The Decline of the South African Economy

South Africa's leading economists adopt within this volume a sectoral approach in their analysis of the drastic changes that have occurred within the South African economy since 1970. The book illustrates how, despite its sophisticated infrastructure, the South African economy has shared in the economic decline - resulting from misguided economic policies - that has been the experience of Sub-Saharan Africa. The contributors argue that the failure of manufacturing to maintain the country's economic growth, once the output of the gold mines began to decline, is central to an understanding of events and outcomes in the economy. Government policy towards manufacturing has played a major part in the decline of the South African economy, but this has, however, tended to be overlooked as a result of the turbulence generated by the political events unfolding in South Africa.