Carolyn Chisadza
Prof. Carolyn Chisadza is an associate professor in Economics at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She holds a BSc (Honours) in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe, and a BCom (Honours), MCom and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pretoria. Her courses include undergraduate microeconomics / macroeconomics and introduction to economic growth, as well as postgraduate economic development. Her research focusses on development issues related to inequality, conflict and quality of institutions (i.e. gender, ethnic, democratic and historical) within Africa. Her research papers have appeared in the top academic journals and peer reviewed edited books (https://sites.google.com/view/carolyn-chisadza/home). Carolyn has also collaborated with national and international organisations, such as The Lancet Commission on peaceful societies through health and gender equality (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30158-6). She has also been a guest editor for Sustainability’s Special Issue on ‘Environment, Climate, and Sustainable Economic Development’. Carolyn has been awarded the ERSA Prize for achievement in Economics at Doctoral level, the U.P. Economics H.O.D Prize for achievement in Economics at Doctoral level, the Stella Nkomo Award for Best Doctoral Thesis, the 2020 J.J.I Middleton medal for the best first article published in the South African Journal of Economics, and the 2024 Best Junior Researcher in Economic Sciences under the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
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Prof. Carolyn Chisadza is an associate professor in Economics at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She holds a BSc (Honours) in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe, and a BCom (Honours), MCom and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pretoria. Her courses include undergraduate microeconomics / macroeconomics and introduction to economic growth, as well as postgraduate economic development. Her research focusses on development issues related to inequality, conflict and quality of institutions (i.e. gender, ethnic, democratic and historical) within Africa. Her research papers have appeared in the top academic journals and peer reviewed edited books (https://sites.google.com/view/carolyn-chisadza/home). Carolyn has also collaborated with national and international organisations, such as The Lancet Commission on peaceful societies through health and gender equality (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30158-6). She has also been a guest editor for Sustainability’s Special Issue on ‘Environment, Climate, and Sustainable Economic Development’. Carolyn has been awarded the ERSA Prize for achievement in Economics at Doctoral level, the U.P. Economics H.O.D Prize for achievement in Economics at Doctoral level, the Stella Nkomo Award for Best Doctoral Thesis, the 2020 J.J.I Middleton medal for the best first article published in the South African Journal of Economics, and the 2024 Best Junior Researcher in Economic Sciences under the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
In their own words…
IEA – Can you tell us a little bit about your life story, what sparked your interest in economics, and how you decided to pursue an academic career?
Carolyn – I was born, raised, and educated in Zimbabwe. Honestly speaking, my “just average” high school grades offered me three options at university: Economics, Languages or Marketing. My aptitude for foreign languages was mediocre and I made a terrible salesperson at my high school’s bake sales, so that left Economics. Fast forward three years, I had just graduated with a BSc Honours in Economics and was working at a stockbroking firm when the economy of my country collapsed with severe consequences on citizens’ purchasing power, savings, and investments. My husband and I found ourselves with little option but to leave our home and to make a living elsewhere, South Africa being the viable choice due to its proximity to our home country and its relatively thriving economy. This rather unsettling experience left me questioning the quality of the institutions in my home country. Why did the economic system break down? My attempt in understanding the reasons for why some economies are relatively stronger than others, or why some countries struggle to recover from recessions led me to the field of development economics and a career in academics.
IEA – In your recent work, you studied the effect of pre-colonial ethnic institutions and European influences on education outcomes in sub-Saharan countries. Could you summarize your findings and share what made you interested in this topic?
Carolyn – To understand the current development statuses of countries, one must be cognisant of not only the current factors driving economic development, but also the historical factors that contributed to the path dependency. There is an interesting intersection between past and present that can provide some valuable insights in understanding Africa’s dynamic development progress to date. The findings from this study indicate that current education outcomes in Africa can be attributed to the continent’s exposure to European influences, such as missionaries and colonialism, and how these external historical factors either dismantled or complemented the existing internal pre-colonial institutions during that period.
IEA – In your other work, you studied climate shocks and wealth inequalities in the UK and the US. Could you provide a summary of your findings?
Carolyn – These two studies shift the narrative from developing to developed countries, to highlight that developed countries, even with their climate change strategies in place, are just as susceptible to climate change. The study related to the United States provides evidence that changes in climate change can increase income inequality. In particular, states with high inequality and low temperature growth are more vulnerable to changes in temperature growth than states with already high temperature growth and high inequality growth. The study related to the United Kingdom shows that climate risk shocks increase wealth inequality in the longer term, and these responses are different between high- and low- climate risk regimes.
IEA – Why is this research relevant today?
Carolyn – Research on economic development and growth will always remain relevant for as long as inequalities within and between countries persist, and institutions fail to address them. These inequalities, be it income, ethnic, gender, race, etc., cause contention between people which can give rise to economic, political and/or social instability and conflicts. Moreover, income inequalities within countries signal poverty for a proportion of the population. As a development economist, I hope that my research will contribute to ensuring a better quality of life for people that is inclusive and sustainable.
IEA – Why is it important for economic research to be diverse and inclusive?
Carolyn – People have different backgrounds and characteristics and are therefore likely to have different lived experiences leading to different life outcomes. For economic research to be relevant, it must allow for such diversities in countries, especially if we are to design and implement policies that promote inclusivity and fairness for everyone.