Briefing Paper: A Critical Perspective on the Growth and Inclusion (GAIN) Strategy and New Economic Policy

This briefing paper provides an overview and critical perspective on the government’s new Growth and Inclusion (GAIN) strategy. GAIN is a new implementation strategy for a range of policy initiatives introduced over the past 7 years, representing the most important economic reforms since GEAR. This paper covers the origin and background of these policies, as well as their relation to initiatives such as Operation Vulindlela. It discusses GAIN’s role as an implementation framework for these reforms and provides a critical analysis of its various aspects in relation to South Africa’s socio-economic crises. This paper highlights a number of problematic elements, including the fact that fiscal policy is dictating economic policy; that these reforms may deepen the commercialisation and privatisation of public services; and that the crisis of mass unemployment is not given enough attention, with GAIN avoiding the issue of structural economic transformation. Read the briefing paper below.