Tom is currently studying towards his Masters in Economics at the University of Cape Town. He is passionate about economic development and making an impact on the South African policy landscape. His research interests are broad and extend across such topics as: education; service delivery; labour; food security; and multidimensional perspectives of poverty, inequality and well-being. These interests were evident in his Honours research paper, which explored the association between early-childhood investments and well-being in later life.

Through his past work as a research assistant for the Southern African Labour and Development Research Unit, and his teaching experience in rural Transkei, Tom has developed a fascination for South Africa’s economic development challenges – in particular, the twin burden of poverty and inequality.

Tom is therefore excited about building a career as a developmental economist or policy researcher – where he can assist in producing research that aims to better understand these complex issues and direct policy accordingly.