1. Background questions to the Focus Area on Economic Development

Why have so many Local Economic Development (LED) projects failed? What is the enabling role of government? How can it assist stakeholders such as business? How can people in the informal sector be most effectively empowered? How can we promote skills transfer, job creation, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation? Government’s business is not to create jobs but to create an environment for business to create jobs. What would such an “enabling climate” entail? What are the relative interests of business and government? How can we build the economy where so many people are poor? Which sectors are the main drivers of the central South African economy? How can SA leverage its own advantages to exploit the African market?

2. Mega-questions

These are issues in which UFS already has a track record of research, and which will be investigated in depth over a period of five years.

2.1 Informal sector

To what extent is the informal sector reaching its full potential in South Africa, and how can it be assisted to improve its ability to create wealth?

Focus area participants:

  • Prof Lochner Marais (CDS): Informal sector, township trade

  • Mr Lejone Ntema (CDS): Informal sector, township trade

  • Dr Munene Mwaniki (Linguistics): Informal sector

  • Ms Bella Rametse (Commercial Law): Informal sector, stokvels

  • Ms Julie Williamson (CDS Masters student and GIZ): Informal sector

  • Mr Mark Ingle (CDS Research Associate).

2.2 Government’s role in promoting Mega-question 2: To what extent does government play an “enabling role” in promoting business development? How do the agendas of business and government compare and overlap? How can or should they be fine-tuned?

Focus area participants:

  • Prof Doreen Atkinson (CDS) The role of chambers of commerce in local development
  • Dr Jennifer Houghton (Geography Post-doc student): Neo-liberalism in South African cities
  • Mr Willem Ellis (CDS): Social entrepreneurship

2.3 The spatial dynamics of local and regional development

Focus area participants:

  • Prof Doreen Atkinson (CDS): Karoo regionalism
  • Mr Vuyo Adonis (Public Management PhD student): Regionalism around the Gariep Dam
  • Dr Kobus Marais (Linguistics): Political discourse in the Gariep Dam region
  • Ms Deidre van Rooyen (CDS PhD student): Mining development and business confidence in Beaufort West
  • Mr Marius Pretorius (CDS PhD student): Airport development and regional economic growth in the Upington region
  • Mr Mark Ingle (CDS PhD student): The “creative class” in the Karoo
  • Dr Daan Toerien (CDS Associate): The business profile of towns
  • Mr Yandisa Mashalaba (Town and Regional Planning): “Dark skies” and the astronomical observatory in Bloemfontein
  • Dr Chitja Twala (History): The ANC in the Free State

2.4 Tourism

What is the potential of the tourism sector in the central South African region?

Focus area participants:

  • Prof Doreen Atkinson (CDS): Karoo tourism
  • Mr Attie Alberts (Geography Masters student): Karoo Geo-park and tourism development
  • Mr Wynand Myburgh (CDS Masters Student): Clarens Tourism
  • Mr Johan Hattingh (CUT PhD student): Regional tourism planning along the Orange River

3. Potential theoretical issues:

  • The nature of the state, and its relationship to the economy in general, and business in particular (which includes debates about “neo-liberalism” and dynamics of power)
  • The ability of different sectors to create wealth and address poverty;
  • The nature of business organisation
  • The spatial relationship between local and regional development.

4. Current project focus: What is the potential of the tourism sector in the central South Africa region?

How is this promoted by commercial tourism organisations, and by Government? Do they work together optimally? To what extent is the tourism sector open to the inclusion of informal businesses? What tourism projects have been successful? What have been the key reasons for success or failure of tourism initiatives?

5. Links with outside agencies:

  • Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape Departments of Economic Affairs and Tourism;
  • Flemish programme on business support in the Free State,
  • Free State Premier’s office,
  • Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI),
  • Bloemfontein Chamber of Commerce
  • NAFCOC
  • Tourism organisations, eg. ToGoTo
  • International Labour Organisation.

6. Focus area leaders: Prof Doreen Atkinson and Ms Deidre van Rooyen (CDS).

7. Relevant UFS publications and reports:

7.1 Tourism

  • Gustav Visser and Nico Kotze (2004), Towards a tourism Development Strategy for the Free State Province, Report for the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council, Bloemfontein, 2004.
  • Lochner Marais (2004), “From small town to tourism Mecca: The Clarens fairy tale”, in Rogerson, C and Visser G (eds), Tourism and Development in South Africa, Africa Institute, Pretoria (2004).
  • Anita Venter, Malene Campbell, Amanda de Gouveia, Wynand Myburgh, Lochner Marais (2010), Clarens Report: Visitor and Business Survey, Centre for Development Support.
  • TD Borole (2009), “The potential of fair trade in tourism in Maluti-a-Phofung and Dihlabeng Local Municipalities”, Masters thesis, Geography, Qwaqwa campus. Supervisor: Mr A Adjei & Co-Supervisor: Prof WF Van Zyl.
  • TA Phoofolo (2002), The potential of tourism to create job opportunities in rural areas of the Eastern Free State: A case study of Bethlehem, Masters Dissertation, Qwaqwa campus.
  • SE Dhlamini (2010), The impacts of tourism events on the local community: The case study of Bethlehem, Honours dissertation, Geography Department, Qwaqwa campus.
  • Doreen Atkinson (2009), “The 2010 World Cup and the rural hinterland: Maximising advantage from mega-events”, in U Pillay, R Tomlinson and O Bass (eds), Development and Dreams: The urban legacy of the 2010 Football World Cup, HSRC Press, Cape Town.
  • Doreen Atkinson (2008), “Towards soft boundaries: Pro-poor tourism and international collaboration in the arid areas of Southern Africa”, African Development Perspectives Yearbook, Bremen University.
  • Gustav Visser (2008), “Urban tourism in Bloemfontein: Current dynamics, immediate challenges and future prospects”, in Lochner Marais and Gustav Visser, Spatialities of Urban Change: Selected Themes from Bloemfontein at the Beginning of the 21st Century, African Sun Media, Stellenbosch.
  • Gustav Visser (2008), “Volksblad Arts Festival: Reflections on the product, people and impacts”, in Lochner Marais and Gustav Visser, Spatialities of Urban Change: Selected Themes from Bloemfontein at the Beginning of the 21st Century, African Sun Media, Stellenbosch.
  • LL Sebiloane (2009), Socio-economic assessment of the proposed tourism development at Mount Aux Sources, Eastern Free State, South Africa, Masters thesis, Qwaqwa campus.

7.2 Informal sector

  • Lejone Ntema and Lochner Marais (2010), “Trade is in our blood”: Reflections on trends and conflicts in township trade, CDS.

7.3 Local, municipal and regional development

  • Doreen Atkinson (2008), “Towards soft boundaries: Pro-poor tourism and international collaboration in the arid areas of Southern Africa”, African Development Perspectives Yearbook, Bremen University.
  • Free State’s Regional Steering Committee (2010), “Free State, Self Evaluation Report”, OECD Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development, Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE), http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/regionaldevelopment.

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