This study investigates the relationship between ESG performance and economic growth in BRICS nations from 2000 to 2020, aiming to understand how ESG practices influence development trajectories. By integrating economic theories with relevant conceptual frameworks, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of ESG dynamics in emerging economies. The purpose of this study is to determine how the economic growth of the BRICS countries between 2000 and 2020 was impacted by ESG performance at the national level. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a fresh macroeconomic examination of the connection between economic growth and ESG performance in the BRICS nations, a topic that is still relatively unexplored in comparison to firm-level research. A significant knowledge gap on how developing economies strike a balance between rapid economic expansion and environmental and social sustainability is filled by the research’s use of a thorough national-level ESG framework. The study employed a dynamic panel auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, utilising a dynamic pooled mean group (PMG) ARDL econometric technique for both short- and long-term estimates. The findings reveal a short-term negative relationship between ESG performance and economic growth in the BRICS countries, which implies that there are high transitional effects involved in sustainable growth solutions. It also highlights the structural and developmental heterogeneity among BRICS countries. Moreover, the study highlights that carbon emissions positively influence short-term economic growth, underscoring the challenge of balancing sustainability with the continued reliance on fossil fuels in these economies. However, the long-term results show that strong ESG practices ultimately positively affect economic growth, reinforcing the importance of investing in sustainable development for achieving high-quality, long-term prosperity. This conclusion emphasises that, while short-term trade-offs may exist, robust ESG frameworks are crucial for fostering enduring economic and environmental well-being.

Poverty is a worldwide quandary and despite global efforts to culminate it, progress in this regard has been slow and in some parts of the world, the plight has worsened. Ensuring adequate resource provision for their families and consequently evading poverty proves to be a challenge for some household heads, particularly millennials. This study therefore seeks to analyse the prevalence of poverty in households headed by millennials based on their characteristics. The study employed data from the 2021 General Household Survey of Statistics South Africa with a sample of 2685 millennial heads. The findings reveal that households headed by millennials who are males, African; single, divorced, and unemployed are vulnerable to poverty. Further findings indicate that households where the head had a tertiary qualification and was employed were less vulnerable to poverty. It can therefore be construed that head of household characteristics have a bearing on a household’s wellbeing and the future outcomes of the children in their households. Policies enacted by government needs to create realistic opportunities that will enable millennials to sustain themselves and their households.

(1) Background: An effective and efficient primary healthcare service is one of the reforms designed to achieve universal healthcare coverage. The success of the reform however depends on the ability to identify factors that could undermine through avoidable use, the effectiveness of various deployed scarce resources. The prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle risk factors that have been identified as a critical public health issue, which stimulate vulnerability and mortality through the development of non-communicable diseases, also have implications for government health spending through healthcare utilization. (2) Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of behavioral risk factors on primary healthcare utilization in South Africa. (3) Methods: Using the NIDS wave 4 data set and a binary logistic estimation technique, the study is premised on a modified Anderson model of health service utilization. (4) Results: The binary logistic regression estimation results clearly show the intercepting effect of smoking in public primary healthcare utilization. Equally, the effect of these lifestyle behavior risk factors on public PHC is evident in urban communities. (5) Conclusion: This study suggests that there is a need to intensify awareness on the health effect of smoking; strengthen and broaden law that bans smoking; and introduce the screening of smoking patients for recurring counselling sessions and intervention at primary healthcare facilities in the country’s urban communities.

Background: Globalisation has brought significant benefits to countries’ industrialisation, but its impact has not been uniform. Policymakers in developing countries have increasingly focused on sound institutions’ role in offsetting the potential negative effects of an integrated economic structure. However, evidence of the mediating role of institutional quality in South Africa’s unique economic globalisation and industrial development relationship has been limited. Objective: This study had the primary objective to assess the mediating role of institutional quality within the globalisation and industrialisation nexus in South Africa. Method: The analysis used a quantitative research approach through a time series analysis, based on secondary data from 1980 to 2021. The long-run relationships between the variables were assessed through novel cointegration tests, while three different cointegration regression estimation techniques were employed to estimate the elasticities. Moreover, Toda-Yamamoto causality tests were utilised to evaluate the causal linkages between the variables. Results: The findings suggest that South Africa’s unique integration path has benefited industrial output significantly since its move to a more liberal and democratic structure. However, the level of institutional quality has contributed to a diminishing effect in this regard. This emanates primarily from a misalignment between institutional frameworks and the demands of globalisation, including increased competition and regulatory challenges. Conclusion: Based on this, the study recommends that policymakers prioritise developing a comprehensive industrial policy to promote key strategic sectors, regional integration, and public–private partnerships. Moreover, they should improve the business environment and infrastructure by means of reducing the costs of doing business, enhance the rule of law, ensure a stable financial system to attract foreign investment and foster sound regional partnerships.

Following the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) prioritised financial stability. This study assesses the impact of financial stability on South Africa's output and price stability, which is crucial for framing its monetary policy. Utilising a Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) approach, the influence of the Financial Conditions Index (FCI) on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) between 1960Q1 and 2022Q4 was analysed. Results revealed a strong connection between these objectives. GDP drops after an FCI disturbance, whereas the CPI trends upwards when the SARB counters financial imbalances. This vital finding indicates a positive relation between enhanced financial conditions and output stabilisation but reveals a trade-off between price and financial stability. After a GDP shock, financial conditions improve, but they deteriorate following a CPI shock. If the SARB reacts by "mopping up" post-crisis, the policy rate typically drops, pointing to potential financial vulnerabilities. Both GDP and CPI react positively to FCI disturbances when SARB is passive. The evidence suggests that while financial stability bolsters output stability, it might endanger price stability. Thus, amongst other recommendations, South Africa's monetary policy authorities must lean against financial imbalances instead of mopping after a crisis

The efficient integration of young people into the global job market is fundamental to sustainable development, significantly impacting economic stability, social unity, and demographic benefits. This study examines the determinants of youth labour absorption across key economic sectors in South Africa. The study uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to analyse sector-specific time-series data. The empirical findings show that youth labour market outcomes are influenced by both macroeconomic and microeconomic factors, with varying effects across economic sectors. The identified key determinants of youth labour absorption include economic growth, skills levels, labour costs, capital- or labour-intensity, profitability, and investment. In the manufacturing sector, for example, a rising capital-to-labour ratio was identified as one of the key constraints on youth labour absorption, while relatively low labour costs supported youth labour absorption in the community and social services sector. These sector-specific insights highlight the necessity of differentiated policy responses. Accordingly, the study recommends targeted strategies to promote inclusive economic growth, bridge skills mismatches, and encourage investment in labour-intensive industries.