
Shawn Hagedorn
For 20 years, Shawn Hagedorn has been regularly writing articles in leading SA publications, focusing primarily on economic development. For over two years, he wrote a biweekly column titled “Myths and Misunderstandings” without ever lacking subject material. Visit shawn-hagedorn.com/, and follow him on Twitter @shawnhagedorn
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Articles By This Author

Venezuela’s relevance to SA
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Aug 5, 2024
When only 80% of the ballots had been counted, Nicolás Maduro declared that he had been reelected as Venezuela’s president with 51.2% of the vote.

The Wokeness retreat – tactical or inevitable?
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Jul 22, 2024
Although we may never know why Thomas Crooks tried to kill Donald Trump, his failed attempt has further wounded a freshly hobbled woke movement. Easily

Caught fooling the public
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Jul 9, 2024
The Left’s framing issues around oppressor-versus-oppressed narratives requires that their leaders be trusted. Politicians are rarely penalised for lying; rather, they routinely get away with

Our politics and economics won’t align
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Jun 24, 2024
The GNU founding statement reflects inconsistencies among the parties and with economic realities. Despite the depth of the challenges relative to the flimsy document that

As KZN chaos simmers
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Jun 10, 2024
The stage has been set for much social upheaval across KwaZulu-Natal. Solutions must go beyond merely targeting corruption and incompetence. Now would be an apt

SA’s unignorable harbinger
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . May 27, 2024
If you could sharply improve SA as measured by one metric, which metric would you choose? Why? The intersection of our politics and economics resembles

If SA’s democracy experiment fails
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . May 13, 2024
If next month they form a national ruling coalition with the EFF or MK, ANC leaders will have decided to avoid legitimate elections in 2029.

Sacrificing dignity perilously
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Apr 29, 2024
After thirty years of promising ‘a better life for all,’ ANC rule has entrenched rampant poverty and world-topping youth unemployment. If, as the lead partner

SA’s misplaced African hopes
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Apr 16, 2024
If we were to somehow surge job creation by increasing regional exports, our neighbours would be worse off and South Africa’s gains would be short-lived.

Thank – don’t tax – the rich
- By Shawn Hagedorn
- . Apr 1, 2024
We must support policies which tame poverty and unemployment even if they increase inequality. Many people maintain that inequality can always be reduced by making