Joshua Budlender

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town.

My work is in Labour and Development Economics, using Applied Microeconometrics methods. I have a particular interest in exploring the role of firms in the development process and in determining wages and employment.

I have also done economic advisory work on social grant policy for the South African Presidency and National Treasury. Other interests include the economic history and long-run effects of racial discrimination in South Africa, and evaluating the developmental impacts of policy successes and failures in South Africa today.

I completed my PhD in Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in June 2024, under the primary supervision of Arindrajit Dube.