College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2020 65 Shared fourth in South Africa and in the top three- five percent Schools of Economics worldwide. Prof Hardus van Zyl Director Prof Frank Riedel School of Economics overview The School of Economics is mostly a research unit within the College of Business and Economics. We house undergraduate and postgraduate academic programmes in economics and econometrics as well as three research centres, namely, the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED), the Centre for Local Economic Development (CENLED) and the Public and Environmental Economics Research Centre (PEERC). sChool highlighTs 2020 The School of Economics has moved into a higher band on the prestigious QS-rankings. We improved our ranking in South Africa and worldwide. We are now placed in the third position (with Wits) in South Africa and in the top 3-5% Schools of Economics worldwide. The School is constantly improving its overall RePec ranking and is steadily moving towards the third position in South Africa. This improvement is due to the upgrade of quality research publications in highly ranked economic journals from staff members and research fellows. In this regard it is important to mention that one of our DVP’s Prof F Riedel has managed to publish two articles in Econometrica (one of the top three journals in the world in the field of economics and econometrics). Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 the School hosted a successful webinar series. International presenters came from the DRC, Denmark, China, UK, USA, and Italy. Staff members from the School presented papers on various international webinars. fourTh indusTrial revoluTion (4ir) fooTPrinT The School of Economics has maintained a strong 4IR research footprint throughout 2020. CCRED has received a 3-year R15 million grant renewal for the Industrial Think Tank (IDTT). The IDTT program focussed on research, capacity building and knowledge dissemination on industrial development, competition policy and structural transformation in the 4IR era of the South African economy. It also investigates themes such as a survey of digital skill requirements in manufacturing, machinery and equipment masterplans, economic regulation, and competition
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