SA’s corruption perception worsens
29 March 2018 - South Africa’s ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index dropped from 21 to 64 between 1995 and 2016, according to data in the 2018 edition of the IRR’s South Africa Survey
Schools present single biggest obstacle to living standards advancement – IRR
7 March 2016 – Children in South Africa continue to be let down by the poor quality of most public schools. This is the single biggest obstacle to creating a more prosperous and equal society.
Shifting from BEE (for the few) to EED (for the many) in the vital mining sector
18 August - The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) intends to finalise its draft mining charter within the next two months. Thus far, it shows little sign of compromising on proposed BEE rules that raise the risk of mining in South Africa into the stratosphere, notes the IRR in a new issue of its @Liberty policy bulletin published on 16 August.
Should SA execute its most violent criminals? New IRR report provides some answers
22 November 2016 - The IRR has released a report on whether South Africa should reintroduce the death penalty. The report comes against a context of rising levels of serious and violent crime, often characterised by extraordinary cruelty and violence on the part of perpetrators. The current Rhodes Park murder and rape case would be an example.
Sisulu’s words do not compensate for reality
7 March 2018 - Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu statement on expropriation without compensation offers little reassurance to foreign investors and their governments.
Social protests on the rise in South Africa
26 May 2015 – There has been a 96% increase in social protests in South Africa since 2010, according to the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).
Soft infrastructure flaws underpin lukewarm global competitiveness
13 April 2017 – Education and healthcare failings are adversely effecting South Africa’s competitiveness as an investment destination in a globalised world. This is according to a Fast Facts report released today by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR).
SONA 2017 press release – Race relations in South Africa still sound, but fraying at the edges
7 February 2017 – The IRR’s comprehensive field survey of public opinion on racial issues shows that only 3% of South Africans see racism as a serious unresolved problem. Most are far more concerned about unemployment (cited by 40%), poor service delivery (listed by 34%), inadequate housing (18%), crime (15%) and bad education (likewise cited by 15%).
SONA 2017 Press Release – South Africa's silver lining
8 February 2017 – With the State of the Nation 2017 a day away, thoughts turn once again to the serious challenges facing South Africa. Regular readers of our reports and users of our briefing services will know just how serious those challenges are. But, according to an IRR report released today, there is a ‘silver lining’ as the country has also made progress in terms of the economy, the world of work, living standards and service delivery, education, health and crime.
South Africa faces a crisis of fixed investment
6 July 2017 – Levels of fixed investment are falling far behind what is necessary to secure an economic recovery in South Africa. This is the main finding of report released by the IRR this morning.
South Africa has made significant gains in racial transformation
6 February 2017 – The IRR’s transformation audit, in its January issue of Fast Facts, reveals that racial transformation of the South African workplace, asset ownership and state institutions has been significant and continues to improve.
South Africa is not immune to the threat of terror attacks
08 June 2016 – The IRR said that a number of factors made South Africa vulnerable to terror attacks.
South Africa makes strides in lowering child mortality rate – IRR report
23 February 2016 – The IRR has identified a marked decrease in child mortality rates in South Africa and says this is indicative of improved child health in the country.
South Africa must reform to retain its ‘moderately free’ ranking
27 January 2015 – South Africa has the 72nd freest economy out of 178 countries, according to the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom published today by the Washington DC-based Heritage Foundation. Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand have the most free economies in the world, while Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea have the least free.
South Africa on brink of an e-revolution – IRR report
30 September 2014 – The report found that access to electronic communications devices and infrastructure and the use of electric communications had increased far faster than the delivery of any other type of basic service.
South Africa sees policy successes in improved mother and child healthcare – IRR
25 February 2016 – The still birth rate in South Africa has been falling sharply according to the South Africa Survey 2016 released by the IRR this month. The IRR says this is evidence of improved mother and child health in the country and is something to be celebrated.
South Africa should adopt a better foreign policy on Israel
In an article written for Politicsweb the IRR has argued that South Africa should revise its foreign policy on Israel towards one of constructive engagement.
South Africa slips in the 2016 Freedom Index
3 February 2016 – South Africa saw its economic freedom score slip from 62.6 to 61.9 in the latest Index of Economic Freedom report released by the Heritage Foundation in Washington this week.
South Africa, State of the Nation in 2018: Prognosis for Reform
7 February 2018 – “South Africa, State of the Nation in 2018: Prognosis for Reform”, the latest report from the Centre for Risk Analysis at the IRR, is a timely analysis of the fundamental steps that will be needed to convert the country’s newfound optimism at the ascendancy of Cyril Ramaphosa into the substantive and measurable gains South Africa so desperately needs.
South Africa’s bloated and costly public service – a huge political and economic problem
04 April 2018 – The latest edition of Fast Facts, ‘The Public Sector Wage Bill: Slaying the Dragon’, from the Centre for Risk Analysis at the IRR, examines the costly political and economic ramifications of South Africa’s ballooning public service.
