Writing
PhD Candidate in Economics
Tinbergen Institute
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Stellenbosch University
The Maximin
I write a Substack about how we can achieve the best for the worst off: the theory and practice of John Rawls’ maximin. I write about economic history, political philosophy, global inequality, and other topics I can’t stop thinking about until I’ve explored them in writing.
Essays and op-eds
Missing Mathematicians — Why SA Must Back Bright, Black Learners
Business Daily · 2025
South Africa’s Irrational Covid Policy
The Maximin · 2024
Land Value Tax Is SA’s Best Shot at Land Reform
News24 Business · 2023
How to Give Back ALL the Land
The Maximin · 2023
Why a Just Energy Transition Requires Seismic Surveying
Mail & Guardian · 2022
Akrasia
The Maximin · 2022
Our Children for the World
The Maximin · 2022
An Economic History of the Homelands
The Maximin · 2022
The Problem of Wild Animal Suffering for an Ethical Vegan
The Maximin · 2022
Research assistance
How to Fix a Country
Roy Havemann, Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2024. Research assistant.
Coping with Climate Shocks: The Complex Role of Livestock Portfolios
A. Acosta, F. Nicolli and P. Karfakis, World Development, 2021. Research assistant.
In the news
SETA students cost more than university grads — with little to show for it
C. Paton, News24 · July 2025
Why South Africa’s universities are in trouble
Claire Bisseker, Business Live · June 2025