PhD/MPhil SOAS-Wits Joint in Applied Development Economics

Course Overview This innovative joint PhD program, offered in partnership between SOAS and the University of the Witwatersrand, pioneers a heterodox economic analysis of Africa's most pressing challenges. It uniquely grounds its research in African realities to critically examine the interconnected crises of climate breakdown, financialization, and post-pandemic pressures. Students will develop a systemic, historically-grounded understanding of how these forces shape institutions, policies, and daily wellbeing across the continent. Key Program Highlights Prestigious joint PhD degree from two globally renowned institutions: SOAS and the University of the Witwatersrand Pioneering research in heterodox and feminist economics explicitly anchored in African contexts and realities Focus on the critical intersection of climate crisis, financial systems, and social wellbeing Rigorous, systemic methodology that incorporates historic, state, and international political-economic analysis Dedicated to producing transformative knowledge that confronts conceptual frameworks with emerging empirical evidence