Education Policy For Inclusive Economic Growth During Fiscal Consolidation
Year Published 2025
Business unit: External Contributors
Resource type: Discussion papers
File type: PDF
Theme(s): Basic Education, Economic Development, Higher Education & Training
Description
Globally, improving education drives economic growth. Yet, South Africa presents a puzzling exception: education gains haven’t translated into sustained economic development. Why?
In this presentation Peter Courtney shares his latest SA-TIED research which reveals why more spending isn’t the answer. Peter shows how strategic investments in foundational literacy and numeracy, even during fiscal consolidation, can drive inclusive economic growth by boosting university completion rates.
Peter Courtney is an economics PhD candidate at the Tinbergen Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and at RESEP, Stellenbosch University, specialising in education, spatial econometrics, and inclusive African development.