July 15, 2022 in 2022, Authors, Education, Education - Working Papers, Education 2022, Focus Areas, Martin Gustafsson, Research Outputs, Working Papers

What lies behind South Africa’s improvements in PIRLS? An Oaxaca-Blinder analysis of the 2011 and 2016 data

Three international testing programmes, including PIRLS, point to educational quality improvements in South Africa during the period 2002 to 2019. The gains were substantial, relative…
July 15, 2022 By: Martin Gustafsson& Stephen Taylor  PDF
July 15, 2022 in 2022, Anja Smith, Authors, Dieter von Fintel, Education, Education - Working Papers, Education 2022, Martin Mwale, Research Outputs, Working Papers

School drop out and farm input subsidies: gender and kinship heterogeneity in Malawi

An emerging interdisciplinary literature explores how kinship practices affect household resource allocation through efficiency of production and consumption. This paper focuses on a key gender…
July 15, 2022 By: Martin Mwale, Dieter von Fintel, & Anja Smith PDF

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About RESEP

Research on Socioeconomic Policy (RESEP) is a group of scholars and students interested in issues of poverty, income distribution, social mobility, economic development and social policy. Based at the Department of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch. The team is lead by Servaas van der Berg, whose position as the Chair in the Economics of Social Policy since 2008, has lead to the further consolidation of research within these areas.

Recent Papers

The latest working papers, publications, reports and policy briefs by RESEP researchers.

Breaking into spring with the 2022 Quantitative Education Research Conference: An overview

| Conferences and Workshops, News and Opinion, Uncategorized | No Comments
RESEP was again privileged to host its annual QER conference at STIAS from 31 August to 1 September 2022. There is much value in bringing…
September 12, 2022 By: Gabrielle Wills PDF
July 15, 2022 in 2022, Authors, Education, Education - Working Papers, Education 2022, Focus Areas, Martin Gustafsson, Research Outputs, Working Papers

What lies behind South Africa’s improvements in PIRLS? An Oaxaca-Blinder analysis of the 2011 and 2016 data

Three international testing programmes, including PIRLS, point to educational quality improvements in South Africa during the period 2002 to 2019. The gains were substantial, relative…
July 15, 2022 By: Martin Gustafsson& Stephen Taylor  PDF
July 15, 2022 in 2022, Anja Smith, Authors, Dieter von Fintel, Education, Education - Working Papers, Education 2022, Martin Mwale, Research Outputs, Working Papers

School drop out and farm input subsidies: gender and kinship heterogeneity in Malawi

An emerging interdisciplinary literature explores how kinship practices affect household resource allocation through efficiency of production and consumption. This paper focuses on a key gender…
July 15, 2022 By: Martin Mwale, Dieter von Fintel, & Anja Smith PDF
June 20, 2022 in Authors, Education, Focus Areas, Joel Gondwe, Policy Briefs, Reports, Research Outputs

Mathematics performance of South African primary school learners: Lessons from TIMSS 2019

By examining Grade 5 mathematics performance, this paper primarily investigates how learner performance for selected sub-samples relates to and is affected by, a select set…
June 20, 2022 By: Joel Gondwe PDF
May 18, 2022 in Authors, Education - Reports & Policy, News and Opinion, Servaas van der Berg, Uncategorized

New report establishes 2021 Covid-19-related learning losses in WC

Due to the pandemic, South African school children have missed at least three-quarters of a school year in the past two calendar years. That has…
May 18, 2022 By: Servaas van der Berg, Ursula Hoadley, Jaamia Galant, Chris van Wyk, & Bianca Böhmer PDF

Ongoing Projects

Roots and wings: Improved quality in subsidised housing

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This project is a collaboration between Stellenbosch University, Theewaterskloof municipality and Western Cape Department of Human Settlements. The aim is to use upward and downward…
August 11, 2021 By: Marisa von Fintel, Natalie van Reenen (US), Brenda Mothibe (Theewaterskloof), Lenine Felix (Rooidakke), Francis Felix (Rooidakke) PDF

Reading and socio-emotional skills in challenging school contexts: Evidence from South African primary schools

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This project is linked to the Early Learning Programme (ELP) and uses data from the Readership and Literacy project but is also supplemented by others…
October 22, 2020 By: Gabrielle Wills, Heleen Hofmeyr, Rebecca Selkirk, Servaas van der Berg, E. Pretorius (UNISA), C. Ardington (UCT), N. Mohohlwane (DBE), Nwabisa Makaluza (RESEP/ Funda Wanda), N. Mtsatse (Funda Wanda) PDF

Early Learning Programme (ELP)

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A portion of this project includes reanalysing WCED CEMIS and Systemic Tests to determine how early learning performance affects progressions, dropout, and matric results. The…
October 22, 2020 By: Chris van Wyk, Gabrielle Wills, Rebecca Selkirk, Servaas van der Berg, Others PDF

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Team

RESEP (Research on Socio-Economic Policy)
RESEP is a group of researchers in the Department of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch.

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Funding

RESEP has received funding for its research from various organisations and governments. In recent years, funding for research has been provided by, amongst others, The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment; The UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); UNICEF offices in South Africa, Namibia and Eswatini; Zenex Foundation, Tshikululu Social Investments, PSPPD (Presidency/European Union) and The National Research Foundation (NRF).