HSRC Review 21(4). December: 1-51

Abstract

As 2023 draws to an end, we are pleased to share with you the December edition of the HSRC Review. In this edition, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of three HSRC flagship projects. The South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour (SABSSM) survey has been tracking HIV data in South Africa since 2002. The South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) tracks public views about important societal issues, including democracy, service delivery, public spending, taxation, xenophobia, financial literacy, voting, abortion, the environment, and many more. In June, the HSRC hosted a colloquium on the Zondo Commission's state capture findings and implications for the future of democracy in South Africa. Media coverage after the event focused on Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's controversial claim that Parliament would not be able to stop another attempt at state capture, due to too little change in the status quo. The South African National Survey on Research and Experimental Development Inputs (R&D Survey) is the third HSRC flagship project featured. The proportion of GDP that a country spends on R&D is one of the key indicators of its competitiveness and a gauge of knowledge-intensive innovation activity.