A composite report of the proceedings of the 2019 Colloquium and the 2019 Research and Publications on expanding a Decent Standard of Living in South Africa

Introduction of a DSL and Objective of the Colloquium:

The Decent Standard of Living (DSL) research was launched in November 2018. It is the result of a multi-year study by three research organisations, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII), Southern Africa Social Policy Research Institute (SASPRI) and the Labour Research Service (LRS). The research was supported by the Department of Social Development through the auspices of a funding facility between DSD and Wits University.

The Objective of this Colloquium was to unpack the manner in which the DSL advances policy – aligned thinking on how to reduce development– and service– deficits and to contribute to a more optimal sequential policy development to improve the lives of the majority of South Africans who statistically fall below articulated measures of well-being and poverty in survey data.