CALL FOR PAN-AFRICAN PATHWAYS MOBILITY GRANT

The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), invites researchers and academics to submit their proposals for the Pan-African Pathways Mobility Grant. The Pan-African Pathways Mobility Programme aims to promote exchange of ideas between South African academics and researchers and their counterparts across Africa, through research and teaching. This programme will assist researchers and academics to expand their cross-border networks between South Africa and countries acr...
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CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL, BRICS & GLOBAL SOUTH MOBILITY GRANT

The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), invites researchers and academics to submit their proposals for the International, BRICS & Global South Mobility Grant. The BRICS & Global South Mobility Programme aims to promote exchange of ideas between South African academics and researchers and their counterparts outside South Africa, through research and teaching. This programme will assist researchers and academics to expand their cross-border networks between ...
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Discussion and Debate Generate Actionable Ideas

Key to acting as a dynamic broker in knowledge production and policy action are the opportunities offered to scholars to meet and discuss ideas, present findings, network and form collaborations. In the 2021/22 financial year, Cluster Project leaders were expected to host at least nine workshops, seminars and conferences and succeeded in hosting 12. Whether held in person or virtually, these academic events were well attended, bringing together experts from most – and sometimes all – the BRIC...
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Disaggregating BRICS SOEs: Governance and Developmental Growth

Project leader: Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane, University of Venda Across the world, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are important economic drivers in several significant economies, contributing to gross domestic product and delivering many social goods and services to ensure a better quality of life for all. That said, many SOEs experience governance failures, hampering their ability to fulfil their developmental mandates. In April and July 2021, Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane and the team condu...
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Generating Economic Development from Renewable Energy: A City-Level Comparison of China and South Africa

Project leader: Mr Krish Chetty, Human Sciences Research Council This project was a city-level comparison of China and South Africa, building on its previous contributions that have studied the impact cities are making in addressing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commitments needed to respond to climate change. The project provides an in-depth analysis of urban policies and local government action in four case study cities in South Africa and China: Cape Town,...
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BRICS Cluster II Projects Produce Policy Relevant Research

Research done under the banner of BRICS Cluster Projects has very clear and precise aims: to produce policy-relevant research in the BRICS domain. This means such research should, ultimately, inform the policy recommendations that emanate from the BRICS Think Tank Council and should focus on the Council’s long-term research strategy. This strategy comprises five pillars, which are cooperation for growth and development; political and economic governance; social justice, sustainable developme...
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Building a Post-Pandemic Workforce: An Agenda for Jobs

This session on building a post-pandemic workforce discussed how social safety and protection can be ensured even as the nature of work increasingly takes on more informal characteristics. The panel explored the new models of education and skilling that are required to equip the present and future workforces and looked to best practices among the BRICS nations that can be further adapted and adopted. The session placed emphasis on how the future of work can be made more inclusive, ensuring ...
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BRICS and Global Economic Recovery

The panel on global economic recovery examined the success of multilateral financial institutions’ efforts to assist economies most in need of help and explored measures that BRICS countries can take to revive their respective nations and the global economy. The panel noted that there is much talk about decreasing the value chain, bringing back home the parts of the supply in Europe and America and replacing imports with domestic alternatives. Economic and exchange rate inequalities were a...
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BRICS Framework on Digital Public Goods: Health, Education and Financial Inclusion

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of digital solutions in responding to global challenges swiftly. The panel examined developments in digital public goods and explored measures that the BRICS countries can take to support their deployment, bearing in mind the challenges in accessibility and availability in infrastructure and governance. Intellectual property rights were also pointed out as a persistent challenge in the BRICS. There was consensus on the importance of establishin...
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Mobilising the NDB for Financing SDGS

This panel examined the progress made in financing initiatives around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explored how the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) can galvanise financing for the member nations to achieve SDGs. Informed by impact evaluation studies, the panel suggested that the NDB and multilateral banks should align their strategies and business models to finance SDG-related infrastructure. The NDB should be committed to transforming investment  behaviour and encouraging su...
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