The essential requirement for a country to grow and prosper is that it becomes more productive and, as a result, more competitive.
Productivity gains at the firm, sectoral, regional or national level are the foundation for sustained economic development, job creation and improved standards of living. StratEcon recognises that enhancing competitiveness requires a multi-faceted and evidence-based approach, tailored to the specific constraints and opportunities within different economic contexts.
Over the years, StratEcon has been involved in numerous projects aimed at improving and measuring the competitiveness of companies, economic sectors, provinces and government departments. Our work often begins with rigorous economic diagnostics to identify structural bottlenecks and inefficiencies. These insights are then used to quantify the productivity enhancements that arise from ease of doing business or red tape reduction interventions. Whether through policy reform or institutional strengthening, our work is grounded in the principle that improved productivity and competitiveness are not ends in themselves but vital pathways to inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Regulatory and administrative bottlenecks impose real costs on businesses and citizens. Time spent navigating approvals, delays in licencing and slow processing of applications all reduce productivity and deter investment. StratEcon quantifies these costs, establishing the economic baseline against which reform interventions can be measured. This evidence base is essential for prioritising which regulations to tackle first and for demonstrating the value of reform to policymakers and stakeholders.
Improving competitiveness requires more than identifying problems. It requires credible evidence that proposed interventions will deliver meaningful gains. StratEcon applies a rigorous, internationally recognised Regulatory Impact Assessment framework to quantify the productivity and efficiency benefits that flow from specific ease of doing business improvements, including faster approvals, streamlined processes and reduced compliance burdens. Our analyses are tailored to the specific intervention and context, ensuring that conclusions are defensible and the methodology is transparent.
StratEcon has assessed competitiveness at the firm, sectoral, municipal and provincial level. Whether the question is how a province compares to its peers as a destination for investment, or how a specific regulatory change will affect a particular industry, we bring the same analytical discipline to bear. We are experienced in working with government departments to identify both the structural constraints on competitiveness and the targeted interventions most likely to deliver results.
StratEcon has been an economic adviser to the Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism on ease of doing business and red tape reduction for over a decade, assessing more than forty individual interventions across multiple phases, representing one of the most sustained programmes of regulatory reform economic analysis undertaken in South Africa.
Recent initiatives assessed include:
Ease of doing business analysis demands more than theoretical frameworks. It requires economists who understand the South African regulatory environment, who can translate complex approval processes into quantifiable economic impacts and who can communicate those findings clearly to government departments, industry bodies and the public. StratEcon has built this capability over more than a decade of sustained engagement with government on regulatory reform. We understand what it takes to produce analysis that is both technically rigorous and practically useful, and we have the track record to demonstrate it.
StratEcon works with government departments, provincial authorities, municipalities and industry bodies on ease of doing business and competitiveness analysis across South Africa. Contact us to arrange a no-obligation introductory discussion.