HSRC Integrated Annual Report 2018/2019

all parties represented at the NPLC endorsed and supported the proposed change. In line with this, two random draws were conducted during the Code of Conduct signing ceremony, held at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on 20 March 2019. The first draw was to separate parties which were consecutive in alphabetical order and which had certain similarities in their acronyms and logos. The second draw followed, to select the party to top the ballot paper. The ballot paper included a re-ordering of the sequence of party identifiers on the ballot paper, as follows: 1. Full party name 2. Party leader photograph 3. Abbreviation 4. Party logo. The study also drew attention to the need for balloting education as part of broader civic and democracy education in the country, in order to improve the public’s familiarity with the layout of the ballot paper and ensure that voters would be able to easily and accurately identify and make their mark for their party of choice. This was actioned by the IEC, and specimen examples of the ballot paper were disseminated to the public via various channels and media. This study forms part of a larger body of research being conducted on behalf of the IEC, and forms part of the DGSD Programme’s contribution to the consolidation of electoral democracy in the country. South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) wins the NSTF-South32 Data for Research Award In 2018, the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) was awarded the 2018 NSTF-South32 Data for Research Award. This National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) award recognises an outstanding contribution to science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa and recognises the standard, availability, management and use of data for research. The award affirmed that the generation, preservation and sharing of SASAS data is a valuable scientific resource that is of national interest, for the public good, and openly available to be re-used and/or re-packaged in products that are of public good and interest, or that could be integrated into products that contribute to the development of South Africa. The SASAS series is a nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey that has been conducted annually by theDGSDResearch Programme since 2003. Designed as a time series, SASAS is increasingly providing a unique, long-term account of the speed and direction of change in underlying public values and the social fabric of modern South Africa. The series celebrated the successful completion of its 16 th annual round in early 2019, and continues to provide national and comparative data with which to better understand our society and its dynamics. PART B: PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW Profile of EPD Through its research and policy work, the EPD Programme contributes to the creation of a productive, inclusive and resilient country and continent through broad-based economic development and job creation. The programme aims to improve the evidence base and understanding of solutions to the pressing economic challenges facing South Africa. Areas of particular knowledge and expertise include the economy of city- regions, rural development, place-making andmigration. ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT (EPD) Figure 5: Areas of Expertise of EPD City-regions Rural development Place-making Migration 20 / HSRC INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2018/19