Since 2004, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) has served as the premier platform for economics researchers across Southern Africa to publish their work, access funding, participate in conferences and training programmes, and contribute to debate on public policy. We are an independent institution with a unique track record of extending these opportunities to economists based at historically disadvantaged universities and technikons. We work to improve the quality of the public debate on economic policy through our own research and by convening dialogues among leading international economists and local academics, public-sector officials and private-sector professionals. We are particularly committed to promoting rigorous research that can inform robust policymaking to address the challenges of growth, development and climate change.

Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) is a platform that supports the development of economic policy by connecting economic research to national policy debate and identifying areas of future research. It does this by:

• Conducting on-going research: ERSA has a research team that develops and contributes to research across five broad themes, mentioned below.
• Sharing and promoting policy relevant economic research and code: ERSA disseminates this research across a variety of platforms in order to ensure it is accessible to as many people as possible.
• Stimulating discussions that contribute towards national debate: ERSA fosters a network of economic experts and brings them together to share ideas. In this way, we inspire deeper, pertinent debate around economic issues.
• Upskilling academics and skills development: Through a myriad of online and offline training programmes, ERSA makes economic expertise more accessible and inclusive.
• Nurturing economic talent: ERSA platform encourages all brains that are curious about economics to grow their knowledge and confidence in the subject. Students are rewarded for pursuing quality research linked to national economic policy