2021 CBE Annual Report

College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2021 57 POLICY AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES PEERC continues to engage directly in policy discourse. Over the past year, PEERC’s Director, Mr Jugal Mahabir, was a special panellist at the 2020 Budget Forum, chaired by the Minister of Finance. The Centre also played a role in the Department of Water and Sanitation’s revision of the pricing strategy for water use charges. This included engaging and providing advice in several meetings and workshops, as well as undertaking research on a section of the revised strategy. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES PROJECTS/GRANTS Water Research Commission PEERC is currently involved in three projects for the Water Research Commission (WRC). These are: • Further evidence on the debate to shake off the South African water pricing system. • Revision of the pricing strategy for water use charges – Classification of social and commercial infrastructure. • An analysis of the economic efficiency of municipal short-term responses to water supply crises in South Africa. SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES NETWORK PEERC forms part of the South African Cities Network’s panel of researchers. The researchers and associates at PEERC will work closely with the SACN on future projects EUROPEAN UNION PEERC was one of the five co-applicants who were involved in the “Putting People in Peoples Parliament” initiative. The project contributes to building a more capable and accountable state through leveraging mechanisms for direct political participation of the public to increase the capacity and performance of legislatures to fulfil their constitutional mandates to oversee executive performance, develop law and respond to the public. SOUTH AFRICAN MARITIME SAFETY AUTHORITY PEERC completed a project for the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) looking at the impact of the international maritime organisation’s 0,5% global sulphur limit on South African trade and the economy. SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATION AND FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (4IR) The research centre is currently engaged in new and innovative research looking at the possibility of introducing dynamic pricing into the South African water pricing system. This entails examining the possibility for water tariffs charged by municipalities to adjust to changes in the supply of water, i.e. current water supply in reservoirs. In implementing such a system, the use of new and innovative technologies becomes key in monitoring water levels in reservoirs and monitoring household water usage for pricing purposes. NATIONAL AND GLOBAL FOOTPRINT PEERC has published in national and international academic journals during the 2021 academic year. COLLABORATIONS/PARTNERSHIPS PEERC researchers and associates worked on building numerous partnerships with national and international organisations. These include: • African Association of Environmental Economics • South African Local Government Association • University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania • University of Washington, United States of America • University of Gothenberg, Sweden • Makerere University, Uganda Jugal Mahabir Director: Public and Environmental Economic Research Centre (PEERC), School of Economics College of Business and Economics (CBE), University of Johannesburg The aim of the programme is to equip young graduates with the skills and knowledge needed for the workplace.

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