The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has announced the appointment of one of South Africa’s most respected economists, Raymond Parsons, as an extraordinary professor in its faculty of economic and management sciences.
Faculty dean Prof Michelle Esau said the appointment was a major step for the university and showed its “commitment to engaged scholarship that addresses South Africa’s development challenges”.
Parsons, known for his influential role in South Africa’s economic and policy circles, expressed his optimism about joining UWC.
“At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation for the honour which the University of the Western Cape has given in appointing me,” he said. “It forges, what I hope, will be a strong and productive relationship which can contribute to the university’s commitment to serious research on relevant issues.”
He said South Africa’s biggest challenge was showing how economic knowledge could help solve real social and economic problems.
“As an economist, the challenge in South Africa is to constantly demonstrate how economic knowledge can be realistically applied to the solutions of pressing socioeconomic issues at various levels,” Parsons said. “Economics is not so much a body of concrete truth, but rather an engine for the discovery of concrete truth.”
He said he hoped to add value to the university’s track record of teaching and learning, research and public profile.
Rector and vice-chancellor Prof Robert Balfour welcomed Parsons’ appointment, saying: “As one of South Africa’s most respected economists and public commentators, Prof Parsons brings exceptional expertise and insight to UWC.
“His appointment reflects our growing strength in economic thought leadership and our commitment to addressing South Africa’s development challenges through engaged scholarship.”
Parsons, who is a professor at the North-West University Business School and chairs its advisory board, has had a long and distinguished academic and policy career. He studied economics at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Copenhagen, and has lectured at the University of Pretoria and at Wits.
He is widely recognised for his ability to simplify complex economic concepts for public understanding and has been featured in more than 975 media reports across broadcast, online and print platforms.
At UWC, Parsons will support the department of economics through public lectures, curriculum development, mentoring of emerging researchers and supervision of honours students.
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