I work, teach and research on economics, public policy and politics in South Africa. I’m a former head of National Treasury’s budget office. I spent nine years at the national headquarters of the African National Congress, where I coordinated economic policy and led the party’s research agenda. I have masters degrees in economics and international development from the University of London (SOAS) and Harvard’s Kennedy School.
I am currently leading The Public Economy Project, which aims to build analytical capabilities on macro-fiscal policy and public economics to support public deliberation and engagement between government, social partners, and civil society in South Africa. The project is located at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS), University of the Witwatersrand. I teach public economics and fiscal policy at the School of Finance and Economics. I’m also Deputy Chair of the Finance and Fiscal Commission, an independent commission established by the Constitution to provide impartial advice on matters of public finance and intergovernmental fiscal relations to Parliament, provincial legislatures and other authorities. The deputy chair is a part-time position appointed by the President.
michael.sachs@wits.ac.za
SHORT PROFILE
Michael Sachs is Adjunct Professor at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. He leads the centre’s Public Economy Project, a research program on fiscal policy and public finance. He teaches at the Wits School of Economics and Finance and serves as Deputy Chair of the Finance and Fiscal Commission, an independent constitutional body that advises government. Michael has worked for many years in public policy and political strategy in South Africa. He is a former head of the budget office at National Treasury. Prior to this he was based at the national headquarters of the African National Congress, where he coordinated economic policy and led the party’s research agenda.
Some pictures of me (taken by my good friend Oscar Gutierrez – please credit him if you use them)
