Junior Researcher

Expertise: Behavioural Economics, Microeconometrics, and Small Business Development

Caitlin graduated with a Master of Commerce in Applied Economics from UCT in 2018. Her Masters research was focused on the role of firm size and age on small business growth. She joined DPRU in March 2018 after working as a junior researcher for J-PAL Africa doing data analysis. Before that Caitlin was a junior researcher for the Economics of Tobacco Control Project at UCT. She completed her undergraduate degree at Nelson Mandela University, with majors in Economics, Accounting, Auditing, and Tax. Caitlin was awarded the top student in the Faculty of Commerce upon graduating. She studied her Economics Honours degree at Nelson Mandela University and was the top student in her class. Caitlin held a Vice Chancellors Scholarship throughout her studies at Nelson Mandela University and was an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow.

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Latest Research projects and reports:

  1. Allen Whitehead, C.S., Bhorat, H., Hill, R., Köhler, T. & Steenkamp, F. 2021. The potential implication of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies: The case of the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector. DPRU Working Paper, No. 202106. University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.

  2. Allen Whitehead, C.S.  & Bhorat, H. 2021. Understanding economic complexity: An application to the MER sector. DPRU Working Paper, No. 202105. University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.

  3. Allen, C., Asmal, Z., Bhorat, H., Hill, R., Monnakgotla, J., Oosthuizen, M. & Rooney, C. 2021. Employment creation potential, labour skills requirements and skill gaps for young people: A South African case study. DPRU Working Paper, No. 202102. University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.

  4. Bhorat, H., Allen, C.S., Hill, R. & Rooney, C. 2019. Employment creation potential, labor skills requirements, and skill gaps for young people: A methodological framework. Brookings AGI Working Paper, No. 25. 
  5.  Allen, C.S., Bhorat, H., Hill, R., Rooney, C. & Steenkamp, F. 2019. Building economic complexity in the South African fibrous plant economy. Working Paper: DPRU DSI-NRF CoP/WP20190.

Masters dissertation: Firm size, age and growth in South Africa (Supervisors: Prof. Martin Wittenberg and Dr. Andrew Kerr)

Honours dissertation: An evaluation of government support of small business in South Africa (Prof. Charles Wait)