Johan Fourie

Small change A review of 'Money' by David McWilliams

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:

Happy tenth birthday, LEAP! Two new research papers show how economic history at Stellenbosch punches above its weight

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.

It's not just cricket Reflections on South Africa winning the World Test Championship at Lord's

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

@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 the prize goes to... The winner of the Our Long Walk Essay Competition revealed!

Full essay (and my thoughts on the competiton), here: www.ourlongwalk.com/p/and-the-pr...

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...

Blueprint for a new university Will anyone invest in my start-up idea?

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

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.

One Washington Post reader thinks my blog is worth reading!

AI ate my homework What should we do about it?

@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:

Everything is social impact But should it be?

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 ($).

Fantastic news!

The Huguenot refugee Kate Mosse, Pierre Joubert and their long walk to Franschhoek

@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:

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

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

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.

Write what you like The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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

The elephant An AI-written short story to commemorate Freedom Day

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

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

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.

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

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

Economic History of Developing Regions needs a new editor!

An autumn of autarky The Trump tariffs and how South Africa should respond to it

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.

PhD talk Why, where and how to do a PhD in Economics

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.)

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

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?

And another with @johanfourieza.bsky.social and Jonathan Schoots about culture and economics: bsky.app/profile/joha...
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Write what you like The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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:

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

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

My take on Africa and the new world order:

Write what you like The Our Long Walk Essay Competition

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!

Property rights are endogenous The land reform we need won’t come from government

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

The president's advisors and what they believe Expect 'industrial policy' to echo in his ears

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

VAT up, doc? There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs

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.

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...

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!