Co-operative for Research into Issues of Poverty (CRISP)

Co-operative for Research into Issues of Poverty (CRISP)
Name	Co-operative for Research into Issues of Poverty (CRISP)
Formation	1980s
Type	Research cooperative
Headquarters	Johannesburg
Region served	South Africa; Southern Africa
Leader title	Director

Co-operative for Research into Issues of Poverty (CRISP) is a Johannesburg-based research cooperative established to study poverty, inequality, and social policy in Southern Africa. It produced empirical studies, policy briefs, and community-engaged research that influenced debates involving Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, African National Congress, United Nations Development Programme, and World Bank actors. CRISP collaborated with universities, non-governmental organizations, and international agencies including University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, Oxfam, Ford Foundation, and International Labour Organization.

History and founding

CRISP was founded in the 1980s during a period marked by activism around Soweto Uprising, Sharpeville Massacre legacies, and sanctions involving United Nations Security Council resolutions. Early founders included academics and activists with links to University of Natal, University of Cape Town, Trade Union Congress of South Africa, and community organizations in Johannesburg and Durban. Initial projects addressed legacies of apartheid-era dispossession and intersected with debates in forums such as Constitutional Assembly (South Africa) and consultations with the International Monetary Fund. CRISP’s early publications were cited by commissions like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and collaborations with provincial administrations in Gauteng and Western Cape.

Mission and objectives

CRISP’s stated mission combined social research, policy engagement, and capacity building to influence actors such as South African Revenue Service, Department of Social Development (South Africa), National Treasury (South Africa), and provincial legislatures. Objectives included producing rigorous empirical work on household income dynamics, informing legislation like the South African Social Security Agency reforms, and training researchers associated with institutions such as Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, and University of KwaZulu-Natal. The cooperative emphasized partnerships with civil society groups including Democratic Alliance critics, Treatment Action Campaign, and faith-based networks.

Research focus and activities

CRISP conducted mixed-methods studies on topics such as labor market segmentation involving Congress of South African Trade Unions, land restitution linked to Restitution of Land Rights Act 1994, informal settlement livelihoods in Khayelitsha, and social protection mechanisms tied to Child Support Grant (South Africa). Projects included household surveys aligned with methodologies used by Stats SA, qualitative ethnographies modeled on work from Human Sciences Research Council, and policy briefs disseminated to entities like the National Economic Development and Labour Council. CRISP convened conferences drawing participants from World Bank, African Development Bank, Economic and Social Research Council, and regional universities, and produced working papers that informed programs by United Nations Children's Fund and United Nations Development Programme.

Organizational structure and governance

CRISP operated as a cooperative with a board composed of representatives from partner organizations including Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation affiliates, and academic nodes at University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, and University of Pretoria. Governance mechanisms reflected cooperative statutes influenced by legal frameworks such as the Co-operatives Act (South Africa), and oversight included advisory panels made up of scholars linked to Princeton University, Harvard University, London School of Economics, and regional policy-makers from Department of Social Development (South Africa). Leadership rotated among directors drawn from civil society and academia with reporting to members and funders.

Funding and partnerships

CRISP’s funding mixed grants from foundations—Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Foundation—contract research for agencies like United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, and project support from provincial departments such as Gauteng Provincial Government. Partnerships included collaborative research agreements with University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, NGOs like Oxfam, Save the Children, and international research centres such as International Food Policy Research Institute and Overseas Development Institute. Funding models combined core grants, commissioned studies for National Treasury (South Africa), and donor-restricted awards.

Impact and evaluation

CRISP’s outputs influenced policy debates on social grants, urban land policy, and labor regulation cited by commissions and agencies including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, National Economic Development and Labour Council, South African Human Rights Commission, and reports by United Nations bodies. External evaluations by evaluators affiliated with World Bank and academic audits from University of Cape Town and University of the Witwatersrand reported contributions to capacity building among researchers and community groups in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. CRISP-affiliated researchers published in journals linked to African Affairs, Journal of Southern African Studies, and policy outlets used by parliamentary committees such as those of the Parliament of South Africa.

Criticisms and controversies

Critics from political parties such as Economic Freedom Fighters and commentators associated with Media24 questioned CRISP’s funding transparency and alleged proximity to donor agendas like those of International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Debates arose about methodological choices in studies affecting land claims and social grant targeting, with contested findings discussed in venues including South African Human Rights Commission hearings and public forums led by Congress of South African Trade Unions. Some partner universities debated conflicts of interest related to commissioned work for provincial departments and multilateral agencies, prompting calls for strengthened disclosure aligned with norms from Academy of Science of South Africa.

Category:Research institutes in South Africa