About us
The Bureau for Economic Research (BER) is one of the oldest economic research institutes in South Africa. It was established in 1944 and is part of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at Stellenbosch University. Over the years, the BER has built a local and international reputation for independent, objective and authoritative economic research and forecasting.
The BER team (2019)
Back L-R: George Kershoff (Deputy Director), Hugo Pienaar, Nicolaas van der Wath, Harri Kemp, Craig Lemboe, Jaques Davids
Middle L-R: Lisette IJssel de Schepper, Wayne September, Prof Johann Kirsten (Director), Michelle Oosthuizen, Celeste Booysen
Front L-R : Cobus Venter, Palesa Mnguni, Christelle Grobler, Mia Slabber, Ntombizanele Bakaqana, Kathryn Bankart
The Director and Deputy-Director are responsible for the day-to-day running of the institute. The Director reports to the Dean: EMS.
Governance Committee assists and supervises the BER management. The members of the committee are:
Ex officio:
- Prof Ingrid Woolard Dean of Economic and Management Science (EMS)
- Prof Johann Kirsten, BER Director
- Mr George Kershoff, BER Deputy-Director (Secretary)
- Ms Doris Viljoen, Acting Director of the Institute of Futures Research (IFR)
Appointed by the Dean for 2020-2021:
- Prof Stan du Plessis, Chief Operating Officer, Stellenbosch University
- Mr Andrew Donaldson, Former Deputy Director-General: National Treasury and Senior Research Associate, SALDRU, UCT
- Mr Rudolf Gouws, Previous Chief Economist of RMB
- Prof Rachel Jafta, Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University
- Ms Chernay Johnson, Engagement Manager, Centre for Financial Regulation and Inclusion
- Prof Tania Ajam, professor in Public Policy, Economics and Finance at SPL
The BER’s mission and objectives
To independently generate, analyse and disseminate authoritative information on the South African economy in a user-friendly manner.
Through:
- Rigorous and evidence-based research
- Attracting and retaining top talent
- Being sustainable
Primary activities
The BER primarily focuses on the South African macro economy and selected economic sectors. It monitors and forecasts macroeconomic economic and sector trends, and identifies and analyses local and international factors that affect South African businesses.
The organisation has built up and continues to expand its business tendency surveys and macroeconomic forecasting capabilities. Both are used for analysing and projecting South African macroeconomic trends. The BER uses a variety of internationally accepted methodologies and econometric models for the generation and analysis of the data, as well as techniques developed specifically for the unique South African environment. Other activities include commissioned research, courses, conferences and training.
The BER's respected economic analysis and forecasting services are used by a wide range of clients, ranging from small to medium sized firms up to very large JSE listed companies, as well as public sector bodies and NGOs. Financial and investment companies, local and overseas banking groups, multilateral organisations and academic bodies, all make use of the impartial economic information available from the BER.
Funding
Although the BER is part of Stellenbosch University, it has to fully fund all its expenses (such as salaries, a university levy, office rent, travel costs and other) from the sale of forecasts, sponsorships and customised research.