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Research essay on south africas economic system
The economic system adopted in SOUTH AFRICA
The economic system adopted in SOUTH AFRICA
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South Africa is the country that our group was given the opportunity to discuss in terms of their international trade and financial markets. Specifically, the topics of our discussion will begin with the South African Background, which will go into details such as historical and demographic information, Global Economy and how it relates to South African economy, and Current events in the country. The information will then transition from Background into the International Trade and Finance portion. The International Trade and Finance portion will include the major trading partners, top imports and exports, and the financial markets. The final portion will be the South African Policy Analysis, including information on the past and present policies, as well as tariff and quota information.
Geography: South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country settled at the southern tip of Africa. It has 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) of lineation that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north lie the neighboring countries of Republic of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; and inside it lies Lesotho, an enclave enclosed by South African territory. African nation is the 25th-largest country within the world by acreage, and with near fifty three million individuals, is the world's 24th-most thickly settled nation.
Government: Republic.
History: The San people were the first settlers; the Khoikhoi and Bantu-speaking tribes followed. The Dutch East India Company landed the first European settlers on the Cape of Good Hope in 1652, launching a colony that by the end of the 18th century numbered only about 15,000. Known as Boers or Afrikaners, and speaking a Dutch diale...
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...ies as is stated above. South Africa should keep an import quota albeit a small one only with certain products since the economy is still unstable but should not have any export quotas at all. With programs such as the NGP and IPAP, the economy will start to flourish but it will take time. Until it can stand on its own the country should try to bring in as much foreign investment as possible such as the Chinese have been doing recently with recent invitations by South African officials to invest in the country’s infrastructure. (Agencies)
In conclusion, South Africa’s background, International Trade and Finance, and their Policies were good topics to research because they were different from what we usually see here in America; because of this difference, the research we have done has opened our eyes to how other parts of the world operate.
Trade is the most common form of transferring ownership of a product. The concepts are very simple, I give you something (a good or service) and you give me something (a good or service) in return, everyone is happy. However, trade is not limited to two individuals. There are trades that happen outside national borders and we refer to that as international trading. Before a country does international trading, they do research to understand the opportunity costs and marginal costs of their production versus another countries production. Doing this we can increase profit, decrease costs and improve overall trade efficiency. Currently, there are negotiations going on between 11 countries about making a trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific
While Portuguese power declined, the British, Dutch, and French powers rose due to firmly standing footholds along the coast. In 1652, Dutch immigrants sailed to the southern tip of Africa and established Cape Town, which was the first permanent European settlement to supply ships sailing to and, from the East Indies. Boers, Dutch farmers, settled in Cape Town and believed they were superior to the native peoples; there, they ousted, enslaved, and killed the people who lived there. The migrations of the Boers “… would eventually lead to battle with several African groups” (455). By the seventeenth century, British and French presences had both reached present-day Senegal. The French established a fort in this region by 1700. After hearing stories about British explorers’ quest for the Nile River’s source, the French and British were intrigued and set off to find this source. These forts led to the continuation of European exploration during the next century in Africa.
Priscilla. “The World Economy and Africa.” JSpivey – Home – Wikispaces. 2010. 29 January 2010. .
It is thought-provoking, in the sense that Africa’s need for foreign created a race to the bottom, much like what Pietra Rivoli described in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Due to some African states’ reliance on foreign aid in order to mine and profit on their resources, they allow business standards to be lowered and for Chinese firms to tip the contracts moresoever in the favor of Chinese firms. This lowers the potential earnings of African states by lowering royalty rates, for example. Additionally, Burgis’ research was thorough and transparent. When he did not receive a response or if his questions were dodged, he made it obvious to the readers. Sure, some could view this book as too anecdotal to be used as a credible source of Africa’s situation. However, this is due to the nature of the system Burgis is writing about; after all, they are shadow states for a reason. Some readers will be saddened by this text, others angry, most curious to learn more, but above all, everyone will be intellectually stimulated and
Canada is great economic superpower that has yet to reach its potential. As the second largest nation by area, we possess vast natural resources. We are a massive importer and exporter on the world stage, who a play a vital role in the stability of the northern hemisphere. Through Canada’s international trade, we export vast quantities of many different foods stuffs, minerals and manufactured goods like cars, while we tend to import lots of Iron, Aluminum and Steel. Our relations with neighbouring nations have been integral in the success of our trade. In 1994 Canada became a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA with the US and Mexico. NAFTA reorganized Canada’s and America’s trading systems to work as one. The trade issue of recent months is about the rising costs of energy in Canada and in the United States. Newly elected President George W. Bush now is proposing a North American energy initiative for a continental power grid. This proposal puts Canada in a very uncomfortable situation. On the one hand we would love to share our resources and appease our super-power to the south. But on the other we prefer to leave our pristine land alone. The growing trend nowadays is that politicians are the ones wanting to please the Americans by giving away our resources, while it is the activist who is concerned about the vast environmental damage this energy legislation could entail.
The country is economically suffering from sanctions from many other countries in protest of Apartheid
... Stephen. "British Empire: The Map Room: Africa: Cape Colony." British Empire: The Map Room: Africa: Cape Colony. Web. 04 May 2014.
According to the IMF China has the world`s largest purchasing power parity and as by 2015, it was the world’s second largest economy with growth rates averaging about 10% annually. This environment has generated the development of multinational companies which are keen to maximize their economies of scale and economies of scope through expansion and setting up in new countries. In view of that, Sub Saharan Africa which also has some
...ellent policies, 5) the Constitution had come into existence through the working together of various groups that had composed South Africa, 6) South Africa's political and economic institutions are well established, 7) and that South Africa is by far the most developed country in Africa. However, there are still avenues that can impede further progress, more so economically then politically. Primarily the lack of foreign investment, especially when South Africa's gold and diamond reserves are emptied as other parts of economy are not as developed. Secondly, the economic gap between whites and blacks that was stretched during the time of apartheid needs to be tightened or else it could become dangerous to the stability of the political system. However, due to the leadership of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s current government structure exists to solve these issues.
"Within the last decade, many sub-Saharan countries have been hit by adverse trends in commodity terms of trade and external shocks such as higher oil prices, fluctuating exchange rates, and higher interest rates."
Over the past 30 years the globalisation of the economy led by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and transnational entities have happened at a very quick pace. These institutions have pressured governments of developing countries such as South Africa to remove barriers to the cross-border flow of capital and products.
South Africa is a country blessed with an abundance of natural resources including fertile farmlands and unique mineral resources. South African mines are world leaders in the production of diamonds and gold as well as strategic metals such as platinum. The climate is mild, reportedly resembling the San Francisco bay area weather more than anywhere in the world.
Also, the current irregular financial growth tendency has widened the breach between the rich and poor such as, South Africa and other further developed nations. According to financial forecasts if the existing blueprint of uneven monetary growth persists, one of the poorest nation of the world such as, South Africa will raises to be even poorer will a power plant or not. The second question has made social scientists, policy creators, and worldwide institutions to reorganize ideas about the impact of globalization on nations such as, the above.
...tries. These ideas were discussed in lecture on February 16th, 2011, as well as explored in Manfred B. Steger's, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, and I.B. Logan and Kidane Mengisteab's article, "IMF – World Bank Adjustment and Structural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa." Instead of globalization as a positive system for SSA, it did the opposite, and made the region stagnant in economic terms. It was about expanding relationships among countries, but adjustments were creating barriers that prevented SSA from economic communications with other countries. Therefore, it contributed to colonialism after World War II; colonial powers were able to indirectly control what SSA could do, and whom they were able to contact. The World Bank as a financial institution affected SSA's economic industry, and was partly responsible for the control colonial powers had.
South Africa is such a beautiful country abundant of life and hope. Africa 's landscape is composed of wide open spaces, brownish hills and red sunsets. These prodigious backgrounds depict the nature of the culture in South Africa. Culture is what makes Africa special and aside from beautiful landscapes, the fervent and contrasting culture in South Africa is what makes it unique. This is a country were there are people with different beliefs and traditions, but at the end they are identified by their pride of being from South Africa.