty-five years. It will be argued that there exists a cultural distance between science and peoples culture and any scientific idea needs to cross this distance in order to become part of peoples cognitive structure. Different cultural groups can be placed at different distances from a given scientific idea, therefore a uniform strategy to communicate science to various cultural groups or sub-groups may not work in popularizing science.

The HSRC seminar series is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The views and opinions expressed therein as well as findings and statements of the seminar series do not necessarily represent the views of the DST.

2016 T20 Chairs Statement: July 30, 2016

The T20 is an important forum to share ideas amongst the G20 in areas of global governance, economic growth, innovation and structural reform, international finance, international trade and investment and inclusive development. The T20 suggests that to enhance global economic growth potential, structural reforms should be the core of long-term growth strategies for all countries and make innovation the key driver of sustained economic growth, creation of higher quality jobs. The T20 is set on improving global financial governance by strengthening macroeconomic policy coordination, increase financial regulation continuously, upgrade role of SDR in the international monetary system and improvement in the governance structure of IMF and the World. Strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promote infrastructure investment, and make great efforts to helping underdeveloped countries and regions develop on a sustainable basis. As the Chair of the G20 in 2016, China has pushed for consensus improving global governance, reenergizing trade and investment and promoting global development, and anti-corruption. Emphasizing financing and pushing the Paris Climate Agreement into effect.

The G20 think tank should build closer relations and conduct joint research to better influence the G20 decision making process and strengthen connections with non G-20 think tanks for a more inclusive T20. The T20 in Turkey 2015 and China 2016 has been very successful, looking forward to a successful one in Germany 2017.

Find the full statement: http://www.t20china.org/displaynews.php?id=413608 

T20 Policy Recommendations to the G20

The Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS IWEP), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY), as the coordinating think tanks of the T20 in 2016, have held several meetings in China and other different places deliberating on different topics affecting the G20 and the world at large such as global economic governance, innovation and structural reform, international finance, international trade and investment and development.

The G20 has made progress in securing the Paris Agreement, pushing IMF quota and governance reform package of 2016 to take effect and approving the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. Labour is facing structural challenges, a big short fall in global public and private investment. The policy recommendations focusing on enhancing global economic growth potential, improving global financial governance, facilitating international trade and investment cooperation, and promoting inclusive and sustainable development.

Find the full recommendations here: http://www.t20china.org/displaynews.php?id=413615

The HSRC`s BRICS Research Centre (BRC) has become the think tank for South Africa`s contribution to the T20 conference meeting taking place in Berlin on 12/13 May 2016, says Dr Jaya Josie, the head of the BRC.

Dr Josie will be representing the HSRC at the T20 meeting. To make the G20 summit more representative of world inputs, the G20 organising committee have invited countries in the developing world Egypt, Kazakhstan, Spain, Singapore, Laos and Senegal to take part in the full program of the summit as guest countries.

The G20 committee will host supporting events such as the B20 Summit, the L20 Meeting, the Y20 Meeting, the W20 Meeting and the T20 Meeting mainly provide input to the voices of sectors across  society, in turn making the Hangzhou G20 Summit in September,  more inclusive, by garnering broad popularity for G20 cooperation.

The T20 Conference meeting is part of the official programme of the three Chinese think tanks mandated by government to lead the process during the country`s G20 Presidency. The specific aim of the conference is aligned with the focus of SIIS during the T20 process, namely the responsibilities of the G20 for the developing world. For more information check out http://t20china.org/

The New Development Bank: Identifying Strategic and Operational Priorities, August 2015

At the 2014 BRICS Summit held in July 2014 in Fortaleza, Brazil, the heads of the member states signed an agreement establishing a New Development Bank (NDB) that will finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. The NDB is designed to represent all five member nations: it is headquartered in Shanghai, the first President is from India, the first regional office is in Johannesburg, the inaugural Chairman of the Board of Governors, from Russia, and the first Chairman of the Board of Directors, from Brazil.

To aggregate diverse and informed perspectives on both strategic and operational aspects of the bank's functioning, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) organised an intra-BRICS Experts Workshop on 18-19 June 2015 in New Delhi. The workshop was convened as part of India's knowledge support to the Russian Presidency of BRICS. The following suggestions are based on the most relevant inputs shared during the workshop. Many of the suggestions are also potential areas for further research.

The linked paper makes suggestions that are based on the most relevant inputs shared during the workshop. Many of the suggestions are also potential areas for further research.

http://www.bricsresearch.org.za/dynamic/uploads/documents/Policy-brief_1440674155249.pdf

Deepening and institutionalizing energy cooperation within the scope of BRICS: is there a need to start a BRICS energy agency?

Lately there has been an active discussion going on in the global financial circles concerning the launch of bilateral Russian-Chinese rating agency or similar multilateral entities within the scope of BRICS and SCO. The rating agencies shall not be politically bound by separate states or economic interests of major corporations. The Asian Bank of Infrastructural Investments was founded to add to the existing international financial architecture. Creating new independent international development institutes has become an indisputable trend in cooperation between the countries that play an incremental role in world economy. 

The energy domain plays as important a role in the life of the planet and economic development of the countries. In the conditions of highly volatile global prices for energy resources, expanding practices of international law violation, introduced restrictive measures and sanctions in energy sector, the leaders of BRICS countries have noted the need to deepen and institutionalize energy cooperation within the scope of BRICS. 

Is there a need to start a joint organization in form of an institute, association or agency that would deal with the issues of forecasting energy consumption, upgrading energy efficiency around the world, generating development scenarios for the global energy system and promoting energy safety and security and sustainable economic development of BRICS countries? 

Discussion participants:

• Inyutsyn, Deputy Minister of Energy, Russian Federation
• Senior executives of BRICS countries power industry Ministries
• Representatives of BRICS countries oil and gas company 

Follow Prof Rasigan Maharajh Live on YouTube! 10 November 2015, 13h30 (GMT + 2)

The HSRC BRICS Seminar Series 

Trade policy, the WTO and productive transformation strategies in a context of regional and bilateral trade agreements: perspectives from South Africa

Speaker: Nicolette Cattaneo, Department of Economics and Economic History, Rhodes University in Grahamstown

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)

Date: 3 November 2015

Time: 12h30  13H30   

The BRICS countries need to be innovative in linking trade, industrial and technology policies for catch-up and development, particularly with the broadening of WTO rule-making to areas like services, investment, intellectual property protection and government procurement. This paper explores South Africas current policy approach on some of these issues and the lessons that can be learnt for moves to promote deeper economic cooperation within the BRICS grouping. The paper argues that the BRICS countries should give pressing attention to the implications for development policy space of the proliferation of regional and bilateral agreements arising from the WTO Doha impasse and the potential impact of the ongoing mega-regional FTA negotiations.  In this environment, the expansion of trade and investment relations among the BRICS countries must take careful account of the development policy goals and imperatives of the partner states.

Nicolette Cattaneo is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Economic History at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, where she has taught since 1990. She is co-course director of APORDE (the African Programme on Re-thinking Development Economics) and a member of the Department of Trade and Industrys Economic Research Advisory Network (ERAN).  Her research areas are trade and industrial policy, regional integration and the impact of WTO and regional/bilateral trade agreements on development policy space.  She teaches trade and industrial policy and econometrics at Rhodes. She has research linkages with TIPS (Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies), as well as the HSRCs BRICS Research Centre. She holds an MSc in Economics from Rhodes University.

Kindly RSVP by 2 November 2015

Cape Town : HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or JWitten@hsrc.ac.za

Durban :  First floor HSRC board room, 750 Francois Road, Ntuthuko Junction, Pods 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or RKhan@hsrc.ac.za, or HZulu@hsrc.ac.za

Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za , or  Sam Lekala at SLekala@hsrc.ac.za, Tel: 012 3169753

Dr Jaya Josie of the HSRC BRICS Research Centre was interviewed Channel Africa together with Dr Dikshita Padalkar on matters pertaining to the BRICS Heads of State Summit in Ufa, Russia

This strategy, the SABTTs Olive Shisana stressed at Mondays media briefing, does not only consider the economic co-operation of the member nations. Brics, she suggested, should also be seen as having a potentially powerful impact on factors such as social justice, sustainable development and quality of life.

Shisana said that at Ufa, Brics nations affirmed the importance of the United Nations as a body for global peacekeeping, but also agreed that the UN was in need of comprehensive reform.

In particular, the UNs Security Council is felt to be insufficiently representative. Of the Brics members, only two China and Russia are permanent members, which gives them access to the all-important and controversial veto power.

Find the full article from the Daily Maverick here: http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2015-07-14-ufa-declaration-the-house-that-brics-are-building/#.VaZYhvmqpBd 

The BRICS Heads of State have met in Ufa in the Russian Federation at the Heads of State Summit which was held on 8 and 9 July 2015. The summit is the culmination of the 2014/15 years activities conducted by the various BRICS Forums. The Heads of State have released the now titled Ufa Declaration, which has set the agenda for the future trajectory for the BRICS group of countries. The declaration indicates that the BRICS have taken into account the five pillars of the Long Term Strategy identified by the BRICS. The declaration emphasises in particular the strengthening of economic cooperation, consolidating Peace and Security and ensuring political and economic governance reforms of international institutions.

The Ufa Declaration can be downloaded here.

As the incubators for the South African BRICS Think Tank in 2014/15, the HSRC has been heavily involved in the BRICS related meetings that took place in Moscow and Kazan over May, June and July of 2015. The first meeting was the BRICS Think Tank Council Meeting held on the 21^st of May and was attended by our CEO Prof Olive Shisana, Dr Jaya Josie (Head, BRICS Research Centre) and Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller (DGSD). Following the BTTC meeting, was the Academic Forum meeting which hosted premier academics across the BRICS nations. The logistical arrangement required for the Academic Forum were managed by the BRICS Research Centre. Each country chaired two sessions, and there were five presentations from each country in every session. Prof Shisana chaired the session under the theme Addressing Social Problems Possible Issues For BRICS Cooperation. Policies on the Labour Market, Migration, Healthcare, Social Safety Nets. The BRICS Civil Society Forum was hosted by the Russian Presidency in Moscow and was held between 29 June and 1 July 2015. The Civil Society delegation from South Africa was headed by our DCEO Dr Temba Masilela and was also attended by Michael Cosser (Head, Learning and Development), Bongiwe Moni and Krish Chetty (BRICS Research Centre). Michael Cosser and Bongiwe Moni contributed to the Education and Science Working Group whilst Krish Chetty participated in the Sustainable and Inclusive Development Working Group. Finally Dr Temba Masilela also represented the HSRC at the BRICS Youth Summit in Kazan held between 4 to 6 July 2015. Dr Masilela made a speech at the Humanitarian Cooperation Panel held on the 4^th of July.

Prof Olive Shisana leading the South African Delegation at the 7th BRICS Academic Forum

Members of the South African Delegation to the BRICS Civil Society Forum that took place in Moscow (29 June 1 July 2015)

VI BRICS Academic Forum

The analyses and proposals discussed at the 6th BRICS Academic Forum in Rio de Janeiro have been published by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), our Brazilian BRICS partner organisation.  Various South African authors are included in this publication, viz. Jaya Josie, Siphamandla Zondi, Rasigan Maharajh, Candice Moore, David Fryer, Nicolette Cattaneo, Narnia Bohler-Muller, Edward Webster, Khayaat Fakier and Anthea Metcalfe.

The document is available at this link.

BRICS News Feed Now Available

The South African BRICS Think Tank website now includes a BRICS News Feed Page whereby BRICS related news feeds are consolidated into a single page for easy consumption. This provides you a single portal to keep track of BRICS related developments.

The news feeds have been partitioned into General News, Statistics information released by the BRICS Nations where available, developments in Government and news postings from Research Organisations. The content is compiled using RSS feeds that are made available by various institutions. We will continue to refine the news items received on this page.

Lastly, please be aware that the opinions presented in the news feeds provided, do not represent the views of the South African BRICS Think Tank.

Find the BRICS News Feed on our main ribbon or at this link.

SABTT Useful Links Custom Search

The South African BRICS Think Tank has introduced a powerful new tool allowing you to centrally search through all the websites listed on our Useful Links page using Google's Customised Search Function.

This includes our BRICS Think Tank partners across the BRICS member states, South Government departments, South African Statutory Bodies, BRICS Agencies, International Organisations and various Academic Institutes. Consult our Useful Links page for a full listing of the websites that are supported.

Access the SABTT Useful Links Search Function here.

Are BRICS Countries winning the war on HIV/ AIDS? Analysis of response?

Prof. Geoffrey Setswe (HSRC)

Prof. Olive Shisana (HSRC)

Dr. Mpumi Zungu (HSRC)

Date: 24 October 2014, Time: 12h30 - 13h30
Venue: Video Conference Rooms at the HSRC in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban

The HSRC held a seminar on the 24th October 2014, regarding the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in the BRICS countries. HIV/ AIDS is one of the world's worst epidemics which has infected about 70 million people and killed 35 million people in over 30 years. Globally, 35.3 million people where living with HIV in 2013. BRICS represents 42% of the worlds population and each of these countries has been affected by HIV although to varying extents. This paper used a comparative case study method to analyse the national responses to HIV/AIDS in the BRICS countries. We focus specifically on

i) the magnitude of HIV/AIDS

ii) mode of transmission

iii) policy responses

iv) progammatic responses in the five BRICS countries.

The Evolving Dynamics of the China Africa Relations

HE Mr DOU Enyong Assistant Minister of the International Department of the CPC, China

Date: 23 October 2014, Time: 12h30 - 13h30

Venue: Video Conference Rooms at the HSRC in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban

Since the 21st century, the Peoples Republic of China (China) Peoples and most African countries have built increasingly strong political and economic ties. China has become Africas largest trade partner, and Africa is now Chinas major import source, as in 2012, the total volume of China-Africa trade reached US$198.49 billion. Furthermore, there are several other partnerships that have developed between the two regions, such as skills training, agriculture and health development. This seminar explores current developments of Sino-Africa relations particularly in the context of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Since its establishment in October 2000, FOCAC has been gradually institutionalised and become an important platform for collective dialogue and an effective mechanism for enhancing practical cooperation between China and African countries. This seminar is timely given that the next Fifth Ministerial FOCAC event will be held in South Africa in 2015.