Interest rates left unchanged as expected

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the latest decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to again leave interest rates unchanged was widely expected, given the economic model on which the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is operating.

“Once again the…

NWU student featured as a Next Generation of the Brave nominee

North-West University (NWU) student Tebogo Matshehle Monogo has recently been featured as a Next Generation of the Brave nominee.

The Next Generation of the Brave is a programme that encourages and supports current and aspiring health care professionals through a mentoring programme. It also aims to show appreciation for them being…

US President-elect Joe Biden – possible economic implications for SA and the world

“The election of Joe Biden as United States (US) president-elect could eventually create an opportunity for South Africa to buttress its economic narrative with the US from both a trade and an investment point of view.”

This is according to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the North-West University (NWU) Business School.

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What will determine the credibility of the latest Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS)?

According to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the North-West University (NWU) Business School, the difficulties and dilemmas facing Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni in the latest MTBPS must be acknowledged, and the credibility of the latest fiscal framework will now largely rest on the extent to which the growth plan and other structural…

Prof Kobus van der Walt elected to board of South African Academy for Science and Arts once more

What does it mean to you to be elected to the board? The board of The South African Academy for Science and Arts (SAASA) consists of a number of outstanding and authoritative academics – all of them heavy-weights who have made their mark internationally.

I see it as ’n major privilege to work with such people.

Actually, I…

TRADE in the “new normal” webinar focuses on Africa

The Trade and Development (TRADE) research entity at the North-West University (NWU) and the TRADE Research Advisory, a spin-off company of the university, hosted the eighth TRADE-Decision Support Model User Group webinar, drawing more than eighty international attendees.

The webinar was hosted on 15 October by Prof Wilma Viviers,…

Understanding consensual non-monogamy (swinging) from a South African perspective

While some people consider it a taboo, swinging - the act of allowing one’s partner to engage in sexual intercourse with other people - has been practised around the globe for decades.

A simple Google search gives thousands of results on the lifestyle, yet relatively little is known about swinging from a South African perspective.…

People solve problems, making anthropology the right place to be

The North-West University (NWU) Anthropology subject group is growing from strength to strength, and aims to make the NWU one of the top universities at which to study this field. 

“Recognising that the complicated problems of our society can only be solved with people, the subject group has embarked on a process of…

Pre-TSD and the Covid-19 conundrum

The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on our mental health cannot be understated. From a South African perspective, months of a hard lockdown has changed the way we live, the way we work and the very way we operate. Mentally we have not escape unscarred.

A new study by Afriforte and the WorkWell research unit at the North-West…

Project on swearing produces scientific knowledge

“To my mind, the project has progressed exceptionally well. Not only have technology and infrastructure been established for sound research in the years ahead, but we have also gained a large number of registered users.”

These are the words of Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen, professor in Afrikaans and Dutch Linguistics at the North-West…