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Seán Mfundza Muller

Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Johannesburg

Academic economist at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where I lecture on microeconomics and industrial policy. Research interests and areas are wide-ranging, but with a particular focus on methodological issues in microeconometrics and the use of economic analysis for policy. I currently lecture on microeconomics and industrial policy. Affiliated to the Public and Environmental Economics Research Centre (PEERC) at UJ.

Previously worked at the University of Cape Town lecturing public sector economics, quantitative methods and history of economic thought. Recently left the Parliamentary Budget Office of South Africa, where I was producing analysis and advice for parliamentary committees on public finance and economics matters.

South Africa's medium-term budget reflects difficult and contested decisions

Nov 02, 2023 13:31 pm UTC| Politics

The medium-term budget policy statement presented by South Africas finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, to parliament on 1 November 2023 is intended to provide a preview of governments public finance plans over the next...

Emerging Market Crisis Series

Budget shows treasury is desperately short of ideas to fix South Africa's economic woes

Mar 01, 2020 13:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

At the core of this years budget proposals from South Africas national treasury is the admission that national debt is no longer expected to stabilise. In previous years, bar one brief exception, budgets and medium-term...

South Africa's energy crisis has triggered lots of ideas: why most are wrong

Jan 24, 2020 05:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Since late last year South Africans have, once again, been subjected to power cuts by the power utility, Eskom. The need for whats called loadshedding planned power outages led to the recent resignation of Eskoms...

Randomised trials in economics: what the critics have to say

Dec 13, 2019 07:23 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The 2019 Nobel Prize has been awarded to three scholars for pioneering recent attempts to answer microeconomic issues in development using randomised experiments. Over the last three decades randomised trials have...

How randomised trials became big in development economics

Dec 10, 2019 05:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The 2019 Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to three researchers for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty, one which has transformed development economics. What are randomised experiments? And why...

South Africa needs a functioning parliamentary budget office: now's the time to fix it

May 25, 2019 06:47 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africas Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) is in complete disarray. In the 10 years since it was established by law, and the five years it has been in operation, the Office has failed to adhere to key principles of...

South Africa's new finance minister postpones tough decisions

Oct 29, 2018 19:56 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South African finance minister Tito Mbowenis 2018 medium-term budget policy statement brought no surprises. Standing before the National Assembly on Wednesday 24 October, Mboweni presented the Natural Treasurys fiscal...

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Economy

India–EU FTA Nears Finish Line Ahead of New Delhi Summit

With most discussions over before the January 27 New Delhi summit of the leaders, India and the European Union are nearing finalization of their much anticipated Free Trade Agreement. Although the official signing will...

Gold Price Hits Record High as Geopolitical Tensions Fuel Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices surged to a fresh record high during Asian trading on Tuesday, extending a powerful rally as investors sought safety amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and a weaker U.S. dollar. Bullion remained firmly...

Japanese Government Bond Yields Surge to Record Highs Amid Election and Fiscal Fears

Long-dated Japanese government bond (JGB) yields surged to record highs on Tuesday, rattling global fixed-income markets as investors reacted to mounting political and fiscal uncertainty ahead of a potential February...

Asian Currencies Trade Narrowly as Dollar Slips on Trump-Greenland Tensions

Most Asian currencies traded within a tight range on Tuesday, while the U.S. dollar edged lower as renewed geopolitical concerns dampened investor appetite for American assets. Market sentiment turned cautious after U.S....

Australia’s Second-Largest Pension Fund Boosts Currency Hedging Amid Weaker U.S. Dollar Outlook

Australias second-largest pension fund, Australian Retirement Trust (ART), has announced it is reducing its exposure to the U.S. dollar by increasing currency hedging, as global investors reassess their U.S. allocations...

Politics

Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress

Russian President Vladimir Putins envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described recent talks with U.S. representatives as constructive, signaling what Moscow views as growing understanding of Russias position on a possible peace...

Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook

The U.S. Supreme Court is once again at the center of a high-stakes legal battle with major economic implications, as it considers the legality of President Donald Trumps attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook....

Trump Revives Greenland Ownership Push Ahead of World Economic Forum in Davos

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again reignited debate over Greenland, reiterating his long-standing call for American ownership of the Arctic territory just days before attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in...

Trump Says Greenland Is Key to Global Security After Call With NATO Chief

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he held a very good telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during which they discussed issues of global security, including the strategic importance...

Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on French Wine Over Macron’s Refusal to Join Peace Board

U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy after saying he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes, linking the move to French President Emmanuel Macrons refusal to join his proposed Board...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Micron to Buy Powerchip Fab for $1.8 Billion, Shares Surge Nearly 10%

Shares of Taiwans Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp jumped nearly 10% on Monday following news that U.S. memory chip giant Micron Technology plans to acquire one of Powerchips fabrication facilities in Taiwan,...

Tesla Revives Dojo Supercomputer Project With AI5 Chip at the Core

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is set to restart development of its next-generation supercomputer, Dojo3, marking a renewed push into artificial intelligence infrastructure. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Sunday that work on...

South Korea Seeks Favorable U.S. Tariff Terms on Memory Chip Imports

South Korea is moving to secure favorable treatment from the United States on tariffs affecting memory chip imports, following recent trade actions announced by the U.S. government. A spokesperson from South Koreas...

South Korea Sees Limited Impact From New U.S. Tariffs on Advanced AI Chips

South Koreas trade minister said a newly announced U.S. tariff on certain advanced computing chips is expected to have only a limited short-term impact on South Korean companies, while cautioning that future measures could...

Elon Musk Seeks $134 Billion in Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft Over Alleged Wrongful Gains

Elon Musk has escalated his legal battle against OpenAI and Microsoft, seeking up to $134 billion in damages over what he claims are wrongful gains stemming from his early involvement in the artificial intelligence...

Digital Currency