Foreign Experts

I did not get to attend the Discovery Investment Leadership Summit yesterday, but followed the highlights thanks to Twitter (#DILS11). There were a number of really famous speakers, including Graca Machel, Al Gore, Mario Ramos and Taddy Blecher (of which the latter should – in a perfect world – be the most famous).

And then there were two economists – Dan Ariely, a behavioural economist from Duke University, and Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business. From the tweets about Ariely’s lecture, I wish I’d been at the summit. He seems to be entertaining and thought-provoking, and this YouTube clip should convince you of that. However, it is Roubini’s speech that instilled on me how fallible we South Africans are for the thoughts of the foreign. Roubini’s main message for South Africa, apart from that the world economy is going to get worse before it gets better (if it ever gets better), was this: “South Africa needs more infrastructural and educational investment to move from 3% growth this year to the desired 5-6%”, according to a tweet by Dave Duarte.

To read more click on the following link.

South African Sport Mega-Events

Danny Jordaan earlier this year questioned the lack of research on the impact of the FIFA World Cup 2010. This is about to change with the release of the latest Development Southern Africa, featuring a special edition on the impact of sport mega-events, specifically those in South Africa.

To read more click on the following link.