Econ3x3 is an editorially independent forum focused on economic policy and inclusive development. It was established in 2012 as part of the Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI3x3), which was sponsored by the National Treasury as a collaborative economic research initiative supported by the School Free State.
Professor Frederick Fourie, research coordinator of the REDI3x3 project, served as Econ3x3’s founding editor from 2012 to 2020.
On completion of the REDI3x3 project in 2020 it was agreed that Econ3x3 should continue as a forum for ongoing debate and publication of policy-relevant research, under the auspices of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town.
Since March 2025, Econ3x3 has developed a new website with support from SA-TIED (Southern Africa-Towards Inclusive Economic Development), a UNU-WIDER-supported initiative (United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research) that promotes evidence-based policymaking to tackle inequality, poverty, unemployment, among other development challenges.
The SALDRU- SA-TIED collaboration allows us to continue publishing accessible research articles on South Africa’s employment, income distribution and inclusive growth challenges. It also provides for mentorship and training of young researchers and support for dialogue and debate on critical policy issues.
Academic research often fails to connect with a broader public, policymakers or the media. Econ3x3 has long sought to bridge this gap. Now, with the support of SA-Tied, we have reinforced that bridge. We will continue to strengthen engagement between research and policy-making to contribute to more effective economic and social policies. The focus is thus largely on underlying, longer-term, structural relationships and dynamics in the economy, but analytical perspectives on cyclical or current policy debates are also welcome.
Contributions to Econ3x3 are expected to be analytically rigorous but more accessible than academic journal articles. Submitted drafts are carefully reviewed before publication, both for clarity and coherence of argument and for language and style. Econ3x3 provides a unique platform for researchers to get their findings into the public domain and into other media outlets. It is intended to facilitate active debate on policy issues and to provide a forum through which policy advisors can engage with the research community, with colleagues, private sector analysts, and with civil society.
The three interlocking triangles and the “3 by 3” element of the Econ3x3 forum name reflect the interconnected nature of South Africa’s major socio-economic challenges: unemployment, inequality and poverty, and the need to accelerate investment, growth and inclusivity. The logo also signals that an integrated policy approach is needed to engage with these problems – they have macroeconomic aspects, social and labour market considerations are relevant and the insights of development economics and public finance are important. Econ3x3 welcomes inter-disciplinary work and perspectives from diverse ideological and analytical viewpoints.
We encourage contributors to engage with the links between formal and informal parts of the economy, and between rural and urban, and social and economic dynamics. We hope to support a “triangulation” of diverse data sources, analytical disciplines, research methods and policy focus areas.
