معرفی
Volker Schoer is an Associate Professor of Economics at the School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where he also serves as Research Director. He previously held the role of Assistant Dean of Research in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management. Additionally, he holds a Visiting Professorship at the School of Business and Economics, University of Tübingen, Germany, reflecting his international academic engagement.
His research spans development economics with a focus on labor market and firm dynamics, skills development, and the economics and didactics of education. He is particularly interested in impact evaluations of educational and labor market interventions in South Africa and other developing contexts.
The recent body of his work demonstrates a strong trend toward educational policy evaluation, especially in early-grade literacy and numeracy, vocational training (TVET), and youth employment. Many of his publications involve randomized control trials and large-scale system evaluations, such as the Reading Catch-Up Programme and the Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy, showcasing his commitment to evidence-based policy research.
His scientific contributions are widely recognized through publications in reputable journals and research platforms including Google Scholar, RePEc, Publons, and Scopus. He is actively involved in monitoring and evaluation, as evidenced by his editorial roles in the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association conferences.
Prof. Schoer has supervised or collaborated on various research projects, often involving partnerships with institutions like the World Trade Institute and the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL). His work is frequently supported by research grants focused on education, labor, and development policy.
He is associated with research initiatives such as the Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy and the Reading Catch-Up Programme, which reflect a team-based, large-scale approach to improving educational outcomes in South Africa.
