On live television, Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro choked on his words. Hugo Chávez, the improbable President, born in the rural poverty of Sabaneta, in the state of Barinas, in 1954 had died of cancer.[1] To his wealthy and light-skinned enemies he was evil...
economist
The Endless Crisis | by John Bellamy Foster and Robert W. McChesney
We have had [in England], ever since 1876, a chronic state of stagnation in all dominant branches of industry. Neither will the full crash come; nor will the period of longed-for prosperity to which we used to be entitled before and after it. A dull depression, a...
Wage restraint won’t help the jobless | by Mazibuko K. Jara
Government's New Growth Path document calls for a social pact that includes a proposed wage restraint, which means workers would moderate their wage demands. Various monetary-policy statements by the Reserve Bank, research reports by Adcorp and other comments by...
Another world is possible | by Phil Gasper
Capitalism creates a society that robs most people of their creative potential, says Phil Gasper PHIL GASPER responds to a supporter of capitalism In the last issue of the ISR (#74), I wrote a column about Marx’s concept of alienation and why work—which Marx claims...
Lies, damned lies and statistics
Lies. damned lies and statistics. It’s a cliché that has been used several times in this column over the years. I have used it because statistical data, especially about employment and the cost of living, can influence attitudes, opinions and policy decisions. As...
Adcorp and CDE wrong about productivity decline
Press statement from AIDC, 14 September 2011 Arguing for cutting workers' wages, Adcorp and Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) mislead media and the public. The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) and the labour broker Adcorp continue to argue for...
Productivity is rising even as wage share dips, data show
Last week, the Reserve Bank (SARB) issued its latest Quarterly Bulletin. It covers economic development in South Africa up to June 2011 and economic prospects for the coming period, as the SARB views it. As usual, the bank also discussed developments in labour...
Job protection leads to shrinking workforce
Brian Kantor, the chief strategist and economist at Investec Wealth and Investment, responds to the debate about wages and productivity between Dick Forslund from AIDC, Simon Eppel from SACTWU and Loane Sharp from Adcorp (published in Business Report, December 13, 14...
Economic policy PR without scruples
Originally in Business Day, 2012-03-05 Adcorp’s method of measuring employment "generates such massive employment levels that it does away with SA’s unemployment problem in one fell swoop, lowering the unemployment rate to around 5%", write Dr Kerr and Prof Wittenberg...




