Reaching Out
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

South Africa course to provide up-close view of transitional economy

Undergraduate students from the Andrew Young School and Morehouse College will explore the nuances of the South African economy during a joint summer study-abroad program with the University of Pretoria.

Students begin the program by enrolling in an overview course on South Africa during spring semester, followed by a two-week tour of the country in May. The trip includes a visit to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the South African Reserve Bank. Students also will travel to Cape Town and Pretoria.

"It's the first time we've tried this and I think it'll be a big success," said organizer Glenwood Ross (Ph.D. in economics, '98), an assistant professor of economics at Morehouse.

Although examples of transitional economies exist around the world, South Africa is of particular interest because of its racially charged political and cultural environment, and the ironies of its economic development, Ross said. The country's infrastructure - including its road system and utilities - is relatively sophisticated. Yet about 40 percent of the country's population is unemployed, and most of those living in poverty are black. Also, the nation's AIDS epidemic could hinder its economic and social development for years to come.

"South Africa is the only transitional economy that's transitioning from a race based system of oppression, so it's unique in that regard," Ross said. "If South Africa doesn't succeed it's hard to see how the other countries of sub-Saharan Africa will succeed … The difference between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' is just tremendous."

Ross' goal is to attract 20 students to enroll in the summer South Africa course next year. He'd like them to leave with an appreciation of the nation's problems - and ideas for solutions.

"First of all, I hope these young people will view the world through more understanding eyes," said Ross. "But also I would like students to see that although a lot of the world is different, there are a lot of similarities - just on a different scale. And I also want them to come away from this experience with some notion of what countries can do to pull themselves up to the next level economically. That's important."

Andrew Young School faculty members have done a variety of work in South Africa. Dean Roy Bahl has advised the government on fiscal policy for the past three years. Ron Cummings, director of the Environmental Policy Program, has demonstrated the portable experimental economics laboratory to officials in the country. Seven Mandela Scholars are enrolled in the college this year for graduate study in economics. The college also is planning to offer a joint master's degree with the University of Pretoria in the future with the aid of Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, the university's dean of economic and management sciences and a distinguished senior fellow in the Andrew Young School.

For more information on the study-abroad program, e-mail Ross at gross@morehouse.edu.

Photo above: EAGLE'S EYE VIEW: Glenwood Ross, an assistant professor of economics at Morehouse College, stands on a summit overlooking the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Ross is teaching a spring course on South Africa's economy and will lead students on a summer excursion to the country.