Economists Versus the Street: Comparative Viewpoints on Barriers to Self-Employment in Khayelitsha, South Africa

Abstract

What prevents the unemployed in Khayelitsha, South Africa from trying self-employment? Perceptions of a small group of academic economists are presented and compared to the perceptions of unemployed Khayelitsha residents themselves. The largest differences in view-points are that a) academics believe that the general business skills of residents hold the unemployed back substantially while residents perceive it as a minor issue; and b) compared to academics, residents of Khayelitsha give much more weight to jealousy within the community and to the continual vulnerability to business failure as barriers to trying self-employment.

Keywords: self employment, informal economy, unemployment, perceptions, South Africa, crime, risk