Dr Phindile Nkosi Director The Public and Environmental Economics Research Centre (PEERC) has had a productive year of research across its core focus areas of public and environmental economics. PEERC successfully completed two Water Research Commission (WRC)-funded projects: a study on the economic efficiency of municipal responses to water supply crises in South Africa, examining the cases of Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Cape Town, and a dynamic water pricing project exploring the introduction of innovative pricing mechanisms into the South African water sector. The centre continues to actively pursue new research funding, with proposals submitted to the GIZ, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the Western Cape Government, the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), and to the Just Energy Transition (JET) Funding Platform, among others. PEERC has grown its global footprint significantly over the past year through strategic international engagements. Dr Nkosi participated in the B20 Just Energy Transition Task Force, contributing to a policy paper presented at the G20 Summit, and represented PEERC at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) conference in New Mexico, USA. She also attended the INFORUM modelling workshop in Spain, the Environment for Development Meeting in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and delivered a presentation on energy poverty at the University of Pretoria. Most recently, Dr Nkosi was a speaker at the 3rd International Energy Congress in Istanbul, hosted in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg. PEERC is further expanding its international partnerships through participation in the Environment for Development (EfD), the Sustainable Energy Transitions (SETI), and the Universitas 21 Nature Positive Coalition. PEERC has continued to build its research capacity and achieve notable recognition. The centre has grown its team of senior research associates and research associates, including Prof. Stephen Hosking, Prof Johane Dikgang, Prof Dambala Kutela, Dr Hiywot Menker, Dr Nouran Zenelabden, Dr Genius Murwirapachena, Dr. Frank Bannor, Dr. Jean-Luc Mubenga-Tshitaka, Dr Isaiah Magambo, and Mr Jugal Mahabir who are actively contributing to a growing pipeline of publications in areas spanning climate change, conflict, ecological footprints, infrastructure, and green economics. Recent publications include peer-reviewed work in Sustainable Development and Discover Environment, with several additional papers currently under review. PEERC’s leadership has also garnered exceptional personal recognition: Dr Nkosi graduated with her PhD in December 2025 and has been honoured with the Standard Bank Top Woman Young Achiever Award 2025, the Best Researcher in Science and Technology Award 2026, and the Best Women in Energy Award 2026 — a remarkable set of achievements that reflect the excellence and impact PEERC continues to bring to the field. PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS RESEARCH CENTRE (PEERC) School of Economics Prof Nicola Taylor Director The Centre for Work Performance, which is hosted by the CBE Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management in the School of Management, has been dormant in recent years and revitalised in July 2025. The Good Work Foundation (GWF) is a South African education non-profit working in rural communities, that (amongst other things) equips school leavers with digital, workreadiness, and life skills. The Centre facilitated an opportunity for the Industrial Psychology Master’s students to consult the GWF on an organisational development and consulting project. The students were divided into groups, and each group consulted with the GWF on a business problem faced at each of their campuses. The students were required to spend a day consulting with people in the GWF to understand the problem, to analyse the information they collected, and write a proposal recommending solutions to the business problem. Some of the recommendations will be implemented at the GWF. In July 2025, Prof Taylor presented a master tutorial at the annual Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA) conference entitled “Equity in technology-based assessment”, and at the Annual Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), she participated in a symposium on psychological assessment in collaboration with researchers from the University CENTRE FOR WORK PERFORMANCE School of Management of the Western Cape (Prof Erica Munnik), University of the Witwatersrand (Prof Sumaya Laher), JVR Psychometrics (Dr Pakeezah Rajab) and Assessment Standards South Africa (Dr Marié de Beer). Prof Taylor was elected incoming President for SIOPSA in July 2025, underscoring the incredible influence that UJ and its alumni have in contributing to the industrial psychology profession. In November, a research partnership agreement was signed between the Centre and the Good Work Foundation, where the Foundation will provide the Centre with data to analyse and publish in collaboration with the Foundation. This partnership provides opportunities for students to work on data related to psychological wellbeing and other similar constructions in rural tertiary education settings. Similarly, the Centre initiated discussions regarding a research collaboration with JOBJACK, an entrylevel recruitment platform that aims to streamline the job application process and reduce barriers to employment for entry-level job seekers. The priority UN SDGs focused on include (1) Good health and wellbeing, (2) Quality education, (3) Decent work and economic growth, and (4) Reduced inequalities. In 2026, the Centre will move from conceptualisation to delivery. We look forward to relaunching the Centre with an updated Charter. The focus will shift slightly from creating research partnerships to delivering on research commitments. We will be bringing administrative and research capacity into the Centre to be able to deliver on the strategic goals, especially applying for funding opportunities and marketing our consulting services and community programmes. The Centre’s visibility will be elevated at national and international forums to enhance impactful and relevant reach projects. 64 65 College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2025 College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2025
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