Award-winning researcher passionate about alleviating economic disparities

His unwavering dedication, keen intellectual curiosity, and notable scholarly achievements, underscored by his desire to make a positive difference in the world, makes Timothy (Tim) Köhler more than deserving of the title of inspirational graduate. He will be graduating on 4 September with a PhD in Economics.

Tim is a junior research fellow in the Development Policy Research Unit at the  University of Cape Town’s (UCT) School of Economics. His academic journey, beginning with undergraduate studies and progressing to a PhD, is demonstrative of his commitment to academic excellence, but it doesn’t end there. His passion for creating policy-relevant insights on how South Africa can address its deep-rooted socio-economic inequalities is equally impressive. 

As a child, Tim was shy and introverted. His parents enrolled him in drama school as an extracurricular, which helped grow his confidence enough to start a rock band. His passion for music was honed, and he decided to enrol for a degree in music, specialising in classical guitar. However, he soon realised that path was not for him. With guidance from his father, Tim opted for a commerce degree. None of the subjects appealed to him, except for economics. Since then, his passion for economics has grown to become a thriving career. His introversion has become a quality he’s grown to love, and his combined experiences have helped him develop resilience, adaptability, and ultimately a deeper understanding of himself and the world around him, which have guided him towards a deeply fulfilling career in economics.

Socio-economic awareness

Growing up in a financially secure home gave Tim access to quality healthcare, a good school with committed teachers and facilities, parents with access to high-quality jobs and decent incomes. He was always aware of these privileges, but never took it for granted. What transpired during his childhood and schooling was an awakening of sorts. Tim cultivated a keen awareness of the extreme inequalities that characterise South Africa – the unjustified differences in living standards across population groups. He wanted to do something about it.

“What could justify extreme wealth in the face of widespread poverty? I wanted to understand what caused such disparities.”

“What could justify extreme wealth in the face of widespread poverty? I wanted to understand what caused such disparities, what could be done to alleviate them, and ultimately, what can be done to improve the living standards of the poor. I remain committed to these questions in my work today,” said Tim.

His passion is rooted in addressing poverty and inequality. In South Africa, recent studies suggest that the majority of the country’s income inequality is due to “inequality of opportunity”, as opposed to differences in merit or effort. “Inequality of opportunity” refers to ‘inherited’ circumstances over which people have no control, such as race, ethnicity, and the type of household people are born into.

“‘Equality of opportunity’ is an incredibly important ideal of distributive justice that continues to guide my research. The outcomes people reach in life should not depend on circumstances over which they have no control or which they cannot choose,” he explained.

The impact of research

The COVID-19 pandemic was measurably the largest global shock in living memory, disrupting nearly every aspect of economic and social life and leading to the largest increases in global poverty in the last few decades. Empirical evidence revealed that economic effects were disproportionately borne by individuals who were already in disadvantaged positions prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, Tim was actively involved in research which informed policy making. He was part of a novel national consortium – the National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey – which comprised over 30 South African social science researchers from several universities, to provide periodic data and analyses on key socio-economic outcomes to inform policy making.

“The outcomes people reach in life should not depend on circumstances over which they have no control or which they cannot choose.”

Given the labour market’s role in determining socio-economic well-being globally, the pandemic’s labour market effects were of particular interest to Tim. This is especially the case in high unemployment, lower-income contexts like South Africa, where decent employment creation is crucial to achieving meaningful poverty alleviation. Thus, a better understanding of the pandemic and associated policies’ effects on South Africa’s labour market is essential in gaining an understanding of its effects on overall well-being in the country. Tim’s thesis considered this, from a data-intensive micro-econometric perspective, using nationally representative data on samples of millions of individuals to understand the pandemic’s average and heterogenous labour market effects in the country, and its consequences for pre-existing and new labour market inequalities.

Award-winning research

Tim received the 2024 Francis Wilson Memorial Prize for a chapter in his thesis, which focused on estimating the employment effects of sector-specific restrictions in South Africa. These served as a core pandemic policy globally, leading to the distinction of ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ workers. By isolating this effect, this chapter speaks to how much job loss was attributable to these restrictions as opposed to other factors like curfews, travel bans, and voluntary reductions in economic activity.

He estimated that these restrictions were responsible for nearly two-thirds of the total employment decline at the pandemic’s onset, which reflects both the stringency of South Africa’s initial lockdown, and that job loss would have still occurred even in the absence of these restrictions, which is in line with global evidence. He also showed that the effects of these restrictions were largest among workers in more disadvantaged positions, further increasing South Africa’s already extreme labour market inequality.

He has received several other awards in previous years, including the prestigious Economics Society of South Africa’s Founder’s Medal.

Extensive publication record

During his PhD, Tim authored over 40 working papers and policy briefs, and 12 peer-reviewed publications in, local and international academic journals and books. He has achieved impressive, objective indicators of scholarly achievement, including a cumulative record of nearly 500 citations and an h-index of 12.

Based on a global, central index of economics research, this places him already in the top 10% of economists in Africa and the top 20% in South Africa.

Peer encouragement

While Tim’s academic success is admirable, the journey to complete his thesis was not easy to navigate. Maintaining a healthy work–life balance while studying part-time and working full-time proved to be a real challenge. During the pandemic, he had difficulty staying motivated, and being disconnected from colleagues added to his sense of isolation. When pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, he was in the middle of his thesis and consequently, given its focus, still felt trapped to the confines of the pandemic. Ultimately, these challenges made the completion of his thesis all the more gratifying.

His advice to peers embarking on studying further, would be to remember their ‘why’ – why the journey was started in the first place. He also advises asking for help and support from supervisors, peers, family and friends. His last words are to be kind to yourself and be sure to celebrate all the milestones along the way, no matter how small.