This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.
Preface
The spatial allocation of resources in South Africa has contributed to the country's high levels of inequality in economic and social conditions. Various regions are severely limited in opportunities for employment and income, with associated negative consequences for attainment of real democracy. Within this context, transformation aimed at reducing disparities within South Africa must take into account regional differences. This report is a first step in providing the necessary information about the degree and sources of regional inequality.
This study has been undertaken under the aegis of the Centre for Policy Analysis of the Development Bank of Southern Africa through the Programme in Regional Management. The author of the study is Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts and Visiting Research Fellow, Development Bank of Southern Africa.
The purpose of the study is to identify possible effects of agricultural, industrial, trade and other national policies on regional income inequality and particularly on the poorest regions. The goal is to contribute to the creation of a society which is economically and socially sustainable for all of its members. Inequality across regions is only one aspect of inequality which transformation must address, but it is a critical element in political as well as economic stability in the transition to a more equitable society.