2006 Postgraduate Winner: Trevor Chuma

Name: Trevor F. Chuma
Age: 22
University: University of Cape Town (UCT)
Where were you born? Chiawelo (Soweto)
Where did you grow up? Chiawelo and Naturena

Why did you choose to study economics? I initially started off by studying Actuarial Science, however having done two years of economics courses, my interest in the subject grew and developed into a passion for the subject. I pursued it to Honours level and took up tutoring undergraduates in the discipline.

 

What are you going to do with your prize? I am planning on writing my CFA examinations. I also plan on completing a Masters in Economics in an applied area of interest. This may take place abroad.

 

Why did you participate? I thoroughly enjoyed the topic posted for the 2006 competition, as I have an interest in Treasury and the complex factors the Department has to consider in formulating its annual Budget.

 

How did you approach your research? I had had only a commercial knowledge about the South African tax system at the time. Therefore my natural inclination was to start off with some research into its history and from there I tried to build up a broad understanding as to how South Africa has come to adopt its current system.
My next step was to refer to theoretical knowledge of growth, redistribution and economic efficiencies and then try and apply this theory within a tax regime framework.

 

Did you set yourself deadlines or did you work on the essay as and when you had time? Deadlines, most certainly. I had other academic responsibilities at the time and needed to give the essay its due focus for a while but then had to move on thereafter. I found that, just from the perspective of completing the essay, this was most certainly helpful because for that allocated time, after completing my research, I was able to think solely about the essay and therefore delve deeper into its content and structure.

 

What was the most difficult part of writing the essay? I experienced great difficulty in balancing theoretical justifications with practical application within the unique South African context. So in essence I was trying to use theory to drive my ideas: it did not work for me. In the end I decided to use my own ideas, taking account of SA specific challenges and then use theory to back my proposals.

What advice do you have for this year’s contestants? In the words of Dr. R Khoza, chairman of Nedbank “…be brave”. The only useful advice I may offer is that those who think of entering must actually dare to enter. Having entered the competition, the possibilities are vast. The contribution of each applicant to the current topic is valuable to the generation of a great body of knowledge and ideas relating to the challenging topic.

 

What next/ Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? I hope to develop a good set of skills in the private sector, especially in the areas of finance and management. I also aim to further my education qualifications by writing the CFA exams over the coming years. As the needs and challenges facing the South African economy change, so too will my plans beyond the five-year time frame.

 

2006 Undergraduate Winner: Eldridge Moses

Name: Eldridge Moses
Age: 30
University: University of the Western Cape (2006) and currently at University of Stellenbosch.
Where were you born? Bellville, Western Cape.
Where did you grow up? Bellville, Western Cape.

 

Why did you choose to study economics? Growing up and coming into contact with poverty and underdevelopment in the Western Cape, I see economics as a tool that can explain the reasons behind poverty and unequal development and provide solutions to these problems.

 

What are you going to do with your prize? I will be using the funds to pay off part of a student loan and to cover various expenses at Stellenbosch University.

Why did you participate? I’ve been told by a number of people that I am a great writer and I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to test the opinions of my peers, friends and family.

How did you approach your research? I read the question thoroughly and roughly identified related sub-questions by brainstorming. I then did a broad search for papers answering the question and sub-questions to some degree and read them to have a general understanding of the question.I approached my lecturer with a broad conceptual outline and we discussed my ideas. I then revised my conceptual outline and started researching in a more focused manner. The idea behind this process was to conduct a rigorous and thorough investigation of previous findings and applying the knowledge gained to the problem. I did a rough draft, then two revisions after editing and then a final submission.

 

Did you set yourself deadlines or did you work on the essay as and when you had time? I set myself deadlines for each part of the process as I only started two weeks before the competition and I was working some of the time.

 

What was the most difficult part of writing the essay? The most difficult part is the pre-screening of the vast amounts of literature so that one can decide which extracts answer the question best and could be included in the paper. This is why it is important to have a conceptual outline before you start writing so that the filtering process is more efficient and so that you actually answer the primary question and related subquestions effectively.

 

What advice do you have for this year’s contestants? I cannot over emphasise importance of reading. Not only subject or context-specific reading, but reading widely as well. This allows you the insight to approach problems in a more mature, well-informed manner and also opens you up to conceptualising possibilities that you would have otherwise been unlikely to develop.

 

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? I see myself as a development economist working towards a PhD specialising in the economics of education. I would like to investigate the impact of the peer effect on decision-making in poor households to explain why disadvantaged people in general are less likely to succeed.