2024 will mark South Africa’s thirtieth year as a democracy. And, while progress has been made on the integration of society, the country seems to have fallen short of expectations on many other fronts. South Africa’s low levels of economic growth have remained a seemingly intractable problem and attempts at economic reform have done little to realise the country’s potential. What’s more, low growth is further exacerbating social problems like crime and corruption, creating a negative feedback loop that in turn undermines the country’s ability to make meaningful progress.

There are many factors that contribute to such negative feedback loops, but the main challenge is that for growth to be sustainable, it must work for society as a whole. How are we to address this challenge, especially when the shortcomings of redistributive policies, more than three decades on, are so painfully obvious?

In collaboration with PSG, ERSA is inviting all ‘Big Picture Thinkers’ to present a discussion document on how to tackle the deeply intertwined challenges that seem to limit South Africa’s growth potential. Please support any recommendations you make with verifiable, quantitative justifications. We encourage using an innovative model to tackle this topic. While optimal control theory stands out, different models can be applied and all model approaches will be considered.

Winners of this competition will share R450 000.

For more information on the Challenge, the Prizes, the Panel of Judges and more, please visit the website or download the PDF summary below.