ERSA’s Working Paper Series was established in 2004 with the first Working Paper being published in February of 2005.  The Working Paper Series remains one of the central mechanisms through which ERSA supports the quantity, quality and relevance of economic research produced in South Africa.

ERSA is interested in economic research that informs economic policy in Southern African countries within the following broad research programmes:

• Monetary and Fiscal Policy
• Trade, Industrial and Competition Policy
• Human Capital Policy
• Environmental Policy

To encourage more research in these areas and support the researchers, ERSA commits to the following:

1. Working Paper Review Process

ERSA is committed to providing timely and valuable feedback to authors through its network of reviewers. Feedback will be aimed at identifying technical mistakes, logical inconsistencies, gaps, and areas of improvement to improve the quality of the research.

2. Financial Incentive

• R10 000 for successfully publishing in ERSA’s Working Paper Series and providing an accompanying policy brief or executive summary of the paper.
• An additional amount when an ERSA working paper is published in a journal upon the submission of proof of publication:
  • ISI ranked journal: 101 – 200 @ R10 000
  • ISI ranked journal: 31 – 100 @ R40 000
  • ISI ranked journal: Top 30 @ R70 000

3. Audience

• For papers of particularly high quality and policy relevant, ERSA will facilitate engagements with policymakers on the insights the research produces.

Important to note:

• Submissions will be subject to editorial review. Authors may be requested to supply data and do-files, attached to their Working Paper submissions to Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA). However, the confidentiality of such data will be ensured.
• For ERSA-funded working papers, research support from ERSA is to be acknowledged in all presentations of research material to emerge from this project including in the final publication of the paper in a journal.
• ERSA will not accept submissions that have already been accepted in a journal publication. Copyright responsibilities vest in the author(s) of the paper

For more information, please contact Bradley Kent at Bradley.kent@econrsa.org.