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Poverty and Inequality
REDI3x3 (Research Project on Employment, Income
Distribution, and Inclusive Growth)
Launched in 2012, the Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI3x3) is a multiyear
collaborative research project that intends to address the triad of unemployment, inequality and poverty currently
gripping South Africa.
Research Project
The project is designed to generate an independent, rich
and nuanced knowledge base and expert network that
could, inter alia, contribute to co-ordinated, consistent
and effective policies directed at these three critical
problem areas. Managed by SALDRU and supported by
funding from the National Treasury, the project comprises
three focus areas (unemployment and employment,
income distribution, and inclusive growth), each of
which is led by an academic convenor. UCT’s Professors
Murray Leibbrandt and Haroon Bhorat convene income
distribution and inclusive growth respectively, while the
unemployment focus area is led by Professor Frederick
Fourie of the University of the Free State.
The project seeks to advance an integrated response to
unemployment, inequality and poverty.
The research agenda therefore has a strong focus on
generating cross-discourse engagements, drawing on
insights from several methodologies, data types and
sources, sub-disciplines and disciplines, including labour
economics, macroeconomics, development economics,
poverty studies, sociology, political science, and law.
The project aims to inspire and develop a community of
researchers from an inclusive network of South African
universities and research entities. Through this inclusive
approach it has started to involve South Africa’s leading
researchers on labour markets, inequality, poverty,
development, growth and social policy (including several
DST/NRF Research Chairs), support postgraduate work
in the focus areas, and build the capacity of students and
researchers from historically black universities.
Another explicit aim is to improve public understanding
of, and public discourse on, these complex problems.
Critical debate will be stimulated through an online
forum (www.econ3x3.org), workshops, seminars,
conferences, publications and books, and effective
media liaison.