Servaas van der Berg
South African National Research Chair
Servaas van der Berg is professor of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, and holds the National Research Foundation’s South African National Research Chair in the Economics of Social Policy. His research covers economic development, poverty and income distribution, the economics of education, health and welfare, and fiscal incidence. He has served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of SACMEQ (Southern and Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality) and is a fellow of the prestigious International Academy of Education. He acts as consultant to international, regional and other institutions and often provides policy advice to government departments.
The impact of the 2023 Back-on-Track Programme on learning: A Report to the Western Cape Education Department
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) 2023 Back-on-Track (BoT) initiative is proving to be a groundbreaking step towards…
December 19, 2024 PDF
COVID-19 disruptions and learning in South Africa: two years of evidence
The evidence discussed in this brief confirms that learning losses in South Africa have been large. Covid-19 has disrupted South African education in significant ways,…
November 3, 2022 PDF
Learner flows through schools: Using high quality administrative data to understand education system performance
The report analyses school flows, repetition, and dropout using a novel analysis of school-based assessments, and how well these predict future performance and learner flows.…
September 17, 2021 PDF
SUMMARY REPORT: Benchmarking early grade reading skills in Nguni languages
This is a summary report that presents the key findings and approach used in identifying early grade reading benchmarks and thresholds in three Nguni languages:…
November 5, 2020 PDF
TECHNICAL REPORT: Benchmarking early grade reading skills in Nguni languages
This report presents the key findings and approach used in identifying early grade reading benchmarks and thresholds in three Nguni languages: isiZulu, isiXhosa and siSwati.
November 5, 2020 PDF
Household resource flows and food poverty during South Africa’s lockdown: Short-term policy implications for three channels of social protection.
A report stemming from NIDS-CRAM wave 1, a project consisting of work by a national consortium of 30 social science researchers from five South African…
October 5, 2020 PDF
The impact of the Coronavirus and lockdown on children’s welfare in South Africa
A report stemming from NIDS-CRAM wave 1, a project consisting of work by a national consortium of 30 social science researchers from five South African…
September 30, 2020 PDF
Hunger in South Africa during 2020: Results from Wave 2 of NIDS-CRAM
The first wave of the National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDSCRAM) provided strong evidence that there had been a drastic increase…
September 12, 2020 PDF
The Race Between Teacher Wages and the Budget
This report determines how the real resources available to the average child in South Africa have changed over the period 2008 to 2018.
June 19, 2020 PDF
Counting the Cost: COVID-19 School Closures in South Africa & its Impact on Children
Van der Berg, S & Spaull, N. (2020). Counting the Cost: COVID-19 school closures in South Africa & its impacts on children. Research on Socioeconomic…
June 16, 2020 PDF
Call for Comment on Report: Education and Skills for the Economy and Links to Labour Markets in South Africa
A report by RESEP's Servaas van der Berg, Martin Gustafsson, and Kholekile Malindi titled Education and Skills for the Economy and Links to Labour Markets in…
June 9, 2020 PDF
Measuring School Leadership and Management and Linkages with Literacy: Evidence from Rural and Township Primary Schools in South Africa
Wills, G. and van der Berg, S., 2020. Measuring school leadership and management and linkages with literacy: Evidence from rural and township primary schools in…
May 26, 2020 PDF
The promise of SA-SAMS & DDD data for tracking progression, repetition and drop-out
This paper analyses the SA-SAMS school administration data that the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation in partnership with the Department of Basic Education collects quarterly…
December 19, 2019 PDF
Measuring leadership and management and their linkages with literacy in rural and township primary schools in South Africa
This paper describes a rigorous process to develop and trial new metrics for measuring and codifying school leadership and management practices and processes that are…
December 4, 2018 PDF
Succeeding against the odds: A quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of IkamvaYouth
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP05/2017 Publication date: June 2017 Abstract: The work presented here is essentially an update to the previous evaluation conducted by…
July 16, 2018 PDF
The long walk: Considering the enduring spatial and racial dimensions of deprivation two decades after the fall of apartheid
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2015 Abstract: This study examines the enduring spatial and racial dimensions of poverty and deprivation in South Africa to assess…
July 4, 2018 PDF
Higher Education Access and Outcomes for the 2008 National Matric Cohort
This study uses a unique dataset to investigate university access, throughput, and dropout for the 2008 national matric cohort. The findings show that university access…
July 4, 2018 PDF
Issues in South African Social Security
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2002 Abstract: This paper, originally written at the time of the political transition, provides an overview of social security issues…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Changing Patterns of South African income distribution: Towards time series estimates of distribution and poverty
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2003 Abstract: Research on income distribution in South Africa has, for obvious reasons, focused on inter-racial (inter-group) income distribution. Quite…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Trends in poverty and inequality since the political transition
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2005 Abstract: Using a constructed data series and another data series based on AMPS (the All Media and Products Survey),…
October 17, 2017 PDF
How effective are poor schools? Poverty and educational outcomes in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2006 Abstract: Massive differentials on achievement tests and examinations reflect South Africa’s divided past. Improving the distribution of educational outcomes…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Educational attainment and intergenerational social mobility in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2006 Abstract: To a large degree, the notoriously high levels of income inequality in South Africa have their roots in…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Consumption patterns and the black middle class: The role of assets
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2007 Abstract: Black consumption patterns differ from those of whites, even when considering income levels and household size. This applies…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Post-transition poverty trends based on an alternative data source
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2007 Abstract: This paper analyses a previously unused source of data – the All Media and Product Survey (AMPS) –…
October 17, 2017 PDF
A series of national accounts-consistent estimates of poverty and inequality in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2007 Abstract: This paper makes a unique contribution to the South African literature in combining data from an alternative source…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Lessons learnt from SACMEQII: South African student performance in regional context
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP16/2007 Abstract: In regional context, South African students benefit from above average levels of public and private education resources. However,…
October 17, 2017 PDF
How invariant is South African child poverty to the choice of equivalence scale or poverty measure?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP13/2008 Abstract: This paper offers evidence on the sensitivity of child poverty in South Africa to changes in the Adult…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Fiscal incidence of social spending in South Africa, 2006
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP10/2009 Abstract: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has been collecting labour market data since 1993 with the October Household Survey…
October 17, 2017 PDF
The fiscal incidence of provision of free basic water
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP11/2009 Abstract: A policy of free basic services (water, sanitation and electricity) was introduced by the government in 2000 to…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Poverty trends since the transition: What we know
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP19/2009 Abstract: Using alternative data sources on income and poverty with a shorter time lag makes it possible to discern…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Measuring the impact of social cash transfers on poverty and inequality in Namibia
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP25/2009 Abstract: This paper reviews the system for social cash transfers in Namibia, a middle-income country with a long experience…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Signalling performance: Continuous assessment and matriculation examination marks in South African schools
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP28/2010 Abstract: Economists regard information and feedback as important ways for self-correction in a system. This study analyses one aspect…
October 17, 2017 PDF
The impact of the international economic crisis on child poverty in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP13/2010 Abstract: This paper reports on a study to provide insights into the magnitude of the shocks associated with the…
October 17, 2017 PDF
The costs of illiteracy in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP14/2010 Abstract: In South Africa, there has been a surge in publicly funded adult literacy education in recent years. There…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Efficiency and equity effects of social grants in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP15/2010 Abstract: This paper discusses the nature and effects of social grants programmes in South Africa against the backdrop of…
October 17, 2017 PDF
Social assistance reform during a period of fiscal stress
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2010 Abstract: This paper reflects on the current state and likely future of the South African social assistance system, focusing…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Identifying Binding Constraints in Education
Synthesis Report for the Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development (PSPPD) This research report provides an overview of a large research project undertaken by a…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Current poverty and income distribution in the context of South African history
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP22/2010 Abstract: This paper describes and analyses current poverty and income distribution in South Africa, with a central concern the…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Teacher pay in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP26/2010 Abstract: The role of teachers in achieving good quality education is universally acknowledged. What is less clear is what…
October 16, 2017 PDF
The performance of South African schools: Implications for economic development
Abstract: At the time of South Africa‟s transition to democracy the school system was envisaged to be a powerful vehicle for nation-building and transformation. The…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Modelling cognitive skills, ability and school quality to explain labour market earnings differentials
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2011 Abstract: Attempts to explain wage differences between race groups in South Africa are constrained by the fact that quality…
October 16, 2017 PDF
How well do South African schools convert grade 8 achievement into matric outcomes?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP13/2011 Abstract: School retention in South Africa and performance in the major school-leaving matric examination are characterised by significant inequalities…
October 16, 2017 PDF
The unintended consequences of education policies on South African participation and unemployment
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP11/2012 Abstract: In the late 1990s the South African Department of Education implemented two policies that were meant to reduce…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Graduate unemployment in South Africa: A much exaggerated problem.
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP22/2012 Abstract: Increasing reference in the media and public discussions to high and rising levels of graduate unemployment in the…
October 16, 2017 PDF
Journal Articles (Non-subsidised)
CHITIGA M, DECALUWE B, MABUGU ERM, MAISONNAVE H, ROBICHAUD R, SHEPHERD DL, VAN DER BERG S, VON FINTEL D.P. A retrospective look at how well…
October 16, 2017 PDF
The first five years project – a cohort study of students awarded NSFAS loans in the first five years 2000-2004
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP11/2013 This study was commissioned by NSFAS to use available data to arrive at a picture that would reflect the…
October 16, 2017 PDF
The Capability Threshold: Re-examining the definition of the middle class in an unequal developing country
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP16.2015 Publication date: 2015 Abstract: In a polarised and highly unequal country such as South Africa, it is unlikely that…
October 16, 2017 PDF
What the Annual National Assessments can tell us about learning deficits over the education system and the school career year
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP18.2015 Publication date: 2015 Abstract: Much hope is placed on education systems to reduce socio-economic learning gaps. However, in South…
October 16, 2017 PDF
The performance of low fee independent schools in South Africa – What can available data tell?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2017 Publication date: January 2017 Abstract: This study uses a unique dataset to investigate university access, throughput, and dropout for…
October 16, 2017 PDF
What the ANAs tell us about socioeconomic learning gaps in South Africa
Stellenbosch Policy Brief No. 03/2016 Abstract: The South African school system is under pressure to develop children’s potential irrespective of home background. But currently the…
October 16, 2017 PDF
RESEP hosts its third Quantitative Applications in Education Research Conference, 28 & 29 September 2017
RESEP held its third annual "Quantitative Applications in Education Research" conference at STIAS in Stellenbosch from 28 – 29 September 2017.
October 11, 2017 PDF
Social Gradients, Early Childhood Education and Schools Performing Above the Demographic Expectation: Empirical Insights into Educational Issues
Candidate: Janeli Kotzé Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: This dissertation exploits the wide variety…
August 14, 2017 PDF
The extension of existing data and methods to measure poverty and mobility in data-poor, agrarian sub-Saharan Africa
Candidate: Thomas Ferreira Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Co-supervisor: Doctor Dieter von Fintel Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract:…
July 17, 2017 PDF
Healthcare reform priorities for South Africa: Four essays on the financing, delivery and user acceptability of healthcare
Candidate: Anna Maria Smith Supervisor: Professor Ronnel Burger Co-supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: Despite…
October 16, 2016 PDF
An economic perspective on school leadership and teachers’ unions in South Africa
PhD Thesis Candidate: Gabrielle Wills Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: This dissertation…
October 16, 2016 PDF
The open door of learning – Access restricted: School effectiveness and efficiency across the South African education system
Candidate: Debra Shepherd Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg and Professor Chris Elbers Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: The enduring…
August 14, 2016 PDF
Measuring social and economic mobility in South Africa: New approaches to well-known survey data concerns
Candidate: Amus Zoch Supervisor: Doctor Rulof Burger Co-supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: The…
August 14, 2016 PDF
An empirical analysis of poverty, inequality and the labour market in Malawi
DCom Thesis Candidate: Anderson Gondwe Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract This thesis is a…
July 17, 2016 PDF
The assessment and improvement of the health status of vulnerable and low income individuals in South Africa: an analysis using quantitative and experimental methods
Candidate: Laura Rossouw Supervisor: Professor Ronelle burger Co-supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: More than…
June 19, 2016 PDF
Teachers in the South African Education System: An Economic Perspective
Candidate: Paula Armstrong Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: Chapter 1 investigates teacher wages in…
October 16, 2015 PDF
Social Mobility and Cohesion in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Candidate: Marisa von Fintel Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Co-supervisor: Doctor Rulof Burger Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: Twenty years…
October 16, 2015 PDF
Education Quality in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: An Economic Approach
Candidate: Nic Spaul Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: Education has always occupied a central…
October 16, 2015 PDF
A Retrospective Look at How Well a Macro‐Micro Model Can Analyze the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on a Developing Country
Abstract This article is a follow-up to one that looked at the impact of the economic crisis on child poverty in South Africa using…
September 9, 2015 PDF
Reflecting on an impact evaluation of the Grade R programme: Method, results and policy responses
Abstract: This paper describes the expansion since 2001 of a public pre-school programme in South Africa known as ‘Grade R’, summarises the findings from an…
February 15, 2015 PDF
Continuous assessment and matriculation examination marks—an empirical examination
Abstract: This study analyses information and feedback from matriculation-level continuous assessment in the South African education system in 2005. Continuous assessment (CASS) at the…
February 8, 2015 PDF
Spatial Heterogeneity, Generational Change and Childhood Socioeconomic Status: Microeconomic Solutions to South African Labour Market Questions
PhD Thesis Candidate: Dieter von Fintel Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract Microeconometric techniques have…
October 16, 2014 PDF
Education and Country Growth Models
PhD Thesis Candidate: Martin Gustafsson Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract The over-arching concern…
October 16, 2014 PDF
The impact of the introduction of grade r on learning outcomes
In December 2012 the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in the Presidency in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) commissioned an…
October 4, 2013 PDF
Understanding poverty and inequality in Mozambique: the role of education and labour market status
PhD Thesis Candidate: Carlos da Maia Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract This thesis deals…
October 16, 2012 PDF
Using household surveys for deriving labour market, poverty and inequality trends in South Africa
Candidate: Kwan Cheung Derek Yu Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: In order to evaluate…
August 15, 2012 PDF
Child Poverty in South Africa and the Global Financial and Economic Crisis
Book Summary Experts from the global North and South analyse the implications of economic crises on children, with a particular focus on the emerging evidence…
July 9, 2012 PDF
Aspects of the economics of water management in urban settings in South Africa, with a focus on Cape Town
PhD Thesis Candidate: Ada Isobel Jansen Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract…
June 14, 2012 PDF
Child poverty in South Africa and the performance of the Child Support Grant programme
PhD Thesis Candidate: Judith Streak Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: One of the…
October 16, 2011 PDF
Improving the well-being of the poor through microfinance: evidence from the Small Enterprise Foundation in South Africa
PhD Thesis Candidate: Maria Albertina Kirsten Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Co-supervisor: Professor Andrie Schoombee Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics…
October 16, 2011 PDF
On the value of environmental pragmatism in economic decision-making: With special reference to the work of Bryan Norton
PhD Thesis Candidate: Leanne Seeliger Supervisor: Professor Johan Hattingh Co-supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of…
October 16, 2009 PDF
An analysis of continuous assessment (CASS) compared to matriculation examination results at South African schools
Abstract: This study analyses information and feedback from matriculation-level continuous assessment in the South African education system in 2005. Continuous assessment (CASS) at the time…
November 9, 2008 PDF
Credit demand and credit rationing in the informal financial sector in Uganda
DCom Thesis Candidate: Nathan Okurut Supervisor: Professor Servaas van der Berg Institution: Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Department of Economics Abstract: This study…
October 16, 2005 PDF
