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News & Views by Terry Bell
Browsing All posts tagged under »economics«
Avoiding the real state of the SA nation
South Africa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on February 11 and the subsequent debates all seem long on rhetoric and somewhat short on realistic plans that take cognisance of the world of the 21st Century.
A wake-up call for SA trade unions
February 8, 2016
South Africa is heading into a particularly rough year economically. For those on minimum wages or fixed incomes, let alone the army of the unemployed, this is a frightening prospect.
Dealing with the “4th Industrial Revolution”
January 30, 2016
The so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution" has the potential to free humanity from drudgery and poverty, but only if it is under true democratic control and serves the interests of humanity as a whole. So it is not a matter of demanding changes in mere policy, but in the political system itself.
Opening the debate on alternative economics
January 28, 2016
“The doors of learning and culture shall be opened.” So states the eighth clause of the ANC’s Freedom Charter. It has again come to the forefront as university students embark on another series of protests about the cost of tertiary education.
Spin, myths and The Market
December 19, 2015
The economic crunch experienced in South Africa last week provided a clear insight into the workings of the system and the limits, within a parliamentary democracy, of “people’s power”.
High cost of death for the living
October 4, 2015
Most South African families feel compelled to endure the massive expense that traditional modern funerals entail. But such "traditions" are rooted in commerce and owe little or nothing to cultural prctices.
Coping with the robot revolution
September 21, 2015
If the rise of robots — the spread of automation — is killing jobs and threatening the world with disaster, how can this be seen as potentially beneficial? It’s a question that is frequently asked and seldom answered. But we should welcome developments that minimise drudgery and that produce more and better products more cheaply and efficiently — however, only if they benefit us all.
The foulbrood threat to Africa
September 13, 2015
South Africa’s more than R7 billion a year fruit industry is threatened with potentially massive job and financial losses. It is a looming crisis that calls for urgent and comprehensive action at governmental level before the threat, still restricted to the Western Cape province, can spread.
Terry Bell Writes 
February 20, 2016
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