UWCScholar :: Browsing by Author "May, Julian"

Browsing by Author "May, Julian"

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An analysis of maternal and child nutritional status in South Africa and its impact on maternal labour supply
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Wanka, Fru Awah; May, Julian
The significance of malnutrition in public health has increasingly gained recognition in South Africa due to its negative effect on the quality of life, both at the individual and societal levels. The most vulnerable groups to suffer from malnutrition are pregnant and lactating women as well as children below 5 years of age. Given the importance of maternal and child health, this study is set out to assess the prevalence and trend of maternal and child malnutrition in South Africa. In addition to the health cost, there is also economic cost, resulting from malnutrition. Therefore, the association between malnutrition and labour force participation is of academic and policy interest due to the crucial role the labour force plays in stimulating economic growth.
An application of synthetic panel data to poverty analysis in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Mabhena, Rejoice; May, Julian
There is a wide-reaching consensus that data required for poverty analysis in developing countries are inadequate. Concerns have been raised on the accuracy and adequacy of household surveys, especially those emanating from Sub-Saharan Africa. Part of the debate has hinted on the existence of a statistical tragedy, but caution has also been voiced that African statistical offices are not similar and some statistical offices having stronger statistical capacities than others. The use of generalizations therefore fails to capture these variations. This thesis argues that African statistical offices are facing data challenges but not necessarily to the extent insinuated. In the post-1995 period, there has been an increase in the availability of household surveys from developing countries. This has also been accompanied by an expansion of poverty analyses efforts. Despite this surge in data availability, available household survey data remain inadequate in meeting the demand to answer poverty related enquiry. What is also evident is that cross sectional household surveys were conducted more extensively than panel data. Resultantly the paucity of panel data in developing counties is more pronounced. In South Africa, a country classified as ‘data rich’ in this thesis, there exists inadequate panel surveys that are nationally representative and covers a comprehensive period in the post-1995 period. Existing knowledge on poverty dynamics in the country has relied mostly on the use of the National Income Dynamic Study, KwaZulu Natal Dynamic Study and smaller cohort-based panels such as the Birth to Twenty and Birth to Ten cohort studies that have rarely been used in the analysis of poverty dynamics. Using mixed methods, this thesis engages these data issues. The qualitative component of this thesis uses key informants from Statistics South Africa and explores how the organization has measured poverty over the years. A historical background on the context of statistical conduct in the period before 1995 shows the shaky foundation that characterised statistical conduct in the country at the inception of Statistics South Africa in 1995. The organization since then has expanded its efforts in poverty measurement; partly a result of the availability of more household survey data. Improvements within the organization also are evidenced by the emergence of a fully-fledged Poverty and Inequality division within the organization. The agency has managed to embrace the measurement of multidimensional poverty. Nevertheless, there are issues surrounding available poverty related data. Issues of comparability affect poverty analysis, and these are discussed in this thesis. The informants agreed that there is need for more analysis of poverty using available surveys in South Africa. Against this backdrop, the use of pseudo panels to analyse poverty dynamics becomes an attractive option. Given the high costs associated with the conduct of panel surveys, pseudo panels are not only cost effective, but they enable the analysis of new research questions that would not be possible using existing data in its traditional forms. Elsewhere, pseudo panels have been used in the analysis of poverty dynamics in the absence of genuine panel data and the results have proved their importance. The methodology used to generate the pseudo panel in this thesis borrows from previous works including the work of Deaton and generates 13 birth cohorts using the Living Conditions Surveys of 2008/9 and 2014/15 as well as the IES of 2010. The birth cohorts under a set of given assumptions are ‘tracked’ in these three time periods. The thesis then analysed the expenditure patterns and poverty rates of birth cohorts. The findings suggested that in South Africa, expenditures are driven mostly with incomes from the labour market and social grants. The data however did not have adequate and comparative variables on the types of employment to further explore this debate. It also emerged that birth cohorts with male headship as well as birth cohorts in urban settlements and in White and Indian households have a higher percentage share of their income coming from labour market sources. On the other hand, birth cohorts with female headship and residing in rural, African and in Coloured households are more reliant on social grants. The majority of recipients of social grants receive the Child Social Grant and its minimalist value partly explains why birth cohorts reporting social grants as their main source of income are more likely to be poor when compared to birth cohorts who mostly earn their income from the labour market. Residing in a female-headed household, or in a rural area as well as in Black African and Coloured increases the chances of experiencing poverty. This supports existing knowledge on poverty in South Africa and confirms that these groups are deprived. The results of the pseudo panel analysis also show that poverty reduced between 2006 and 2011 for most birth cohorts but increased in 2015. Policy recommendations to reduce poverty therefore lie in the labour market. However, given the high levels of unemployment in the country today, more rigorous labour incentives are required.
'Asijiki' and the capacity to aspire through social media: The #feesmustfall movement as an anti-poverty activism in South Africa
(ACM, 2016) Ngidi, Ndumiso Daluxolo; Mtshixa, Chumani; May, Julian
South Africa has been a democratic country for 21 years, yet racial and economic transformation appears to have stagnated. Recently, the accumulation of frustration and injustice amounted to a wave of student-led protests, the scale of which is unprecedented in the democratic period. This paper, while contributing to broader literature on student protests, focuses on a field that has received little scholarly attention; that of social media as a tool for anti-poverty activism. This paper presents a social media and personal narrative analysis of the October 2015 #feesmustfall student protests to highlight the value of social media in poverty reduction. We locate this paper within Appadurai’s theory of cultural capacity – capacity to aspire [7]. The research findings illuminated the aspects of the politics of recognition, compliance and future orientation within the student narratives. The capacity to aspire framework further advocates for strengthening the capability of the poor and to cultivate their voice.
Aspirations and capabilities: the design and analysis of an action research project in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Conradie, Ina; May, Julian; Robeyns, Ingrid
The central theme of the study is whether deliberate actions to realise aspirations can and would be likely to increase capabilities amongst the poor, and whether such attempts might reduce poverty. Capabilities are seen here as real opportunity sets which people can use to achieve what they want to be or do (Sen, 1990:43-44). In addition Amartya Sen also emphasises the important role of agency in the achievement of capabilities (Sen, 1985). The relationship between aspirations, agency and capabilities is therefore explored, with emphasis on whether people can escape a potential poverty trap by deliberate and focused use of agency. I also ask what role structural opportunities and constraints play in this process.The study has been largely inspired by the idea of Arjun Appadurai (2004) that the poor might be constrained in their efforts to escape poverty because they lack the capacity to aspire, as they might have been socialised to accept that their aspirations would not be realisable. This idea was tested in a five year action research programme in Site C, Khayelitsha, near Cape Town. The dissertation offers an analysis of the programme in which a group of women was assisted in voicing their aspirations and subsequently worked on the realisation of these aspirations with a limited amount of support and facilitation by the researcher. Although many papers have been written on the social and economic implications of Appadurai’s idea, both within and external to the human development approach, the practical implementation of the idea in a project seems to be novel. The analysis of aspirations and capabilities is contextualised in the dissertation. The history and migration of the participating women show how their lives have been shaped by colonialism, apartheid, and their own cultural practices. This is followed by a discussion of the literature which informs the research and the analysis. The capability approach is discussed with particular reference to its conceptual tools, and the differences in the approaches of Sen and Nussbaum are briefly described. I review the ways in which capabilities are generally measured, and discuss the perspectives of different authors on individualism in the approach. Adaptation and agency as seen from the perspective of the capability approach provide important conceptual material for the analysis in a later chapter. A number of studies which assessed capabilities by qualitative means are then briefly reviewed, and these again provide background information for the analysis of the Khayelitsha study. The study on the use of agency in the capability approach reveals that there are lacunae, which could possibly be addressed by amplification from other disciplines. With this in mind agency is further explored in different disciplines – economics, psychology and social theory. Particular attention is given to three classical theorists of agency, Giddens, Bourdieu and Habermas, but the work of Archer, Latour, Long and Joas is also reviewed. I then recommend that the capability approach would benefit from a hermeneutical analysis of agency, and indicate specific elements which I think can be brought forward into such an extension. The literature review also includes a section on aspirations, which takes account of the conceptual relationship between aspirations, agency and capabilities. The empirical material is introduced under the umbrella of an action research programme which spanned a five year period. As part of this programme there was a household survey to obtain benchmark data. This was followed by the presentation of a life skills course based on Participatory Action Research or PRA methods. Between late 2006 and 2010 the women implemented their decisions, and their actions were observed. The main research process during this phase was an ethno-methodological study of the participating women. During this phase a number of life histories were recorded and I also conducted a set of individual interviews which focussed on individual agency. In 2010 I assessed the women’s increase in functionings and capabilities by taking note of actions taken towards achieving their aspirations, and in 2012 I recorded seven interviews on the rural-urban dynamics in their lives. The main findings of the household survey are given in a separate chapter on research findings. The different recordings of the aspirations the women articulated, and how these changed, are also recorded in the chapter on findings. The analysis of the respondents’ increase in functionings and capabilities is done with reference to an adaptation of a diagram published by Robeyns (2005:98), which visualises the essential conceptual parts of the capability approach. I adapt the diagram for a specific social context, for aspiration formulation, for agency assessment, and for the assessment of increased capabilities. In a second analysis chapter I do a hermeneutic agency analysis of six of the participating women in the context of the capability approach, asking whether the pursuit of their aspirations had been agency-unlocking. This is followed by a concluding chapter.
Assessing the effects of the child support grant programme on refugee children's poverty status in Cape Town, South Africa
(University of the Western cape, 2016) Byukusenge, Marie Chantal; May, Julian
Cash transfers continue to be one of the tools used by many developing countries in order to alleviate poverty. South Africa was not left behind in applying this system. In 1998, the Government of South Africa introduced cash transfer programs in order to replace the old Social Maintenance Grant (SMG) that was available to single mothers when their husbands: die, get imprisoned, disabled or are untraceable. Also, this grant was supporting poor children during the apartheid era. In terms of children, the SMG did not achieve enough coverage, for instance, by 1990, it had assisted only 0.2% of African children and 1.5% of White children as well as 4.0% of Indian children and 4.8% of Coloured children (SASSA, 2012). However, the new democratic government managed to introduce a new program, which has now shown a very large achievement and has become one of the best social protection systems in Africa (UNICEF, 2012). Also, the new democratic government managed to expand the coverage to the children from age 0-16 to children of age18 years, including refugee children. With regards to refugees, after the fall of apartheid, the democratic Government of South Africa opened its doors to migrants and refugees. These refugees include children who are the most vulnerable persons. As such, in the first part of 2012, the Government of South Africa decided to provide and promote the well-being of refugee children, particularly those who are exposed to vulnerable conditions and living in poverty (CoRMSA, 2007). Despite the provision of the Child Support Grant for refugees, the beneficiaries of the grant are still facing many challenges especially those who have a low income. The study explores the perceptions of the caregivers of refugee children in Cape Town on the utility of the grant. The study adopts a qualitative research approach which is exploratory and descriptive in nature. In this regard, this study draws on in-depth interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions with women caregivers of the refugee children. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 women participants who come from different countries but live in Cape Town, who were selected by using the snowballing sampling technique. The findings reveal that the grant was used for educational expenses and for food or clothing. The study also finds that the grant provides households with income security, improves school attendance and contributes towards improved access to health care and transport. However, the study also showed that there were challenges associated with the provision of the grant. Firstly, some of the caregivers reported irregularities of the system and waiting in long queues. Secondly, the caregivers reported inadequacy of the grant. Lastly, the receivers of Child Support Grant for refugees noted that documentation required by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is also another major challenge they are facing. Unemployment and accommodation are also mentioned as the challenges the caregivers of refugees’ children face. The majority of them stated that finding a job in South Africa is not easy. Furthermore, the caregivers reported the issue of finding a good place to rent. In terms of accommodation, the majority of the caregivers stated that landlords require many papers which they do not have and they cannot afford the rent required by them. The recommendations made are that participants felt that, they wish the Government of South Africa can allow them to work, as the majority of them have qualifications. However, others felt that it will be a good idea if the Government of South Africa increases the size of the grant. The SASSA staff advised that the caregivers of refugee children must submit the entire set of documentation required in order to receive or to apply for the Child Support Grant on time. The study concludes that the Child Support Grant for refugees provides children with a safety net and enables them to access basic services. However, this program needs to be monitored and evaluated in order for the service to be better rendered. The findings of this study have the potential to influence social welfare policy-makers to address the challenges associated with the provision of the grant. The findings of this study would also allow the policy makers to establish ways of ensuring the sustainable provision of the grant. The outcomes of this study will also have the potential to allow the policy makers to create ways of ensuring the sustainable provision of the Child Support Grant for refugees.
A comparison between Ethiopia and Viet Nam's approaches to reducing extreme poverty
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Durno, Darryn; May, Julian
The World Bank working paper ‘Grow, Invest, Insure’ published in 2016 outlines a three-point plan to reduce extreme poverty to three percent by 2030. Specifically highlighting the achievements of Ethiopia in Africa and Viet Nam in South-East Asia, the plan maintains a growth-first strategy to reducing extreme poverty, while emphasising the importance of investment in human capital to aid productivity and complementary social insurance. This thesis reviews the three-point plan compared with approaches to reduce extreme poverty and outcomes observed in Ethiopia and Viet Nam in the period 2000-2015. Results from a synthesis of literature and data for Ethiopia and Viet Nam shows that, while growth-first strategies can be successful in reducing poverty, context is critically important. Both countries were sufficiently comparable in their population and political contexts and followed similar agriculturally led economic growth strategies. Both countries implemented campaigns to reduce extreme poverty over similar periods, through centrally managed regimes. However, where economic growth in Viet Nam catalysed economic transformation that enabled the expedient and sustained reduction of extreme poverty by 2015, Ethiopia exhibited only early suggestions of transformation and a strong tendency for transitory poverty escapes. Both case studies also clearly demonstrated that economic growth alone does not reduce extreme poverty. Transversal policy coordination and implementation that prioritises the targeting of integrated packages of support to the extreme poor, and offers graduated escapes to poverty, are required in order to enable households to exit poverty. These packages of support are both costly and complex to deliver. Where economic growth in a single nation cannot support them, macro-economic reform and political are insufficient to deliver effectively on extreme poverty reduction. Specific effort was made to confine the period of review and to draw on sources that the World Bank researchers would have been privy to whilst drafting their plan, in order to test the validity of the claims made by the authors of the plan. Considering the wealth of information available during the development of the three-point plan, which clearly demonstrates the inconclusive nature of its recommendations, this thesis raises questions about how the authors of the three-point plan justified their approach.
The cost of gaps in existing food price-stabilizing market policies in urban areas for poor women and their families: The case of Addis Ababa
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) May, Julian
Food inflation has been a challenge in Ethiopia since prices of staple foods started rising in 2005, particularly threatening the food security of relatively poor and marginalized groups, such as women. However, there is limited research on the actual impact of food price surges and government-responsive programs on poor women. This study investigates the effect of food inflation and its coping mechanisms vis-à-vis government response programs from the perspective of poor women through consciously adopting feminist economics as a theoretical and interpretive framework. This was accomplished by taking into consideration women’s gender-based privations and other facets of their identities and lived realities.
COVID-19 food security
(José Frantz, 2021) May, Julian
It’s not as if South Africa started 2020 on the right foot. The latest available numbers suggest that about 11% of the country’s population (or around 6.5-million people) suffer from hunger every year. We should not lose sight of the impact of unemployment on men – hunger can be said to breed social discontent and instability. But it’s now widely accepted that it is women who bear the brunt of crises. Not only does the gender wage gap persist, but women also shoulder the overwhelming share of the caring responsibility in households. If they are without work, it’s likely that others – children included – will suffer, too.
Desired and sustainable livestock systems for food security: A community visioning approach
(2017) Gwaka, Leon; Tucker, William David; May, Julian
Emergence from financial constraints through transformation to a research-led teaching and learning developmental university- University of the Western Cape 2000-2020
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Regal, Abduraghman; May, Julian
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959, the Extension of University Education Act of 1959 (Parliament RSA 1959), to serve as an institution of higher learning for the so-called coloured race to provide education and training in restricted fields and relative to occupations in the middle rather than the upper reaches of the racial stratification system (Wolpe, 1995).
Food Security: An evaluation of food choices, household food consumption patterns and health implications: A case study of Khayelitsha in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Mabusela, Abonga Aphiwe Athabile; May, Julian
Many factors result in a shift in food consumption patterns. These include uncertain food production, unequal food distribution, changing food markets, food inflation and fast urbanization (Cockx et al., 2019). All of the above have been prevalent in the past decades and are still persistent today. These factors have not only intensified but have shown a rise in food related health issues and issues of food insecurity.
Household food security and the anthropometric status of children under five: evidence from the Kenya integrated household budget survey (2005/2006)
(2013) Sambu, Winnie Chepng’etich; May, Julian
Kenya has continued to record decreasing child mortality rates in recent years, with available data showing that the under-five mortality rate was 85 per 1000 live births in 2010, down from 117 in 1997 (World Bank, 2012). However, the country continues to battle with poor anthropometric status of children (stunting, wasting and underweight). The country also faces high incidences of food insecurity. It is estimated that one third of the country’s population is food and nutrition insecure, with about 10 million of Kenyans suffering from chronic food insecurity (ROK, 2011). The worst affected are children, who are deprived of sufficient nutrients required for proper growth and development. This study seeks to analyse the relationship between household food security and the anthropometric status of children. Specific objectives include identifying the prevalence and predictors of poor anthropometry, identifying the extent of food insecurity in the country and investigating the link between food security and the anthropometric status of children. The research uses data from the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (2005/2006). The survey which was carried out for a period of 12 months covered the entire country and collected data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the households. It also collected data on child anthropometric measurements and households’ food consumption patterns. The statistical software package STATA SE v.12 is used to run ordinary linear (OLS) and logistical regressions in order to analyse the relationship between household food security and the anthropometric status of children. Results show that the prevalence of malnutrition is high in the country with stunting coming out as the main form of malnutrition. Dietary diversity, a measure of food security, is found to be highest in the urban areas. Results from the regression analysis show that a Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) is positively associated with better anthropometry, with the prevalence of malnutrition decreasing with an increase in the score. The study also found that other risk factors associated with poor anthropometry are age of the child, gender, area of residence, diarrhoea, education, household size and income. The paper concludes with suggestions on measures that need to be put in place to curb child malnutrition.
An in-depth study of the ICT ecosystem in a South African rural community: unveiling expenditure and communication patterns
(Routledge, 2016) Rey-Moreno, Carlos; Blignaut, Renette; May, Julian; Tucker, William David
There is no doubt of the contributions made by mobile phones and mobile network operators in increasing access to communications in rural areas of developing countries. Yet how affordable is this ubiquitous access in such an ICT ecosystem? Using data from two stratified random surveys conducted in a South African rural community, this paper provides a unique in-depth picture of the expenditure and communication patterns of its dwellers. Results show a high access ratio of people using mobile phone services weekly and a high proportion of disposable income dedicated to a very constrained set of mobile phone services. Factors such as mobile phone charging and the extra charges added by airtime resellers contribute to increase the communication costs. This data and its analysis can be used by the following: regulators and government agencies to better design their policy implementations to provide universal service and access; competing industry players to understand the dynamics within rural communities to better target their products; civil society organizations to a constitutional right.
Investigating the effectiveness of urban agriculture in addressing the dynamics of food insecurity in Khayelitsha: A case study of Moya Wekhaya Peace Gardens
(University of the Western Cape, 2020) Moloinyane, Bontle Tebello; May, Julian
Food security is a challenge for most developing countries (Yahaya, 2018). In South Africa, poverty continues to be a stumbling block to food security for most of the population. Due to the socio-economic challenges plaguing the country, a large proportion of the population struggles to access sufficient food which meets dietary needs. Poverty and unemployment are the key contributory factors of food insecurity in South Africa. Against this backdrop, this study sought to investigate the perceived impact of urban agriculture on food insecurity in Khayelitsha. As a survival strategy, urban agriculture has been advocated to improve food security in most developing countries. Moya Wekhaya Peace Gardens is the study organization of this thesis. The aim of the research is (1) To investigate the extent of food insecurity in Khayelitsha; (2) To investigate the coping strategies adopted by households to be more food secure (3) To investigate the perceived impact of urban food gardens on household food security and (4) To identify challenges faced by urban farmers in Khayelitsha.
Keystones affecting sub-Saharan Africa's prospects for achieving foodsecurity through balanced diets
(Elsevier, 2018) May, Julian
Socio-economic dynamics determine the transition from diets characterized by the risk of famine, to thosecharacterized by the risk of diet-related non-communicable disease (DR-NCD). This transition is of particularconcern in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in which key socio-economic interactions that influence diet includeeconomic growth and rapid urbanization; inequality and a growing middle class; and obesogenic food en-vironments and an increasing prevalence of DR-NCD. In each case, countries in SSA are among those experi-encing the most rapid change in the world. These interactions, styled as‘keystones’,affect the functioning ofother components of the food system and the diets that result. Data from the wealthiest quartile of countries inSSA suggest that these keystones may be increasing the risk of DR-NCD, widening inequalities in health out-comes due to unbalanced diets. To address this, new consumer and government capabilities that address thesekeystones are required. Food sensitive urban planning, supporting food literacy andfiscal management ofconsumption are examples.
Natural resources control trajectory : customary rights, coercive conservation and coal mining in the Yayo District, Southwest Ethiopia
(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Suleman, Kassahun Kelifa; May, Julian
The Yayo district in southwest Ethiopia is a biodiversity hotspot area historically containing a rich diversity of wild coffea arabica cultivars and Afromontane forest species of commercial and scientific value. Informed by political ecology and using qualitative research methods, notably participant observation, personal interviews, transect walks and analysis of secondary literature and videos, the study documents three major shifts in access, use, control and management of wild coffee and other natural resources in the Yayo district: first, village-level small-scale wild coffee cultivation and forest product harvesting; second, conservation and designation of protected forest areas and use zones, and most recently, coal mining and the future development of a fertiliser plant. The study details in depth how these three resource control regimes came to be and especially the social impacts they entailed on local (indigenous) communities residing in four villages in the Yayo district: Achebo, Gechi, Wabo and Wutete. It concludes with a discussion on the local socio-ecological impact and challenges facing the long-term survival of the local communities and wild coffea arabica forest biodiversity in the area. Since the early 1900s, the wild coffee forests were managed and used by local, indigenous communities based on customary social institutions including Abbaa lafaa, Ciiqaashuum, Qoroo, Tullaa, Xuxxee, and Shaanee. These institutions eroded overtime as the Ethiopian state working in tandem with professional conservationists valued the wild coffee forests for their forest biodiversity and strove to control historic wild coffee use through protectionist approaches. The thesis discusses how the restriction of access not only resulted in a range of negative social effects (such as displacement, joblessness, and landlessness) but also gave rise to occasional local conflicts and formal and informal resistance towards the conservationists and their programmes. As such, the protectionist approach did not succeed in safeguarding the wild coffees or the livelihoods of the local communities. Threats to the wild coffee forests were subsequently raised again with the rise of largescale coal mining operations in the forest. Driven by concern for economic growth, the state has shifted its attention from biodiversity preservation to supporting a coal mining operation in the area and the construction of the first-ever in country fertiliser factory in Yayo. With the advent of coal mining interests, not only have the historic customary rights and livelihoods of local communities been further weakened but also those of the power of the conservation regime. The early construction phases of the fertiliser factory have led to involuntary displacements, unfair expropriation of villagers’ properties, forest and wild coffee clearance, emergence of new diseases such as malaria, and damage to physical infrastructure. Overall, the study shows that the progressive shifts in resource access, control and use have occurred as a result of changing ecologies, ecological knowledge and values, community dynamics, economies, and the shifting policies and strategies of the government of Ethiopia. These changes, especially the control of resources by mining proponents, suggest major challenges for the future existence of wild coffea arabica cultivars in the area and the wellbeing of local communities who had used and managed them in the past.
Re-imagining resilient food systems in the post-Covid-19 era in Africa
(MPDI, 2021) May, Julian; Mentz-Coetzee, Melody
The COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness that serious illness and injury are common and important shocks that result in food insecurity, the loss of livelihoods, and unsustainable coping strategies. These have significant negative impacts on welfare, especially for the poorest, driving up health care expenditure, reducing capabilities for productive and reproductive activities, and decreasing capacity to manage climate and other changes. These negative impacts are especially pertinent for countries in Africa where the high prevalence of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria have resulted in repeated health shocks. Unusually, the prevalence of these illnesses results in their impact being similar to those of covariate shocks, increasing the risk of poverty for entire communities and reducing options for coping strategies. Livelihood disruptions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic may have similar consequences for African food systems. The pandemic is likely to exacerbate existing dynamics of risk and introduce new and unanticipated changes to food systems. Although the initial focus of governments has been on public health interventions, preserving and growing resilient food systems is critical if livelihoods are to be protected. This paper discusses the implications of these evolving forms of risk and uncertainty for sustainable African food systems, reflecting on lessons from other systemic shocks.
Social capital and developmental outcomes : a case study of black communities in Cederberg and Matzikama municipalities in the mid-2000s
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Bayat, Amiena; May, Julian; Ruiters, Greg; Marysse, Stefaan
Transforming economic growth into tangible benefits for poor communities appears to have frustrated development practitioners and policy makers. Despite the net positive growth achieved between 1994 and 2014 the face of poverty and inequality remains largely unchanged in South Africa. In such circumstances there is a pressing need for scholars to rethink the social foundations of economic activity and policy (Chang, 2006; Fine, 2001, 2005). One specific line of enquiry that has attracted attention among economists (Stiglitz, 2000; Woolcock, 2001; Fine, 2001) is that of social capital. This thesis seeks understanding of the relationship between social capital and the socioeconomic advancement of poor African/Black residents, particularly those in rural municipalities where there is a lack of financial and other resources. With this in mind, Robert Putnam’s path-breaking theory will be reformulated to explore the relationship during the mid-2000s between social capital, trust, political participation and socioeconomic outcomes in two rural municipalities in the Western Cape province of South Africa, namely Cederberg and Matzikama. The research questions the adequacy of Putnam’s theory of social capital, arguing that it is conceptually simple and inadequate as a description of how membership in social groups (networks) lead to better socioeconomic outcomes in the context of marginal, rural African/Black communities residing in under-capacitated municipalities. The thesis argues that an alternative conceptual framework is required, capable of depicting the complexity of the social processes required to translate social group membership into tangible benefits for poor households, as an explanation of why African/Blacks in Cederberg experienced better socioeconomic outcomes than their counterparts in Matzikama.
Telecentre functionality in South Africa: re-enabling the community ICT access environment
(Journal of Community Informatics, 2013) Attwood, Heidi; Diga, Kathleen; Braathen, Einar; May, Julian
Despite the availability and capabilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in low and middle-income countries, the use of these constantly evolving tools remains limited for the majority of resource-poor citizens. This is especially the case for internet-based tools. In South Africa, an upper middle-income country, the percentage of the population categorised as individual 'internet users' increased from 5.4 percent in 2000 to just 18.0 percent in 2010 (ITU, 2011). In order to overcome these low percentages, government intervention is frequently adopted, especially in rural areas, where it is not profitable for telecommunication operators to build infrastructure as a means to promote the uptake of internet use in poorer communities (USAASA, 2009: 47). In South Africa and elsewhere, government sponsored telecentres are a common non-profit mode of delivery, however there is much evidence of recurring problems (Gomez et al., 2012). Telecentres have many structural components (human, political and technical) which need to support each other in order to create a functional telecentre (Benjamin, 2001a; Heeks, 2002; Proenza, 2002). The failure of one or more of these components, as detailed by Roman & Colle (2002), Hulbert & Snyman (2007), and Parkinson (2005) can render telecentres non-functional. Such failures continue to plague the delivery of Public Access Computing (PAC) services in South Africa and elsewhere; and in the light of the growth of smartphones, it could be argued that telecentres are not a meaningful mode through which internet access can be delivered (Chigona et al., 2011; Gomez et al., 2012). However, ICT4D has lacked a robust theoretical base (Flor, 2012; Urquhart et al., 2008) and the literature has been dominated by a rather 'structuralist' and supply-side approach with less attention to individual agency and the demand-side. By considering how elements of agency and structure combine in relation to ICTs, the Choice Framework (CF) developed by Kleine (2010) is a step forward. This approach facilitates the analyses of people's varied ability to empower themselves and improve their quality of life (QoL). Using this Framework, this article analyses the operational experiences of telecentre provision of computer and internet access, alongside user experiences that reveal how telecentre and other structural issues interact with the characteristics of users and their various sets of resources. Based on this analysis, we suggest that PACs should remain a part of the ICT debate, although we question the business model that has come to dominate their operation.
Towards Bridging the 'Gender Digital Divide' in Uganda: A Study of University to Work Transition Patterns among ICT graduates
(The University of the Western Cape, 2018) Mwondha, Priscilla; May, Julian
This dissertation examines the gender digital divide in the Information and Communication Technology industry in Uganda by analysing admission and graduation dynamics among men and women in ICT degree programs at Makerere and Busitema Universities and the transition of ICT graduates from university to work with specific focus on Mobile Telecommunication Network- Uganda and Uganda Telecom Limited companies. It explores the socio-cultural stereotypes and perceptions that influence the participation and progress of women professionals in the ICT industry and examines the diverse ways in which women in the ICT industry respond to these stereotypes and perceptions. A qualitative research design and methodology was employed to realise these objectives. The data which informed this study was obtained through detailed in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, analysis of admission, graduation and employment data, and official reports. The study reveals that the way socio-cultural structures and institutions are set up — often in favour of men over women — as well as the differential construction of both women and men — inferior feminine vis-à-vis superior masculine — particularly, in a predominantly patriarchal Ugandan society, continue to shape and inform the uptake of ICTs in the country. The dissertation shows that more men than women are admitted into ICT degree programs at Makerere and Busitema universities. Gender ‘appropriateness’, role models, failure to attain minimum admission requirements, influence of parents and misconception about ICT work variously influence career choice among men and women. Employment patterns among men and women in the ICT industry indicate that the top managerial and technical positions are largely dominated by men while women constitute many of employees at low level, less technical positions. Transition patterns also show that the numbers of women gradually reduce at each critical career transition point. Gender related socio-cultural stereotypes such as male scientist vis-à-vis technophobic woman, working man vis-à-vis domesticated woman, and dependent woman vis-à-vis independent man underlie these paradoxes. These disempowering’ socially constructed labels continue to obstruct many of women from participating in the ICT industry. Finally, this thesis has revealed that a wide range of ‘everyday’ response mechanisms including juggling family and work responsibilities, subterfuge, negotiating, sacrificing career for family, as well adopting the ‘culture of men in technology’ are deployed by women to navigate and challenge the existing socio-cultural stereotypes and constructions which accentuate the gender digital divide in Uganda.

Browsing by Author "May, Julian"

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