Land reform in South Africa: effects on land prices and productivity
- Authors: Van Rooyen, Jonathan
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Right of property -- South Africa , Land reform -- South Africa , Agriculture and state -- South Africa , Agricultural prices -- South Africa , Land tenure -- Government policy -- South Africa , Land reform -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Real property -- Prices -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:987 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002721
- Description: South Africa’s land redistribution policy (1994-2008) has been widely publicised, and has come under scrutiny of late from the public, private and government spheres, highlighting a need for research in this area. The research examines progress in South Africa’s land redistribution programme in two of KwaZulu-Natal’s district municipalities, Uthungulu and iLembe. Specifically the research investigates whether the government has paid above market prices when purchasing sugarcane farmland for redistribution in these districts. Moreover, it is illustrated how productivity on redistributed farms has been affected with the changes in ownership. To investigate the research questions, reviews of theories pertaining to property rights, land reform and market structures were conducted. Moreover, two cases studies were conducted in the districts of Uthungulu and iLembe, with assistance from the Department of Land Affairs, Inkezo Land Company and the South African Cane Growers Association. The case study data indicate that above ordinary market prices have been paid (2004-2006) by the government for sugarcane farmland in the districts concerned, and further that productivity has been negatively impacted ‘during’ and ‘post‘ transfer, in the majority of cases.
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- Date Issued: 2009
The economics of state assistance to agriculture with special reference to future policy in South Africa
- Authors: Threlfell, R L
- Date: 1948
- Subjects: Agriculture and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013399
- Description: [From the Introduction] The argument by which it is shown that, under a system of open competition, prices are determined in a way which secures to consumers a maximum aggregate of satisfaction consonant with the relative security of the means of production is the familiar material of many treatises on economics, and does not need to be repeated here. In Economics (as distinct from Politics) this argument provided in a simple form the logical justification for the advocacy of laissez faire in State policy during the early 19th century even though "it was the actual success of private enterprise and the inefficiency and corruption of Government control that caused laissez faire to be an acceptable policy". No-one, of course, contended that pure competition did in fact characterize the economic relations of the time. Quite the reverse. It was argued that if the hindrances to competition were removed, society as a whole would reap the benefits indicated by the theory.
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- Date Issued: 1948