OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "Development Studies"

Browsing by Subject "Development Studies"

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Open Access
Access to housing in Cape Town : do young people move smoothly from parental housing to independent living arrangements?
(2010) Chisonga, Nixon; Seekings, Jeremy
Most international and local (South African) research on housing examine housing tenure in terms of static categories, - i.e. does someone own or rent their accommodation - without capturing either the dynamics of how people occupy housing or the complexities that arise when, for example, someone might rent accommodation while owning a house elsewhere. Most censuses and surveys simply ask whether the household living in a sampled house (or apartment, etc) currently rents or owns that house. I find access to housing to be a better analytical category than tenure arguing that renting and owner occupier housing are not exclusive categories, and can co-exist, and that additional categories should be identified.
Open Access
Access, use, and regulation practices in Lower Silvermine Wetland. Fish Hoek Cape Town
(2019) Dzingwe, Tafadzwa; Matose, Frank
A political ecology approach was taken in explaining the context of resource use. Political ecology seeks to understand politics about nature. Where access and regulation practices are political tenets within the commons issue understudy in Lower Silvermine Wetland. Hence they are resources held in commons within the Lower Silvermine Wetland. Where there are multiple users with different claims and interest. The ability to derive benefits from resources known as access is essential as it helps in understanding the perceptions and relation of users to the wetland. Within the two concepts of political ecology and access, it sought to locate and situate access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland by focusing on users use, regulation by authorities and nature. Nature users derive benefits from the Lower Silvermine Wetland. This is shown by the way they relate, use, and perceive the wetland. User access is pivotal to the study as it shows what the Lower Silvermine Wetland means to different users. Therefore nature means different things to different users, and this determines the way they use the wetland. The other part of the study becomes significant because as much there is access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland, regulatory measures are in place to prohibit users from doing other forms of activities into the Wetland Lower Silvermine Wetland. This is controlled through permissible and non-permissible operations that have been put in place by authorities that regulate and control the commons area understudy. It is of concern that some regulatory measures have caused deprivation of access, and some have been weak that an enhancement in regulation should be considered. Access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland has led to a lot of misunderstanding between users and authorities. These misunderstandings are a result of use, regulation, and maintenance. It is important to note that everyone has the right to access wetlands, according to the South African Constitution. This is important to the study as every user has the right to access nature without restriction as long they don’t break the control measures. This will lead to conserving plant and animal diversity also to ensure access is derived without any safety or security threat. At the same time if regulation and control is followed it will lead to a good user nature relationship. Hence ensuring that authorities understand each other and maintain the Lower Silvermine Wetland. Therefore the study becomes pertinent in establishing implications of regulatory practices in the Lower Silvermine Wetland.
Open Access
Addressing unemployment in the Western Cape, South Africa one community at a time : a case study of a public-private-civil society partnership
(2007) Kok, Catherine; De Wet, Jacques
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-107).
Open Access
An exploratory study highlighting the complexities in the targeting of beneficiaries in Malawi's social cash transfer programme
(2021) Mwanza, Desire; Garba, Faisal
“The rise of social protection in form of social safety nets is attributed to the forceful return of poverty onto the international development agenda credited to World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)” (Chisinga, 2007:3). The basis of the discussion of social protection as a new model for development derives from the vision of the initiative as a path to sustainable economic development due to its holistic approach to poverty eradication and capability deprivation (Taylor, 2008)."In Africa, where pre-existing welfare regimes are often absent or comparatively very weak, the origins of cash transfer schemes stem from the search for alternatives to food and input transfers to tackle hunger"(Slater,2011:256). In the sub-Saharan region, for example, countries such as South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Malawi have similarly embraced the trend by adopting social grants and cash transfers as a solution to poverty and capability deprivation. Malawi, portrays a vivid image of a country with little resources for 17 million inhabitants, leaving more than half of the population below the poverty line (Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS) III report (2017). The goal of the Malawi Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) is to reduce poverty, hunger and increase school enrolment among the poorest 10% of households. Targeting the correct 10% is key to the success of the program. The World Bank Group, Malawi Poverty Assessment (2016), calls into question the likelihood of precisely targeting the chronically poor people in such initiatives. On the other hand, Houssou et al., 2007 and Slater, 2011 insist on the need to evaluate the foresee-ability of contextual intervention programs, especially if a country does not have the capacity for widespread social grants as targeting becomes a matter of concern. The idea is that social cash transfers will be successful in reducing poverty if the right individuals are targeted. Considering the high poverty rate in Malawi and the gaps between the lower poverty deciles and the income profile are marginal (Ellis, 2008), how accurate is the decentralized targeting process? Based on this rationale, this exploratory research explored and highlights the complexities in targeting of beneficiaries in the program which, as a result has contributed to the derailment of the program. Findings show that the Government of Malawi (GoM) has overlooked the necessary control mechanisms to achieve effective targeting. As such, the study identifies anomalies in the targeting process that play a significant role in affecting the achievement of the goal of the program. Thus, SCTP falls short of combating poverty in a multi-dimensional manner.
Open Access
Analysing the neglect of men in the response to HIV/AIDS in South Africa :is the Men as Partners programme paving the way forward?
(2006) McNab, Eleanor; Jubber, Ken
Word processed copy. Includes bibliographical references.
Open Access
An analysis of the mechanisms within Cape Town businesses shaping recruitment methods : and its effect on the spatial mismatch in Cape Town
(2012) Van Wyk, Anya
This dissertation posits that recruitment methods used by businesses in Cape Town are shaped by intricate mechanisms within business spaces. The walk-in recruitment method used by the two restaurants interviewed, is influenced by two distinct social mechanisms. The use of this recruitment method proves to be a geographically limited and it therefore reduces the prospects of employment for those living on the periphery of the city. Therefore, the walk-in recruitment method has exacerbated the spatial mismatch within Cape Town. However, there are Cape Town businesses that have specific mechanisms within their businesses that have shaped their use of word-of-mouth recruitment. The use of this method, has lessened the effects of the spatial mismatch, creating 'passages' into employment for those living on the periphery of the city. Once recruited through word-of-mouth, workers living on the periphery face the prospect of long-term employment through the use of in-house recruitment or promotion.
Open Access
Assessing responses and interventions to orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS: A case study of the experiences of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Gugulethu, Cape Town
(2010) Seyuba, Mesele M
This study examines how children who are exposed to the impact of HIV/AIDS in their immediate families are affected; what their experiences are and what coping strategies they employ on a day to day basis. Such children are referred to as HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Furthermore, the study examines the response proposals of key role players, such as government departments, civil society organisations and the affected communities, in dealing with the challenges faced by HIV/AIDS OVCs.
Open Access
Beekeeping and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development: A Critical Assessment of a Beekeeping Training Programme in Cape Town’s Manenberg Township
(2018) Musaya, Lilly; de Wet, Jacques
Beekeeping is an important industry in South Africa yet it is in decline. The South African government and development agencies see the increasing production deficits in the industry as a business opportunity for income generation for social-economically disadvantaged groups. However, most of these developmental initiatives, which have taken the form of beekeeping training programmes have not succeeded in creating a profitable and sustainable source of income. My study interrogated one such project in order to determine how beekeeping training programmes could be revised to increase the likelihood of trainees becoming viable beekeepers. I have drawn on the International Labour Organisation’s knowledge and skills development framework (called Training for Rural Economic Empowerment) to assess the methodological processes used in the development and implementation of the beekeeping programme. I collected data using a combination of qualitative interviews, documentary sources and participant observation, and then used Miles and Huberman’s thematic coding approach to analyse the qualitative data. My main finding is that there were methodological gaps in the pre-training, training and post-training phases of the beekeeping programme, either because of the exclusion of participants’/targeted groups’ inputs in the processes, or because participatory decision-making processes with participants were misapplied. As a result, the beekeeping training programme did not match the participants’ needs, economic opportunities in their area, and their social situations, and these circumstances contributed, in large part, to the graduates not taking up beekeeping.
Open Access
Biodiversity conservation in land reform : the continuities and discontinuities of colonial thought and practice : a case study of the Dwesa-Cwebe nature reserve
(2014) Ntsholo, Lubabalo; Matose, Frank
One of the many reasons for the dispossession of the land from black people was the colonial and apartheid regime’s commitment towards establishing nature reserves and national parks for the purposes of biodiversity conservation. The nature conservation discourse has remained strong even after the demise of these discriminatory regimes. Biodiversity conservation and the preservation of ecosystems have occupied a prominent role in the development discourse in South Africa and globally. The more recent approaches to the discourse have been on punting conservation as the basis from which all development springs. But even with this, there has been a lot of effort, wittingly or unwittingly, to craft the discourse in apolitical and ahistorical terms. There has been little effort to dissect the historical colonial thinking that still persists in the biodiversity conservation sector, and the factors that help sustain in thereof. The primary aim of this research therefore was to disentangle these ‘colonial gestures’ in biodiversity conservation and locate conservation within the framework of our colonial present .The main objective of this study is to assess and dissect the presence of the colonial motives and thinking, in the processes of policy development and programme implementation in as far as biodiversity conservation is concerned.
Open Access
Calling for better crops: an exploration of social upgrading through two mobile phone-based agriculture extension projects in Uganda
(2012) Piontak, Rachel; Maree, Johann
In recent years, mobile phones have become increasingly enmeshed in the daily routines of communities across the globe. This exponential swell of mobile teledensity in developing nations, especially in rural areas, gives evidence to mobile phones as being a contributing factor towards social and economic changes in local livelihoods driven by agriculture. In this study, any economic upgrading is organised under the concept of overall social upgrading. This dissertation investigates such evidence by exploring the social effects from the use of mobile phones through two agricultural extension projects in Uganda.
Open Access
Can a mega-event be developmental? : a case study of Cape Town as it prepares for the 2010 World Cup
(2006) Cristando, John R; Lincoln, David
Cities and nations around the world vigorously compete to host mega-events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, despite the history of mixed economic and social impacts of these events. While such events have been traditionally sought by hosts as vehicles primarily for economic growth, image enhancement, and generation of civic and cultural pride, a recent trend is emerging in which substantial developmental components are integrated into hosting strategies. This study utilizes the human development paradigm, and its attendant emphasis on facilitating gains by the poor and disadvantaged, to evaluate the degree to which Cape Town can integrate developmental priorities into the role it plays as one of South Africa's host cities of the 2010 World Cup. The analysis focuses on the clash between the city's expansive human development objectives and the logistical and commercial dictates of hosting a mega-event. Also brought to the fore are the consequential public planning decisions required when hosting a mega-event in a developing city, with ramifications that can be particularly acute for the disadvantaged..
Open Access
The contribution of official development assistance to poverty reduction in Zambia
(2009) Muyeba, Singumbe; Lincoln, David
Recent studies have shown that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is able to contribute to poverty reduction through the Public Expenditure Management (PEM) system. The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have also been channelling ODA in the form of budget support under the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). While implementing PRSPs, Zambia, a poor country, showed remarkable improvement in the economic and social sectors. Whether it was ODA channelled for pro-poor expenditure or economic growth that was responsible for these improvements or both could only be ascertained by empirical research. To study this research problem, this undertaking used a quantitative research design. Data on Zambia's requests for ODA were collected from the Zambian national budget and official Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the period 1990 to 2008. Statistics on ODA received were obtained from the OECD.stat database, in order to find out the extent to which ODA receipts were a part of Zambia's public expenditure. Public expenditure was then correlated with the IMR, and numerically compared with the HDI and poverty headcount. The research produced a number of key findings. For nine of the fifteen years examined, Zambia received an average of 260.57 per cent of all ODA it requested. There was evidence that the association between pro-poor expenditure and IMR was strong. The HDI and poverty head count improved but the study was inconclusive on whether this was as a result of increased pro-poor expenditure or not. The PEM system was argued to be a vital factor for ODA to reach the poor. Overall, there was strong indication that ODA contributed to poverty reduction through pro-poor public expenditure in Zambia. It was therefore recommended that both donors and the Zambian government ensure that all ODA was targeted at primary and secondary education, primary health care, rural roads, and agricultural extension services.
Open Access
The contribution of pro-poor growth programmes to poverty reduction in Rwanda : a case study of the Girinka Programme in rural Rwanda
(2015) Rugema, Michelle; Chitonge, Horman
This study investigates the contribution of the Girinka Programme, a pro-poor growth programme in Rwanda, to poverty reduction. Recent studies have placed increasing emphasis on the contribution of pro-poor growth to poverty reduction and have argued that pro-poor growth has the potential to reduce poverty more effectively than economic growth. Poverty, for this study, is measured based on the following indicators of poverty derived from the United Nations (1998) definition of poverty: nutrition, access to health care services, access to water, education, and access to credit. Income or the lack thereof, is not the sole determinant of poverty, and is not “the sum total of human life” (United Nations Development Programme, 1990), therefore relying solely on quantitative measurements of poverty that are based on income can paint an incomplete picture of the reality on the ground. Therefore, since poverty is multidimensional, this study uses a multidimensional approach to its analysis and goes beyond the quantitative aspects of poverty. Qualitative research methods were used for this study, and fieldwork was conducted in Kayonza District, located in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. In-depth interviews were held with beneficiaries and prospective beneficiaries of the Girinka Programme in order to determine the programme’s contribution to a meaningful reduction in poverty. In addition, interviews were held with Girinka local and national programme officials. Secondary data in the form of programme documents was also collected, reviewed and analysed.
Open Access
Corporate Social investment and development
(2010) Menzies, Gail
Can the Corporate Social Investment initiatives of small businesses contribute to development? Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and its counterpart Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are the terms used for the external and internal initiatives undertaken by companies to contribute to the upliftment of their stakeholders and communities. This research paper attempts to establish whether the CSI initiatives of small, local (Cape Town) companies have the potential to contribute to this upliftment or development. The literature review conducted on the relevant topic discovered three major arguments surrounding this debate. Firstly there are those authors that believe that CSI / CSR cannot contribute to development; secondly those authors that believe that CSI / CSR can contribute to development; and finally those authors that believe that more research on this topic is required before any such statements can be made. The outcome of the literature will reveal some issues surrounding this argument. They are: motivations, compatibility, implementation, business advantage, business and NGOs and community focus and research and sustainability. Following the establishment of the technical issues the paper will then propose that Amartya Sen's Development as Freedom theory be used to further investigate the development potential of CSI initiatives. Along with the technical suggestions, Sen's five 2 freedoms will be used to analyse whether any potential development successes can be observed from seven case studies. The freedoms are: political freedoms, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency guarantees and protective security. Each of these can contribute to development. The case studies are CSI initiatives selected from local small businesses and the required information was extracted by means of an openended qualitative questionnaire. These case studies will be analysed against the freedoms and the discoveries from the literature review. The conclusions drawn show that some potential does exist for CSI initiatives. It also shows that Sen's Development as Freedom can be effectively applied to small scale projects at the micro level.
Open Access
Corporate Social Responsibility a contribution to development? : a study examining a major company's CSR initiative in Cape Town
(2011) Andolfi, Marco; Grossman, Jonathan
The following study highlights the debates around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and explores to what extent the engagement of companies is contributing to development. This study focuses on one major company and its developmental activities in the Western Cape. The research is based on a main concern with the role of CSR in impoverished communities and whether CSR is contributing to development. Using a case study approach, semi-structured interviews as well as document analysis and observation have been conducted in order to achieve the research objectives.
Open Access
Cross cultural understanding and volunteer tourism : the role of sending organisations in fostering cross-cultural understanding
(2015) Furusa, Rutendo; Lincoln, MD
Volunteer tourism has become a popular phenomenon worldwide and questions have been raised about the work that international volunteers do in Third World countries. Scholars have debated the possibility of a cross-cultural ‘misunderstanding’ developing between international volunteers and local community members. This research is based on the idea that there can be a possibility for cross-cultural understanding to take place. This thesis aims to gain better insight into the role that volunteer tourism organisations (VTOs) play in fostering cross-cultural understanding between the volunteers and the local community members that they work with. A framework suggested by tourism expert Eliza Raymond (2007) was used to assess how exactly organisations play a part in encouraging this type of understanding. The research focuses on two VTOs, Projects Abroad and Coaching for Hope as case studies. Both these organisations are involved in the facilitation of development programmes in disadvantaged communities in Cape Town.
Open Access
Deafhood and exclusion: a study of deaf adolescents perceptions of Love Life's HIV and AIDS communication campaigns
(2012) Ngwenya, Nobukhosi; Grossman, Jonathan
In particular, the research conducted focused on participants’ perceptions around issues of access to Love Life’s HIV and AIDS campaigns. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey, a focus group, individual interviews and a HIV and AIDS campaign design task. The findings reveal that, firstly, the participants are aware of what Love Life is and what they aim to do, and; secondly, participants have very limited access to Love Life’s print and television campaigns.
Open Access
Development aid in South Africa : a contribution or impediment to poverty alleviation?
(2007) Van Zonneveld, Annette Y; Ntsebeza, Lungisile
South Africa has been experiencing steady economic growth since 1994, but is increasingly battling with development issues such as persisting poverty and growing socio-economic inequality. This apparent contradiction is part of the complex South African development landscape in which development aid has gradually shifted from being transitional to a stable factor in development processes. Possible limitations and potential of development aid are set out by the dominating schools of thought; mainstream, neo-liberal, and radical left. The main aim of this thesis was to evaluate if and how development aid contributes to poverty alleviation in South Africa according to the theoretical and historical arguments of these schools of thought.
Open Access
Disjunctions and convergences: a study of stakeholders' perceptions of public participation in service delivery in Cape Town's Blikkiesdorp
(2012) Maharaj, Shakira; De Wet, Jacques
This study aimed to investigate the disjunctions and convergences between key stakeholder groups' perceptions of a public participatory relationship between The City of Cape Town Municipality and the Blikkiesdorp community. The key instruments for this research were semi-structured interviews, observation periods and documentary sources which included The White Paper on Local Government (1998), The Batho Pele Handbook (2009) and the National Policy Framework of Public Participation (2007). This analysis was conducted on a single case study in order to gain in-depth information about key stakeholder perceptions.
Open Access
Does township tourism contribute to government's strategic goals for the tourism sector? : a case study of bed and breakfast entrepreneurs in Gugulethu and Langa, Cape Town
(2013) Joseph, Hilary; Lincoln, David
The purpose of the study was to address the question: Does Township Tourism contribute to the South African government's strategic goals for the tourism sector? A qualitative case study was done in the two Cape Town townships, Gugulethu and Langa to identify and interview a number of Township Tourism Entrepreneurs (TTEs). Selected works of C.M. Rogerson are used as a framework to compare these TTEs, to those studied in a number of other townships in South Africa. Rogerson described TTEs as having identified an economic opportunity and categorised them as Opportunistic Entrepreneurs, who share numerous qualities with white Lifestyle Entrepreneurs, such as being approximately 50 years old, predominantly females, who use their own funding to start accommodation businesses in picturesque rural towns, as a second career or income generator. The study has 5 TTEs in the sample, which is a convenient sample drawn from Cape Town Tourism ' s membership list of 14 members who are operating accommodation businesses in these areas. In-depth interviews were conducted with five TTEs, a senior staff member from the City of Cape Town Tourism Department, another from the Provincial Destination Marketing Organization and one tour operator. Informal discussions were held with staff at the Tourism visitors centres in Langa and Gugulethu and other tourism stakeholders prior to doing the interviews. The study also drew on multiple data sources, including policy documents. The study explored the TTEs' motivations for starting their accommodation businesses, and looked at how they conform to the entrepreneurial characteristics and categorisation given by Rogerson and the Global Entrepreneur Monitor Report, i.e. Survivalist/Opportunistic/Lifestyle Entrepreneurs. The study explores how this categorisation aligns TTEs with the vision and goals for the sector that policymakers and government have set, and whether this enables them to access the appropriate support. The findings suggest that TTEs should not all be assumed to have business growth as a primary goal, and that a number could be categorised as Lifestyle Entrepreneurs rather than Opportunistic Entrepreneurs, albeit in an urban township setting. This study also suggests that township Lifestyle Entrepreneurs have a key function in the tourism sector and consideration should be given to place them in a form of clustering with opportunistic high growth entrepreneurs. This would enhance this sector's contribution to the ambitious goals set for tourism as a transformation, job creation, and poverty alleviation tool.