By Caesar Cheelo
How are economic policies crafted? How are they implemented? Whose responsibility is it to champion good economic management through the implementation of sound policies?
I tend to think that all these issues ultimately depend on the political choices of a particular society or economy. Take Tanzania for instance, informal reports about President John Magufuli have continued to circulate on social media.
By Caesar Cheelo
Zambia is experiencing the most dramatic economic downturn seen in the country’s post-liberalization era. Some have described the downturn as a crisis and an economic collapse.
Somehow the current situation seems a lot like déjà vu. About four decades ago the Zambian economy collapsed. Many accounts show that this happened because despite its rich resource base, by the late 1970s, Zambia was suffering from a number of chronic structural economic problems rooted in the policies of the 1960s and 1970s coupled with external shocks.
By Felix Mwenge and Tamara Billima
In the face of the economic slowdown, Zambia’s ‘jobs challenge’ is becoming more pressing. One big, but too often neglected, part of the response must be a focus on the smallest enterprises.
Recent policy research evidence from the Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) has shown that current government policy in Zambia does not effectively exploit the potential of the self-employed micro enterprises to create more decent jobs. This is a particularly important issue in the context of Zambia’s current economic downturn.
By Will Paxton
Disclaimer: This interview originally appeared on the On Think Tanks website, which can be found here: https://goo.gl/H8zOrU
Two years ago the Zambian think tank ZIPAR had no dedicated communications capacity. Their reports sat on shelves and the organisation’s impact was limited. Today, ZIPAR has a dynamic and effective approach to working with the media as part of their wider approach to influencing policy. Euphrasia Mapulanga, ZIPAR’s Knowledge Manager, has led the transformation of the organisation’s approach. Kivu International’s Will Paxton talked to Euphrasia in Lusaka.
By Mwanda Phiri and Zali Chikuba
Over the years, Zambia's demand for motor vehicles has increased in tandem with economic growth. In the absence of an efficient public transport system, privately owned vehicles provide a more reliable and efficient alternative mode of transportation that facilitates economic and social activities. However, the policies governing the importation of vehicles in Zambia particularly taxation, have been a subject of debate mainly because they do not incentivise consumers to acquire newer and safer motor vehicles.
