Seminar series on the impacts of taxation and social spending on inequality and poverty in Africa
Following a successful 2025 seminar series on some of the dynamics of inequalities on the African continent, we are turning the attention to a different and more novel approach to inequality research: analysing the impact of fiscal policy on both inequality and poverty. Such research helps to understand the impacts of government taxes and social spending on income inequality and poverty in a particular country.
Central to the projects that will be presented during the first half of 2026 is a methodology that was developed by the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) Institute, Tulane University, USA. The results of the Institute’s CEQ Assessments “give policy makers, multilateral institutions, and nongovernmental groups the data and analysis necessary to determine what changes in tax and spending policies will lead to greater equality and poverty reduction”.
The seminar series is based on ACEIR’s initial CEQ assessments for Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa and subsequent capacity building on using the CEQ framework as well as extending the scope of analysis:
Setting the scene
Introduces the CEQ methodology used in the ACEIR studies and key findings from the South Africa study as an example of such country-level studies. The assessment was conducted by the CEQ Institute in partnership with the National Treasury of South Africa, and ACEIR.
Presenter: Jon Jellema, Asian Development Bank
Date and time: 18 March 2026 @ 13h00 CAT
Read more and register to attend
Capacity building
Illustrates how ACEIR Ghana researchers built on their original study through partnerships with Oxfam Ghana and the World Bank to train civil society organisations on the use of the CEQ methodology and a microsimulation tool to evaluate the impact of social policies on inequality and poverty in Ghana. The Ghana assessment was conducted by the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana.
Presenter: Dr Kwadwo Danso-Mensah, International Centre for Evaluation
Date and time: 15 April 2026 @ 13h00 CAT
Registration pending
Broadening the analysis
Explains how ACEIR’s Kenya team built on their original study by collaborating with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, the World Bank, UNICEF, and UN Women to extend the analysis to gender and children. The original Kenya assessment was conducted by University of Nairobi researchers in partnership with the KNBS and the CEQ Institute.
Presenter: Prof. Damiana K. Manda, Department of Economics and Development Studies, University of Nairobi
Date and time: 13 May 2026 @ 13h00 CAT
Registration pending
The seminars, which can be attended online and in person at the University of Cape Town, are part of the weekly seminar series of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) where ACEIR's hub and South Africa node are located.