Christian Franken awarded 2nd place in Budget Speech Competition

Once again, a student in the Department did very well in the Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition. Christian Franken, who completed an Honours degree in Economics last year, was awarded the first runner-up place in the postgraduate category of the 2022 competition. Franken won this achievement for his essay entry on the topic, "Evaluate the impact of public infrastructure investment on economic growth based on South Africa’s post-2000 experience. Discuss the impact of this on the prospects for economic growth in the medium term."

Asked about his achievement, Franken expressed pride and indicated that the competition was fierce, with a lot of exceptional young economists competing. As part of the process, finalists got to meet executives and senior-level managers at Nedbank and Old Mutual, as well as the Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana at a gala dinner and Franken also indicated the great value in meeting and interacting with the other finalists. Thanks are due to Hylton Hollander from the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University for motivation, giving tips and making the experience "less daunting and genuinely enjoyable".