Picture: Prof Raymond Parsons/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
29 November 2024- On Thursday, the North West University (NWU), conferred an honorary doctorate on the renowned economist, Prof Raymond Parsons. The honorary doctorate was awarded in recognition of the exceptional contribution Parsons has made to the country throughout his distinguished career.
As an organised business leader, academic, media personality, economic commentator and author among others, he has done ground-breaking work on the development and refinement of the NWU Policy Uncertainty Index, the first of its kind in South Africa.
Parsons has also made a significant contribution to thought leadership at the NWU Business School, helping to keep the school and the university at the centre of discussions and debates about South Africa’s economic and political choices and future.
He said: “At the outset, I must convey my deepest thanks to the university Council and management for the honour of receiving an honorary doctorate from the university today.
“I am extremely grateful and humbled to have joined the distinguished list of previous recipients of honorary degrees from this esteemed institution. But, there are many others to whom I owe my thanks and gratitude.”
He further said he sees this prestigious award as recognition of the important role that economics and economists play in making South Africa a better place in which to live and work, especially given the country’s well-known and formidable challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Parsons added that often described as the ‘queen of social sciences’, economics tries to answer the fundamental question of how best to satisfy the unlimited wants and desires of society using limited available resources.
Professor Babs Surujlal, who is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences shared the same sentiments. Surujlal said, renowned for his deep expertise, Parsons is widely recognised as an authority on the South African economy and its implications for the business community.
“Parsons has had a distinguished career as a leading South African economist, respected for his political independence. This impartiality has enabled him to engage critically with economic policies across various administrations, earning a reputation for balanced, objective analysis.
“His non-partisan approach has enriched public understanding and solidified his credibility over decades. By upholding rigorous analysis and open dialogue, Parsons has achieved lasting influence as a trusted policy advisor and economic commentator, respected across sectors and political divides,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parsons is currently a Professor at the NWU Business School. He is also Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Business School.
He studied economics at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Copenhagen before playing a leading role in organised business in South Africa for many years. Parsons is a former Director-General of the South African Chamber of Business (SACOB).
Until 2012, he was the deputy CEO of BUSA and subsequently a special policy adviser to that organisation until April 2014. He has also lectured at the Department of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria.
From 2000 to 2003, he was a visiting professor at the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. Parsons was the overall business convenor at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) until 2010.
This is the major social dialogue institution in South Africa. He is a key contributor to public and academic debate on a broad spectrum of issues of critical importance to the political economy of South Africa. He is a recognised authority on the South African economy and its implications for the business community.
The Guardian 