Search results

Enhanced revenue mobilization is essential in developing countries such as South Africa. However, it is inevitably a complex process, both from economic and political perspectives. Increasing the rate of value-added tax (VAT) has been identified as one option to increase tax revenue, although the likely effect of VAT rate changes on tax compliance behaviour is undetermined. This study considers the impact of such a change on the tax compliance behaviour of small business entities. In order to address the impact of VAT rate changes on tax compliance behaviour, a between-subjects pre-test/post-test online field experiment was conducted and designed to identify the implications of rate changes of various directions and magnitude.

Statistical analysis of the data obtained from the experiment indicated that small business entities are inclined to reduce the VAT liability when there is an increase in the VAT rate, and to do so by overstating purchases rather than under-declaring sales. This leads to an increase in non-compliance. The greater the magnitude of the VAT rate increase, the greater the level of non-compliance. In contrast, no significant relationships were identified between a decrease in the VAT rate and tax compliance.

The administration of social assistance benefits is devolved to local agencies in Belgium, which raises questions about how much variation in spell lengths of benefit receipt is associated with differences across agencies. We address this issue by analysing the monthly hazard of benefit exit using administrative record data for 14,270 individuals in 574 welfare agencies. Our random-effects model allows for differences in both the observed and unobserved characteristics of beneficiaries and of local agencies. There are large differences in median benefit duration for individuals serviced by different welfare agencies: the range is from two months to more than 24 months. We find strong associations between beneficiary characteristics (sex, age, foreign nationality, citizenship acquisition, work history and being a student) and spell length. The estimates show higher odds of exiting social assistance receipt in bigger municipalities and in agencies which provide more generous supplementary assistance, and also strong evidence of shorter episodes in agencies where active labour market programme participation rates are higher.

Nelson Mandela once argued that ‘education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world’. This sentiment is echoed by governments and citizens across the world. Education can help us to better understand the world around us and our place in it, equipping us to push for positive social, economic and political changes.

Calls for accessible Higher Education (HE) in South (and the rest of) Africa make perfect sense: a university degree is a passport to a better life for those who have it. For example, the unemployment rate for those with a university degree is significantly lower than for those without. In addition, university campuses offer more than just taught knowledge: they are a place where young people build networks, relationships and values (see, e.g. May & Jones in this volume, Chapter 5). They are where the future business, political and intellectual leaders of a country are forged.

Africa, generally, is faced with numerous serious challenges regarding access to HE, and this chapter explores some of the key ones with particular reference to South Africa.

In response to common criticisms on the appropriateness of mean-variance in asset allocation decisions involving hedge funds, we offer a mean-Gini framework as an alternative. The mean-Gini framework does not require the usual normality assumption concerning return distributions. We also evaluate empirically the differences in allocation outcomes between the two frameworks using historical data. The differences turn out to be significant. The evidence thus confirms the inappropriateness of the mean-variance framework and enhances the attractiveness of mean-Gini for this asset class.

Stokvel is an African traditional credit system with initiatives that are typically situated in the informal economy and are easily accessible to alleviate financial challenges associated with micro and small enterprise financing, networking and product marketing. A wealth of research has provided an understanding of the entrepreneurial imperatives in this regard; however, knowledge of processes of setting up a successful Stokvel model to achieve this overarching benefit of scaling the initiative is still lacking. This study consolidates and examines the application and distribution of the model's four-building constructs established in a previous case study in a broader spectrum, providing requisite knowledge for its adoption in the contemporary entrepreneurial economy. Using a sample of 418 valid responses from the rural and urban areas of Limpopo Province of South Africa, findings reveal that the four building constructs (formation, operation, financial segment and disciplinary measures), are conformant to the study area, with no statistical evidence to support a difference between the ratings of the categories of location. This implies that Stokvel practices across areas of the province are similar, and a proper understanding of the building blocks that sustain its operations can enhance its applicability in other parts of South Africa, as well as other regions. The study, therefore, lays a foundation that can be used to develop a typical rotating Stokvel model for entrepreneurial success in Africa and beyond.

The reported inquiry-based learning (IBL) study was designed in 2012–2013 for the highest achieving undergraduate students at a research-intensive university in the United Kingdom (U.K.). In 2005, the University received national funding from the U.K. Higher Education Academy (HEA) to develop an innovative model of IBL to be used in a multidisciplinary context (Tosey, 2006). As a consequence, IBL was an obvious tool when, in 2012, the authors set out to design learning interventions to improve the teamwork and leadership skills of high-attaining students. In the process of exploring the application of IBL to this task, the need to ensure the intervention allowed for development in the conative domain was considered important. Historically, IBL practice at the University had catered well for cognitive and affective learning but had not been focussed to develop conation. A conative-heavy element was therefore purposefully designed into the latest IBL intervention.