In 'Money', David McWilliams explores ‘humanity’s greatest invention’. Yet this 'story of humanity' is a decidedly European one, I find. My review of 'Money', out today:

Small change

A review of 'Money' by David McWilliams

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My research unit at Stellenbosch is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. In today's post, I reflected, using two new studies, on the progress we've made in promoting the study of African economic history.

Happy tenth birthday, LEAP!

Two new research papers show how economic history at Stellenbosch punches above its weight

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The ICC Test Championship final was a game for the ages. Sometimes, by simply turning up again and again, the impossible becomes possible.

It's not just cricket

Reflections on South Africa winning the World Test Championship at Lord's

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@johanfourieza.bsky.social closes out our second session as he explores new incentives for enslaved runaways in South Africa in the 1830s. #econsky #econhistory

And we have a winner of the inaugural Our Long Walk Essay Competition! It was this graph that got me hooked on the winning essay...

If I had to build a new university, this is what it would look like:

Blueprint for a new university

Will anyone invest in my start-up idea?

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One Washington Post reader thinks my blog is worth reading!

Opinion | I’m an Afrikaner. Trump’s resettled South Africans don’t represent me.

South Africa is much more complicated than Americans of both political parties think.

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@tylercowen.bsky.social says university students know, on average, more about LLMs than do their professors. I agree, but it will take a monumental effort for slow university systems to adapt to the AI revolution. Here I propose three steps to start:

AI ate my homework

What should we do about it?

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Adam Smith’s division of labour applies as much to universities as it does to factories. My first of a three-part series on the future of the university ($).

Everything is social impact

But should it be?

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Fantastic news!

Hillary Vipond@hillaryvipond.bsky.social · last yr.

Have come to terms with the fact that I don't really understand or remember much until I write it out & work through it. So I'm going to blog. Primarily for myself. Would love it to be a little useful for others. Many thanks to @johanfourieza.bsky.social, whose conference on this was inspiring

@katemossewriter.bsky.social Kate Mosse's Joubert Family Chronicles conclude in Franschhoek, where she'll be speaking next weekend. In this post, I traced the real life outcomes of some her historical characters in the eighteenth-century Cape Colony:

The Huguenot refugee

Kate Mosse, Pierre Joubert and their long walk to Franschhoek

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Really delighted to have arrived in Stellenbosch for this workshop on disseminating Economic History. Organized by @johanfourieza.bsky.social with keynote from @delong.social

What do Jacob Zuma and Donald Trump have in common? This essay maps two different threats to modern states – one captured, one feudal – and why the distinction matters.

Feudal America

What South Africa’s experience with state capture reveals – and does not reveal – about America today

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Reminder: today is the submission deadline for the Our Long Walk Essay Competition!

Write what you like

The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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To celebrate 31 years of political freedom in South Africa, I curated a ChatGPT-written short story:

The elephant

An AI-written short story to commemorate Freedom Day

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If we as South Africans are serious about racial transformation, let’s not waste another decade. Let’s invest in understanding exactly what enables (black) entrepreneurial success.

To test transformation

My submission on South Africa's Draft Transformation Fund Concept Document

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How can a 19th-century Cape Colony coffee boom help to explain the hidden consequences of Trump’s new tariff war?

Déjà brew

How a 19th-century Cape coffee boom reveals the hidden consequences of Trump’s new tariff war

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Economic History of Developing Regions needs a new editor!

Eight months ago, South Africa’s trade delegation returned from Washington with smiles and soundbites. This week, the mood changed. In my latest post, I examine the economic justification for these tariffs, what they reveal about US politics, and how South Africa should respond.

An autumn of autarky

The Trump tariffs and how South Africa should respond to it

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If you're a (South) African student, what do you need to know about doing an Economics PhD in the US or Europe? My advice. (To the economists on BlueSky based in the US or Europe, please add ideas or suggestions in the comments on the blog! Your inputs are much appreciated.)

PhD talk

Why, where and how to do a PhD in Economics

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Will AI lead to a proliferation of superficial publications that all compete in a race to the bottom and, most importantly, do little to advance knowledge or contribute to building a better society?

Science, outsourced

How AI will make South Africa's science funding model obsolete

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And another with @johanfourieza.bsky.social and Jonathan Schoots about culture and economics: bsky.app/profile/joha... (2/2)

Johan Fourie@johanfourieza.bsky.social · 2y ago

How should economists think about culture? In episode 7 of the Our Long Walk podcast, Jonathan and I interview @nathannunn.bsky.social about why culture matters, zero versus positive-sum thinking (in the US elections), and why economists should study Africa…

And just like that, the first essay submission just arrived in my mailbox, a week after announcing the Our Long Walk Essay Competition! If you know any African students 25 years or younger who is interested in the past, present and future of this wonderful continent, then please forward them this:

Write what you like

The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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When the rules are changing, will Africa rewrite them or let others decide its fate? My take on Africa and the new world order:

Africa and the new world order

When the rules are changing, will Africa rewrite them or let others decide its fate?

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The Our Long Walk Essay Competition just launched. Any African 25 or younger can apply. The prize money of $500 is not massive. But it is a start. (I'm funding it myself.) And you get your ideas published on the blog. Theme: 'Progress and Innovation in Africa's Past'. Please spread the message!

Write what you like

The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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How the Green Revolution shaped property rights – and what this means for South Africa's land reform process.

Property rights are endogenous

The land reform we need won’t come from government

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South Africa has a Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Understanding who these economists are, and the ideas they advocate, should tell us a lot about the country's future economic policy. @drodrik.bsky.social @wandilesihlobo.bsky.social @haroonbhorat.bsky.social @antonioandreoni.bsky.social

The president's advisors and what they believe

Expect 'industrial policy' to echo in his ears

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VAT – despite its flaws – remains one of the least distortionary ways to raise revenue. For South Africa, the alternatives – cutting spending on education, healthcare or infrastructure, or taking on more debt – come with a high risk of being worse.

VAT up, doc?

There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs

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How far back should economic history go? Most textbooks start with agriculture, trade, and the emergence of states. But what if we looked further – beyond written records, beyond cities, beyond even the first farms? A wonderful interview with Ola Olsson about the economics of prehistory!

Why did we stop roaming?

EPISODE 8: Jonathan and I speak to Ola Olsson about the economics of prehistory, the environmental roots of state formation and what ancient Egypt can teach us about the ongoing crisis in the Congo...

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The recent US Executive Order halting aid to South Africa and prioritising Afrikaner resettlement has sparked debate. While politically motivated, such actions often have underlying economic rationales – whether intentional or not.

Why America wants Afrikaners

SPECIAL POST: Even politically motivated actions often have underlying economic rationales – whether intentional or not

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