Research Articles (Social Development- ISD)

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Role of development communication in fostering social change: evidence from Lesotho
(KRE Publishers, 2013) Carciotto, Sergio; Dinbabo, Mulugeta
A number of programmes have been implemented in the field of development communication with the specific aim of promoting social change among communities. Series of studies have also illustrated the positive effects of Entertainment-Education (EE) interventions on individuals’ behavioural change. In line with the theory and conceptual framework of the Integrated Model of Communication for Social Change (IMCSC), this research empirically explored how development communication programmes can foster collective action amongst community members in Lesotho using media to promote social transformation and individual change. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods of enquiry were employed throughout the research. The results of the study reveal that firstly, development communication initiatives are able to foster collective forms of action by increasing the level of self-efficacy amongst the audience. Secondly, participatory development communication with an educational aim allows people to identify problems and to strategise and mobilise resources for collective action.
Can deliberate efforts to realise aspirations increase capabilities? A South African case study
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Conradie, Ina
This paper takes up Appadurai's suggestion that aspirations could be used as a key to unlock development for people who are economically marginalised, and that their capabilities could be increased by this approach. The notion of “aspirations” is theoretically and conceptually framed, and then Amartya Sen's use of the term capabilities as the space within which development should be assessed is explored. I subsequently describe a five-year programme in which economically marginalised women in Khayelitsha near Cape Town were assisted in voicing and attempting to realise their aspirations, while being assisted with access to some resources. Capability outcomes and constraints are described and analysed, and the question of adaptive preferences is addressed. I conclude that deliberate efforts to realise aspirations, accompanied by some facilitation, can increase capabilities, but that there are also structural constraints to capability expansion for these women that frustrate their aspiration of class mobility.
Aspirations and human development interventions
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Conradie, Ina; Robeyns, Ingrid
What role can aspirations play in small-scale human development interventions? In this paper, we contribute to answering that question with both conceptual and empirical work. Aspirations can play at least two roles in small-scale human development interventions: the capabilities-selecting role and the agency-unlocking role. While aspirations also face the challenge of adaptation to adverse circumstances and unjust social structures, we argue that this challenge can be met by embedding the formulation and expression of aspirations within a setting of public discussion and awareness-raising activities, and that adaptation can be further countered by including a commitment to action. We then report on field research done in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, South Africa, where a group of women went through a process of voicing, examining, and then realizing their aspirations. The action research confirms our theoretical hypotheses. We also do not find any evidence of adaptation of the women’s aspirations, and argue that the absence of such adaptation might be a result of active capability selection, reflection, deliberation, and the exercise of agency throughout the action research programme.
Child rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: a call for a right-based global research agenda
(University of Stellenbosch, 2013) Dinbabo, Mulugeta
Despite many achievements regarding child rights over the last 20 years, including improvements in many indicators such as the significant reduction in infant and child mortality; the more positive way of thinking about and listening to children; and increased response to those who abuse children, the rights of children are still insufficiently protected. Millions of children across the world suffer from the effects of extreme forms of poverty and their associated evils, such as malnourishment, stunted growth, nutritional-deficiency diseases and illiteracy. Recent figures from the International Labour Organisation (2010) show that, globally one in every six children work, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, and the highest proportion of child labourers is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work. These figures provide only a glimpse of the challenges and obstacles that a child faces around the world
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.
Macroeconomic immigration determinants: An analysis of ‘pull’ factors of international migration to South Africa
(SIHMA, 2015) Dinbabo, Mulugeta F.; Nyasulu, Themba
This research empirically examines the macroeconomic determinants of ‘pull’ factors of international migration in South Africa. Using the neoclassical economic model of international migration, an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression was run on time-series data from the World Bank data base for the period 1990-2012. Relevant data from the South African Department of Home Affairs’ Annual Reports were also used. GDP per capita, inflation rate, real interest rate, employment rate and public health expenditure were found to be the key determinants which entice migrants away from their countries and direct them to “better off” destinations. The country’s public education system, on the other hand, is not a significant attraction for foreign migrants. The study concludes that the South African government urgently needs to implement not only skilled worker-attractive immigration policies but also appropriate fiscal and monetary restructuring policies aimed at growing the economy and creating employment opportunities.
Slum upgrading and inclusive municipal governance in Harare,Zimbabwe: New perspectives for the urban poor
(Elsevier, 2015) Muchadenyika, Davison
The story of the urban poor in Harare and Zimbabwean cities in general is a story of evictions, fear andmisery. In May 2005, at the behest of the Government of Zimbabwe the infamous Operation RestoreOrder, a house demolition campaign left more than 700 thousand people homeless. Nearly a decade later,there are increased opportunities for improvement and change in the lives of the urban poor in Harare,Zimbabwe's capital city. The purpose of the paper is to present how the Harare Slum Upgrading Pro-gramme is creating and strengthening municipal and community partnerships to tackle city challengesin an inclusive manner. This research indicates the housing struggles of the urban poor and the emergingCity-community engagement in urban services provision (water, sanitation, tenure security and roads)and changing municipal attitudes towards the urban poor. In particular, the article presents participatoryurban planning and development, slum upgrading institutional structure, profiling and enumeration, andslum upgrading impacts (resilience of the urban poor, living in slums without fear, expansive pool ofbeneficiaries, review of planning regulations and land ownership) as major issues promoting inclusivemunicipal governance. Inclusivity is implemented through incremental development, which is allowingpeople to settle on landfirst and access municipal services gradually over time. Two main factors explainsuch positive steps towards inclusive governance in Harare. First are indications of gradual institutionalchange in which the City of Harare's governance culture is changing through‘opening up’and embracingthe urban poor. Second, over the years, the urban poor have built a strong and vibrant alliance which isacting as a medium of participation in City governance. The paper concludes that slum upgrading sus-tainability at city-wide level requires active City participation and institutionalisation as opposed to aproject based approach. Lastly, addressing concerns of the urban poor is susceptible to political con-testations, requiring strong impartiality to counter such forces.
'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.
Evaluating outcomes from stakeholders’ perception: Evidence from an irrigation project in Nigeria
(University for Development Studies, Ghana, 2016) Adeniyi, Daniel Adeoluwa; Dinbabo, Mulugeta F.
The need for the appreciation of values and knowledge diversity has contributed to the increasing relevance of stakeholder participation in the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of development projects. Using mixed methods research design and indicators, this paper assesses the outcomes of the participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) process of the Tada Shonga Irrigation Project, Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 103 respondents were randomly selected for questionnaire administration, and 5 respondents interviewed for the study. An Outcome Perception Index (OPI) was developed to assess stakeholders’ perception of the extent to which the project had met its objectives. The study found out that the project’s PME process was deficient, and the outcomes of the project and its PME process had been a mixed bag. The study further established a significant relationship between the deficient PME process of the project and project outcomes, although the relationship is indicative, rather than proof of a possible causal relationship. This was corroborated by the qualitative analysis which highlighted other critical factors affecting project outcomes. The study concluded that stringent M&E framework must be imbued in government policies to ensure success and sustainability of projects and programmes.
From the RDP to the NDP: A critical appraisal of the developmental state, land reform, and rural development in South Africa
(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Karriem, Abdulrazak; Hoskins, Mark
After decades of neoliberal rule in which market forces held pre-eminence in shaping development, there has in recent years been a resurgence of an activist developmental state in promoting economic development and tackling poverty and inequality. This article explores the resurgence of developmental state thinking in South Africa. Specifically, the article critically appraises the functioning of the post-apartheid state as it relates to land reform and rural development and argues that a weak bureaucracy and a policy fixation on the neoliberal willing buyer, willing seller policy framework militates against the promotion of a thorough-going land reform and rural development programme to promote rural livelihoods. We argue that South Africa needs a developmental state that will construct a skilled and competent bureaucracy, a centralised planning agency with the power to coordinate and ensure that government departments work together, and that will actively intervene in the economy to meet developmental objectives.
Politics and the practice of planning: the case of Zimbabwean cities
(Elsevier, 2016) Muchadenyika, Davison; Williams, John J.
Planning is intrinsically a political process. This paper explores how the practice and profession of planning has been affected by politics. Available evidence in Zimbabwe shows that planning is problematized by unsettled national and local politics. However, contested politics can distort the intentions of a sound planning system through advancing political interests of politicians, the ruling elite. Interviews with political actors and planners allow an understanding of how politics has virtually eroded, if not eliminated, a sound planning system. This paper illustrates three dimensions of the relationship between politics and planning. First, the political contestation between the ruling and opposition party has severely undermined planning and its contribution towards co- ordinated development in cities. Second, planners often succumb to the politics of patronage at the expense of urban residents and town planning principles. Third, the integrity and credibility of planning is seemingly under constant threat from political actors.
Multi-donor trust funds and fragile states: assessing the aid effectiveness of the Zimbabwe multi-donor trust fund
(Wiley, 2016) Muchadenyika, Davison
It is widely acknowledged that multi-donor trust funds (MDTFs) contribute to aid effectiveness. This paper challenges this assertion through assessing the aid effectiveness of the Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The paper makes four key arguments. First, political relations between recipient and donor countries are vital in the functioning of MDTFs. Second, the design of MDTFs affects the delivery and functioning of the trust fund. Third, whilst the legitimacy of national governments in fragile states is often contested, targeting legitimate and credible institutions can offer tangible and life changing results. Fourth, MDTFs focusing on the recovery of key sectors such as water, sanitation and energy have direct impacts to economic recovery and people’s lives.
Digital technologies and sustainable livestock systems in rural communities
(John Wiley & Sons, 2017) Gwaka, Leon Tinashe
The 43rd Committee on World Food Security (CFS) convention reiterated the importance of livestock towards eliminating food insecurity across the globe. Livestock provides extensive services and products which are critical in addressing the issues of hunger, malnutrition, health and diseases. However, despite such importance, livestock systems across the globe continue to face the challenge of sustainability. In this research article, using ethnographic research techniques, we examine the Beitbridge livestock systems to understand the vulnerabilities within the system and current efforts to overcome. The article identifies that the Beitbridge livestock system, similar to many others, faces numerous socio-ecological and political economy challenges. Also, in the past engagement of the author and the community, it emerged that there was limited use of digital technologies within the community. Therefore, this study explore whether digital technologies can contribute towards sustainability of livestock and if so, how. The major findings of the study are that, DTs have affordances which can be exploited to contribute towards the sustainability of the livestock system. However, in order for this to happen, there is need for convergence of conditions e.g. presence of supporting institutions and improvement of digital infrastructure. These findings confirm the need for context based studies on DTs. The findings of the study provide practitioners and policy makers ‘something to think about’ in the development of DTs and supporting systems.
Beyond entrepreneurship education: Business incubation and entrepreneurial capabilities
(Emerald, 2017) Ikebuaku, Kenechukwu; Dinbabo, Mulugeta
As a way of dealing with Nigeria’s macroeconomic challenge of unemployment and its concomitant socio-economic problems, the federal government, in 2006, made entrepreneurship study a compulsory course for all higher education students irrespective of their area of specialization. However, studies have shown that the programme is yet to achieve its goals as many Nigerian graduates still remain unemployed long after graduation. Using Sen’s capability approach, this paper aims to investigate business incubation as an effective tool for enhancing entrepreneurial capabilities beyond entrepreneurship education.
Towards low‐cost community networks in rural communities: The impact of context using the case study of Beitbridge, Zimbabwe
(Wiley, 2018) Gwaka, Leon Tinashe; May, Julian; Tucker, William David
Most rural communities in developing countries such as Zimbabwe are underserved and/or unserved with regard to telecommunication connectivity. Governments in developing countries are also under‐resourced to provide adequate digital infrastructure. Thus, community networks are increasingly seen as viable alternatives to bridge the infrastructure gap in Africa. However, new infrastructure interventions in developing countries face many challenges including complex interventions stemming from complex policies inserted into complex sociopolitical environments. The success of community networks in other African countries prompts this investigation into the potential of transferring the community network approach to Zimbabwe. The objective of this article is to frame how context impacts development of digital infrastructure. Zimbabwe's telecommunication regulatory framework is on the verge of countenancing the development of community networks, and for this reason, there is need for research to inform would‐be investors, policy makers, and other stakeholders such as academia, NGOs, and communities themselves, on how the sociopolitical and economic environment impact these efforts. This is important because successful deployment of a community network may result in improved community development, eg, in food security, health, and education.
Policy, politics and leadership in slum upgrading: A comparative analysis ofHarare and Kampala
(Elsevier, 2018) Muchadenyika, Davison; Waiswa, Jeremy
Slum upgrading is one of the preferred options in dealing with ubiquitous informality in cities across the world.Drawing on experiences in two African cities namely Harare and Kampala; the article focuses on the role ofpolicy, politics and leadership in slum upgrading. This paper is based on interviews conducted with urbanleaders and managers, politicians, slum dwellers federation members and government officials. With regards toslum upgrading, the paper makes three arguments. First, policies guiding upgrading should evolve graduallyover time, taking into consideration lessons learned. Second, tensions in party-politics tend to undermine slumupgrading programmes. This is mainly because of the vulnerability of informal settlers who are often used assources and resources for political agency. Third, leadership at the city level plays a fundamental role in diffusingparty-politics and championing inclusive municipal governance, and development.
Challenging the odds of vulnerability and resilience in lone migration: coping strategies of Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors in South Africa
(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Adefehinti, Bolutife; Arts, Karin
Childhood vulnerability attracts more societal and scholarly attention than child resilience. This article presents experiences of some Zimbabwean Unaccompanied Minors (ZUMs) in South Africa as an example of children who adapt to living as migrant minors separated from their parents. Using life history and aspiration interviews with eighteen ZUMs, we explore their coping strategies to test theoretical perceptions about childhood vulnerability and expand knowledge of how they are being affirmed and/or challenged. With research conducted in Makhado (Louis Trichardt), a non-border town in South Africa, the article highlights the nuances of ZUMs living in-shelter with catered needs versus ZUMs living out-of-shelter and fending for themselves. The interconnected effects of this on the children’s agency, vulnerability and resilience, now and potentially in future are also explored. In engaging the philosophy that some childhoods are inherently difficult, the study confirms that some ZUMs cope successfully despite being caught-up in tensions between structure-agency and vulnerability-resilience. The coping strategies of ZUMs reinforced some forms of vulnerability, while they camouflaged or silenced others. This cautions against the adoption of uncritical, or generic views about children’s agency and capabilities. The study concludes that individual and societal context matter greatly in discourses about child agency, vulnerability and resilience.
Politics, centralisation and service delivery in urban Zimbabwe
(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Muchadenyika, Davison; Williams, John J.
The politics of urban control has revolved around centralisation since independence in 1980. However, such politics became more pronounced after 2000 owing to the rise of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as the main governing party in urban areas. Political tensions and contradictions ensued between central government, under the Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) (ZANU[PF]), and local authorities, under the MDC, over the control and administration of urban areas. Based on 30 interviews, the article explains how central government and, by extension, ZANU(PF) attempted to regain control of urban areas through centralisation of water and vehicle licensing functions. This practice, however, contravenes existing laws. Hitherto, scholarship has attributed centralisation by the government to a strategy to defuse the opposition rule in cities. This article extends reasons for centralisation to include ZANU(PF)’s strong ideological belief in centralisation, access to resources in a failing economy and maintaining a firm grip on power. In particular, the article focuses on how urban politics is manifested in the transfer of water and sanitation and vehicle licensing functions from local authorities to government-run entities. It is also evident that the prioritisation of survival politics neglects key service delivery in urban centres. In the absence of a functionally devolved system of governance, this casts doubt on the feasibility and success of opposition political parties in governing African cities.
Encouraging smallholder farmer livelihoods and constructing food security through home-grown school feeding: Evidence from Northern Ghana
(Centro Universitário de Brasilia, 2018) Mensah, Clement
Globally, a new school feeding paradigm is emerging; one that incentivises smallholder farmers’ access to reliable markets and boosts their incomes. Drawing on the Ghana School Feeding Programme and Netherlands Development Organisation’s (SNV) Grain Banks initiative, this paper finds that besides accounting for about half of households’ farm income, the grain banks approach has a strong potential for boosting farm households food security.
Social Policy in South Africa: The challenges of poverty, inequality and exclusion
(2018) Conradie, Ina
South Africa is currently emerging from a political and socio-economic crisis. A political faction largely based on patrimonialism threatened to destroy the economy and thus social service delivery. With the recent election of Cyril Ramaphosa as State President a new start has been made to build a successful economy which can act as a base for pro-poor policies. This process will however not be easy. Although South Africa is known as the welfare leader in Africa, with 45.5% of its population receiving welfare grants, these social grants are not large enough to alleviate poverty, and almost 54% of the population remains under the poverty line. The National Planning Commission of South Africa is attempting to institute a comprehensive social security floor to cover all possible needs of the poor and excluded, but with the numbers cited above this remains a difficult undertaking.

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