13 May 2026
HSRC outlines jobs and enterprise development options at National Rural Development Indaba in BloemfonteinFuture Society: Innovation & Inclusivity, including the Centre for Science in Society and Policy Action Network Centre Established in 2020, the HSRC’s Equitable Education and Economies (EEE) research division conducts multidisciplinary research aimed at transforming educational outcomes and boosting economic participation in South Africa. Recognising the deep connection between education and the economy, EEE explores these two areas separately and in tandem to support national development and growth. Since its inception, EEE has focused on youth engagement in science, higher education transformation, educational outcomes, and the impact of unemployment on wellbeing. The division’s work also includes studying internship experiences, graduate transitions, and the effects of technological and pandemic-driven changes in education. Additionally, EEE examines spatialised economies, including job mapping, township innovation, housing, social security, and women's economic empowerment.
Currently EEE is organised into three themes and houses three centres to develop strategic and cross-cutting research in pursuit of policy-relevant knowledge that directly addresses South Africa's most pressing socioeconomic challenges. Together, these research programmes position EEE as a dynamic institutional asset for a more equitable and future-ready South Africa. During the 2025–2030 period, EEE aims to reduce inequality, boost employment, and combat poverty by researching spatial economic transformation, land access, food security, and the future of education and work—aligning its mission with South Africa’s strategic goals for a capable, ethical, and developmental state.
This theme encompasses research aimed at achieving sustainable, equitable, and pro-poor rural development. Current work includes the Integrated Rural Development Sector Strategy (IRDSS) Baseline Survey, a mixed-methods study tracking rural economic development, poverty, and unemployment across seven District Municipalities, This survey will provide the evidence base needed to monitor progress against the IRDSS's six pillars. The theme also encompasses a growing programme around Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED), supporting the institutionalisation of innovation-driven local economic development through Communities of Practice in districts such as Vhembe, Namakwa, and Zululand, alongside a proof-of-concept for a national ILED Centre that will serve as a policy advisory hub, capacity development platform, and knowledge production engine in partnership with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.
This theme generates empirical evidence on skills development, post-schooling transitions, and labour market outcomes, with a particular focus on public employment programmes and government skills capacity. EEE conducts longitudinal track-and-trace studies evaluating the effectiveness of internship programmes run by DSI and NSF, as well as the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), tracking participants across multiple survey waves to assess the impact on employment prospects, household wellbeing, and social belonging. The theme also encompasses a major programme of skills audits – including audits across six national government departments focused on infrastructure and frontline service delivery, and an internal audit of the HSRC's own workforce – aimed at aligning human capital with strategic objectives and informing skills development planning. Together, these projects position EEE as a key contributor to the National Skills Audit and the broader national agenda on human resource development.
This theme focuses on the wellbeing, transitions, and livelihoods of young people, particularly in the Global South. EEE's research here examines how urban commoning practices shape the relational wellbeing of youth across South Africa, India, and Colombia (the NRF-UCT Urban Commoning project), while a broader 12-country programme – u'GOOD: Y wellbeing is relational' – tests and further develops relational wellbeing as both theory and methodology. The Youth Futures programme of research addresses what hard and soft skills young Africans need to navigate the future of work and re-imagines career guidance accordingly, including through an AI-powered career guidance tool.
The Policy Action Network Centre works at the intersection of technology and public policy, with the primary goal of enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of policy decision-making. Its work is organised around three themes: policy innovation and evidence-informed decision-making; digital society and participatory governance; and AI policy, ethics, and equity. Current projects include a pilot study on e-participation and policy modelling technologies in selected municipalities in partnership with SALGA, COGTA, and the EU; and a growing AI programme led through a Community of Practice for Equitable AI Solutions in the Global South, The latter addresses socio-economic risks and opportunities of AI for underserved communities and contributes to national AI strategy development in collaboration with NACI and the CSIR.
The Centre for Science in Society examines the complex relationship between science, technology, and society – including questions of power, gender, inequality, the digital divide, and public access to science – aiming to inform policy within South Africa's National System of Innovation. The CSIS leads the South African Public Relationship with Science (SAPRS) research programme, a ten-study initiative mandated by the White Paper on STI that tracks public knowledge, attitudes, and engagement with science over time, and includes evaluations of major science engagement initiatives such as National Science Month and the National Youth Service. Additional work involves mapping the landscape of STEM professional associations and their continuing professional development frameworks, assessing the value and reach of DSTI's SET career publications, developing a Science Communication Skills Development Competency Model and a framework for assessing the media's contribution to science engagement. Read more >
The National Skills Audit
Scoping of Human Resource Development Observatory with the NRF, CSIR and DHET
African AI Policymaking initiative
Establishing a Community of Practice for Public Employment Programmes
