Wellbeing in South Africa: regional economic disparities, conspicuous consumption, and the provision of infrastructure.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the correlates of subjective well-being in South Africa, with a focus on the role of location, and specifically the impact of regional differences, conspicuous consumption, and access to public infrastructure in South Africa (SA). This thesis contributes to the body of welfare economics in SA by addressing three sets of aspects of well-being. The first of these (Chapter 3) is about individual differences in subjective well-being (SWB) across regions. This chapter makes use of five waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) and the Quantac EasyData, corresponding to the NIDS waves. Using a combination of pooled ordered probit (POP), pooled ordinary least squares (POLS), and fixed-effects (FE) estimation, the overall finding from the first study shows that individual SWB differs across regions. Individuals located in urban district municipalities and economically thriving provinces report higher levels of individual SWB relative to individuals located in economically deprived regions. The second aspect (Chapter 4) examines the effect of conspicuous consumption by others on individual well-being. Using all five waves of the NIDS data, the findings suggest that, after controlling for comparator expenditure at the cluster and district level, conspicuous consumption by others at the district level decreases individual SWB after controlling for other important correlates of SWB. Also, it is worth mentioning that the findings differ depending on the proximity of the reference group. The findings suggest that individual SWB is negatively sensitive to conspicuous consumption by others that occurs in distant proximities, as opposed to close proximities. The third part (Chapter 5) examines the effect of access to public infrastructure on individual SWB. Access to infrastructure is measured by the distance individuals travel to the nearest educational, healthcare, and police service facility. Using data from the Living Conditions Survey (LCS) 2014/2015, the overall findings show that the effect of access on individual SWB differs across the various kinds of infrastructure facilities. Furthermore, long distances travelled to access public infrastructure pose a significant barrier for vulnerable segments of the population. Therefore, the government’s policy framework and commitment should be invigorated towards improving structural and systemic factors that hamper effective access to infrastructure.

IQOQA Lo mbhalo wocwaningo uphenya ngenhlalakahle abantu ngabanye abazibona benayo eSouth Africa, ugxila endimeni edlalwa yindawo abahlala kuyo, ikakhulukazi umthelela wokwehluka kwezindawo, ukuthenga izinto ezibizayo kanye nokukwazi ukusebenzisa izingqalasizinda zomphakathi eSouth Africa (SA). Lo mbhalo wocwaningo unezela engqikithini yocwaningo olumayelana nendlela ukwabiwa kwemikhiqizo okuchaphazela ngayo inhlalakahle yomphakathi eSouth Africa (SA) ngokukhuluma ngezinto ezintathu eziphathelene nenhlalakahle. Okokuqala (Isahluko 3) kumayelana nokwehluka komuntu ngamunye endleleni achaza ngayo inhlalakahle yakhe, isubjective well-being (SWB) ezifundeni zonkana. Lesi sahluko sisebenzisa amahlandla amahlanu endlela yocwaningo olwaziwa njengeNational Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) kanye neQuantac EasyData, ehambisana namahlandla e-NIDS. Kusetshenziswa inhlanganisela yokuhlaziya imiphumela emibili, ipooled ordered probit (POP), indlela esetshenziswayo engavezi imiphumela ebonakalayo, ipooled ordinary least squares (POLS), kanye nendlela yokulawula uguquko, ifixed-effects (FE), kanti sekukonke okutholakele ocwaningweni lokuqala kubonisa ukuthi i-SWB ngayinye iyahluka ezifundeni ezihlukahlukene. Abantu abahlala komasipala bezifunda zasemadolobheni nasezifundazweni ezithuthukayo kwezomnotho babika amazinga aphezulu e-SWB yabantu ngabanye uma kuqhathaniswa nabantu abahlala ezindaweni ezintulayo kwezomnotho. Isici sesibili (Isahluko 4) sihlola umthelela wokuthenga izinto ezibizayo okwenziwa abanye okunawo enhlalakahleni yomuntu ngamunye. Kusetshenziswa imininingo eqoqwe kuwo womahlanu amahlandla e-NIDS, okutholakele kuveza ukuthi, ngemuva kokulawula izindleko zokuqhathanisa ezingeni leqoqo nelesifunda, ukuthenga izinto ezibizayo okwenziwa abanye esifundeni kuyayinciphisa i-SWB yomuntu ngamunye ngemuva kokulawulwa kwezinye izinto ezibalulekile ezinomthelela ku-SWB. Kufanelekile nokusho ukuthi okutholakele kuyehluka kuye ngokuthi asondelene kangakanani amaqembu okubhekiselwa kuwo. Okutholakele kuveza ukuthi i-SWB yomuntu ngamunye iyachaphazeleka nalapho abanye bethenga izinto ezibizayo ezindaweni eziqhelile, ngokungafani nasezindaweni eziseduze. Ingxenye yesithathu (Isahluko 5) ihlola umphumela okuba nawo ukufinyelela kuzingqalasizinda zomphakathi ku-SWB yomuntu ngamunye. Ukufinyeleleka kuzingqalasizinda kukalwa ngebanga umuntu alihambayo lapho eya ezikhungweni zemfundo, ezikhungweni zezempilo nasesiteshini samaphoyisa esiseduze. Kusetshenziswa imininingo evela kuhlolovo eyaziwa ngokuthi yiLiving Conditions Survey (LCS) 2014/2015, ingqikithi yalokho okutholakele iveza ukuthi ukufinyelela ezinhlotsheni ezahlukahlukene zezingqalasizinda kunomthelela ongefani endleleni umuntu ngamunye achaza ngayo inhlalakahle yakhe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, amabanga amade ahanjwayo ukuze kufinyelelwe kuzingqalasizinda zomphakathi ayingqinamba enkulu kubantu abantulayo. Ngakho-ke, uhlaka lwenqubomgomo kahulumeni nokuzibophezela kwakhe kufanele kufakwe umfutho ukuze kuthuthukiswe izakhiwo nezinhlelo ezikhinyabeza imizamo yabantu yokufinyelela kuzingqalasizinda.