Abstract
Mathematics is central to the modern discipline of economics, although there has always been some dispute about the value of this relationship. Leijonhufvud, in his satire of the economics profession, declared that the ‘Math-Econ’(mathematical economists) appeared to be the high priests of this tribe. There was debate on whether their work was ‘best to be regarded as religious, folklore and mythology, philosophical and ‘scientific’, or as sports and games’. In this commentary I want to consider whether the role of mathematics goes beyond ‘sports and games’ in economics and reflect on some of the ways in which mathematics is used in economics in general and in South African economics in particular.
Highlights
The South African government has indicated its ongoing commitment to continued research through major financial investments in new state-of-the-art platforms – including new and refurbished bases on Marion Island and at SANAE IV; a new polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II; and a new ocean robotics facility at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Antarctic and Southern Ocean research for South Africa and Africa. In a country such as South Africa – with its complex socio-political history, structures and a large population, many of whose lives are determined by day-to-day necessities of food security, water resources, health and education – it is imperative that the scientific community interrogate the need for continued South African involvement in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
It is expected that Marine Antarctic Research Strategy (MARS) will soon be implemented through Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) channels and that existing South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) activities will be reviewed to align with this multifaceted strategy
Summary
Antarctica, the sub-Antarctic islands and surrounding Southern Ocean are regarded as one of the planet’s last remaining wildernesses, ‘insulated from threat by [their] remoteness and protection under the Antarctic Treaty System’[1]. South Africa has an interest in ensuring that the Treaty continues to be recognised as the only appropriate mechanism for the management, environmental stewardship and governance of the region To this end, the South African government has indicated its ongoing commitment to continued research through major financial investments in new state-of-the-art platforms – including new and refurbished bases on Marion Island and at SANAE IV; a new polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II; and a new ocean robotics facility at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Since the inception of the Antarctic Treaty System, South Africa has been at the forefront of a number of major international oceanographic, astrophysical, biological and biophysical projects in which international partnerships are well embedded These projects seek to develop the infrastructure for global research, and to train and develop human capacity in these scientific fields including, most recently, space research through the establishment of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA)
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