Welcome to the Department

Welcome to the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. We are one of the oldest Economics departments on the continent and one of the largest in the university. We are dedicated to quality research and teaching, with a focus on economic issues pertaining to South Africa and Africa. For any information not on this site, please contact the department.

Stellenbosch has four postgraduate finalists in Budget Speech competition

Cathy Bashala, Melissa van Rensburg, Jacques Verreyne and Stephen Reid are Stellenbosch University's top 10 postgraduate finalists in the Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition 2009. They will be part of a select group of students attending the Budget Speech live in Parliament on 17 February 2010, after which the winner of the 2009 competition will be announced at a banquet later the evening. The Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition seeks to nurture and invest in the next generation of economists, decision makers and thinkers.  Generous cash prizes are awarded to the three top essays in the post-graduate and undergraduate categories.

Winners of Young Economist competition 2009 announced

The winners of the Young Economist competition 2009 - sharing prize money of R7000 - were announced on Wednesday, 14 October. The winners, Ms EC Brits and Mr J Swart of the team 'Gladiators of Fire', most accurately predicted five economic variables over a two-month period. In total, fifteen predictions were required of the 33 teams that entered the competition. Die Burger sponsors the competition.

From left: Willem Pretorius (Die Burger), prof Rachel Jafta, Jean-Pierre Swart and Elaine Brits. Photo: Leanne Stander (Die Burger)

Prof Rachel Jafta, coordinator of the 144-group, congratulated the prize winners and mentioned that the last two years were especially difficult to accurately predict economic indicators because of the global recession and consequent rapid fluctuations. Team 144++ came in second (with a prize money of R4000), while Double D, Adam's Myth and Forecasters ended in third, fourth and fifth respectively. Adam's Myth also won the prize for the most creative team name.

Bursaries now available

Bursaries from the dti are now available for postgraduate students. Please find more information here. Application forms are available here.

The countdown to Stellenbosch 2012 begins

Stellenbosch 2012 was proudly launched at the final plenary session of the World Economic History Congress in Utrecht, the Netherlands on the 7th of August. In a promotional DVD inviting guests to the next World Economic History Congress, the rector and vice-chancellor Russel Botman and Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu invited participants to "explore the roots of development" at the 2012 conference, which is hosted by the Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University and the Economic History Society of Southern Africa. Find more information at www.wehc2012.org.

Postgraduate applications now open

Information specific to the Department of Economics can be found on this website - please use the links for Postgrad Programmes, Postgrad Courses and Postgrad Funding.

For general information on accommodation, bursaries etc., please visit www.sun.ac.za and click on “Prospective students” on the left-hand side of the page. To apply for the Honours or Master’s programme in Economics, please click here. For further enquiries on the PhD programme or to apply, please contact Mr Albert van der Merwe ([protected email address] ).

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