Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Development Studies)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10566/16142

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 48

Purification and biophysical properties of tomato spotted wilt virus
(University of the Western Cape, 1972) Joubert, J J; van Wechmar, Barbara; van Regenmortel, M.H.V.
The virus etiology of tobacco wilt, a disease of tobacco known in South Africa since 1905, was determined. by Moore (1933). After establishing the relationship between this virus and its thrips vector, she realized that this virus was identical to or a strain of the Australian tomato spotted wilt virus described by Samuel, Ba1d. & Pittman, 1930. Although the virus nature of this disease had already been established in 1950, the first attempt to obtain purified virus preparations was only reported twenty years later (Black, Brakke & Vatter 1952) a detailed description of the purification method appeared in a second paper when the authors also reported some biophysical properties of the virus (Black et al.1961).
From state maintenance grants 'to a new child support system: Building a policy for poverty alleviation with special reference to the financial, social, and developmental impacts.
(University of the Western Cape, 1998) Haarmann, Dirk; Ie Roux, P
State social security transfers for families existed in South Africa only in the form of state maintenance grants, which paid up to R700 to single parents. The system was not appropriate in the South African context, being racially biased and financially unsustainable. The Department of Welfare - following in principle the recommendations of the "Lund report" - introduced with effect from 1 April 1998 a child support grant which is payable to the primary care-givers of children, regardless of their family status. The level of benefit was set at RIOOper month per child for children up to the age of six (incl.). The Department declared that 48% or 3 million children should be targeted. At the same time, the SMGs are to be phased out over a three year period. This research was conducted between November 1995 and March 1998. The analysis of the different suggestions during the policy process and the final policy is based on two pillars: • A situation analysis of the living conditions of South Africa's children on the basis of a composite index. • An evaluation of policy scenarios on the basis of a microsimulation model. The index tries to give a complex picture of the living conditions of children by looking at the financial situation, housing, health, and employment opportunities of the households the children are living in. The analysis reveals that nearly 70% of South Africa's children up to the age of six (incl.) live below the poverty line as defined. A further analysis of the household structure indicates that poorer children are likely to live in larger households. The overall policy shift from a support of single parent families to children in poverty regardless of their family status is espoused. However, the microsimulation model which analyses the impact of different factors like the 'level of benefit', the 'age-cohort', the 'means-test', and the 'administrative requirements', reveals that there are still serious flaws in the current policy. Due to the fact that the means-test is based on the total household income, nearly 40% of the children living below the poverty line are excluded. In addition, the administration needs urgent attention as its capacity is the decisive factor in the success of the programme. The thesis calculates that in the next five years up to R2 billion less will be spent on poor children and the goal of reaching 3 million children will not be achieved, if the problems identified are not addressed. The thesis develops an alternative suggestion to the current policy. While microsimulation has become quite a standard procedure in the analysis of social policies in industrialised countries, there is so far no application in developing countries. It is hoped that by taking this policy analysis as a case-study, this thesis is a step towards the introduction of this method here. Microsimulation models provide important information to enhance the transparency and accountability of policy processes. In this case, civil society was able to challenge Government's decision on a very informed basis, to put pressure on decision makers successfully, and to make workable alternative suggestions. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that against Government's promise redistribution does not take place. Instead a shift towards a more neo-liberal approach in social policy is observed.
Inflation in South Africa: 1921 to 2006. History, measurement and credibility
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Rossouw, Johannes Jacobus; Padayachee, Vishnu
This study reports the development and use of an original methodology to measure inflation credibility, as well as the first results of such measurement in terms of an inflation credibility barometer. The barometer is an instrument measuring the degree of acceptance of the accuracy of historic inflation figures. Despite the lack of knowledge about inflation and the low inflation credibility recorded by this first calculation of an inflation credibility barometer for South Africa, valuable information about inflation is unveiled to the authorities. The research results serve as a benchmark, but cannot be compared to earlier research, as this study represents the first systematic measurement of inflation credibility in South Africa. The barometer yields better results than the limited current international measurement of perceptions of the accuracy of historic inflation figures. The barometer (i) reports the credibility of inflation figures as a figure between zero and 100; (ii) will highlight changes in credibility over time with repeated use; (iii) can be explained easily to the general public; (iv) provides for international comparison between countries; and (v) can be used by all countries. The use of inflation credibility barometers and changes in barometer readings over time can also serve as an early warning system for changes in inflation perceptions that might feed through to inflation expectations.
An investigation of land grabbing amidst resettlement in post-conflict Amuru District, Northern Uganda
(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Serwajja, Eria; Hall, Ruth
This dissertation investigates the processes which underpin land grabbing, the diverse land grab types, actors involved and their roles in facilitating the expropriation of community land. It also interrogates the agrarian transformations and socio-economic consequences and the mechanisms employed by the local communities in Amuru district of Northern Uganda to block and resist the expropriation of their land. To achieve these objectives, this study employed a qualitative research design and methodology. The techniques that were used to collect the data are review of secondary data, individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study revealed that liberalisation of the Ugandan economy reduced the role of the state and subsequently promoted market approaches to land and agrarian reform. Market-led approaches have facilitated the commoditisation and entry of private investment in land and agriculture in Uganda. The dissertation identifies two distinct categories of land grabs in Amuru district. The first category comprises of two cases. One, large-scale land grabbing for commercial agriculture by the Madhvani Group in Lakang village; and two, large-scale land grabbing for conservation purposes by Lake Albert Safaris Limited in Apaa village. The second category encompasses localised small-scale land grabs between and among local communities of Amuru district. I further disaggregated the localised small-scale land grabs into four broad categories which are ‘inter and intra-community’ as well as ‘inter and intra-family’ land grabs, with the former encompassing the broader members of the community, while the latter involves members of related families. The actors who are directly and indirectly involved in land grabbing are domestic and foreign investors, the Ugandan state, Uganda Wildlife Authority, local governments, military personnel, the politically connected and rich peasants in Amuru district. Whereas land grabbing in Amuru district has resulted in the accumulation of more land, power and capital for domestic and foreign investors as well as local elites, loss of agrarian livelihood systems, rights to land, cultural heritage, identity, spirituality and belonging, incarceration and loss of lives as well as destruction of property have, in turn, disempowered and marginalised the local communities. A wide range of response mechanisms, including open display of nudity by elderly women, seeking legal redress from statutory courts and traditional authorities, questioning the procedure of land acquisition, acceptance and rejection of widow inheritance have been deployed by the local communities to block and resist the expropriation of their land.
The viability of the South African National Development Plan and Amartya Sen's theory of ethical development
(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Davids, Rochelle Nicolette; Lombard, Christo
"Development" has emerged as a key word indicating the level of participation in and integration into the global economy of previously "under-developed" or marginalized countries, especially from the so-called "Third World". Even though decolonial theory contests the validity of what is seen as a particular arrogant Western assessment of the norms at work in such classification of nation-states, it is widely accepted that there is a direct equation between growth and equality: The lower the level of inequality in any country, the faster and the more sustainable the growth in the economy is expected to be. South Africa's dilemma is that it portrays the extreme negative aspect of this fundamental socio-economic formula. The country has a high level of inequality and seems to be stuck in low economic growth! In essence, the current high level of inequality in South Africa results in slow and unsustainable growth in the economy. A healthy development path for South Africa would mean that both economic growth and equality should be sustainably sought. Colonial and apartheid periods elicited processes of planning and development which may have been well-managed and controlled but were fundamentally unjust, being based on stark inequalities, and thus strongly and justifiably opposed. The central focus of this study is to ethically assess the rationale and implementation of the South African National Development Plan (NDP), developed on the basis of the country‘s model new Constitution in order to ensure good quality of life and dignity for all its citizens. The goal of this study is to determine to which extent the NDP is viable in this sense, and can be supported on the basis of a responsible ethical development paradigm, such as Amartya Sen's comprehensive theory of "development as freedom". The relevance of this thesis is that it aims at contributing towards a trustworthy assessment framework for testing all aspects of the NDP, especially its ethical viability.To test the viability of the NDP the study zoomed in on detailed assessments of the following frameworks: 1) Critical historical studies of South Africa's international political and economic development, 2) Constitutional and human rights studies into the constitutional framework of the NDP and its socio-ethical perspectives, 3) Studies on development Theory to identify gaps or suspect aspects of the NDP, 4) Studies on globalization and a global ethic to specifically understand the positive and negative sides of globalization as relevant factors in development discourse in South Africa, and 5) A particular study of Sen's comprehensive development framework to use a theory acknowledged for its comprehensiveness and ethical sharpness to thoroughly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the NDP. Some preliminary findings drawn from this study suggest that the (utilitarian or consequentialist) goals and objectives of the NDP are generally seen as positive and pointing in the right direction. However, the deeper ethical analysis of the NDP, linked to the emergence of responsibility theory, a global ethic (a deontological social ethic for the world), a particular African virtue ethic (Ubuntu), and specifically to Amartya Sen's ethical analysis of the kind of agency and freedom needed by the actors in the drama of development – together - expose various shortcomings in the NDP, some of its goals, its implementation, sustainability, and the new ethos it embodies. The concluding remarks of this study thus provide a number of critical points, ethically spoken, on crucial details of the NDP. Such aspects of the NDP are, for instance, its "utility" (according to the theory which holds that actions are right if they lead to optimum happiness for the greatest number of people); its "morality" (good outcomes or results produced by right actions, consequences which generally outweigh all other considerations); its "virtue" (which focuses on individual agency, morality and duties), but also in typical African fashion, the quality of its "Ubuntu" (the being together of people defining each member of the clan‘s humanity and dignity). Sen's accent on the inner freedom, the agency, of individuals and people, organized in civil society - to support each other, to be open, ready and engaged in their own development - seems to provide some of the missing ingredients for the NDP and its path. Such ingredients cannot be guaranteed or "produced" by human rights, constitutions, rule of law, or even a bill of rights. In the face of state capture, corrupt leadership, personal greed, lack of personal integrity or virtue, disregard for divine commands or human rights, this one factor seems to be the only medicine that works: deep-seated personal agency (of the individual and of civil society), generating strong determination, joint action and a belief of a future commonwealth that does honour the original dream of the Freedom Charter. Hopefully the critical questions emerging from the multi-level ethical assessment of the NDP, may stimulate new debates and set out new research agendas for a just and peaceful future for the "Rainbow Nation".
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.
Justice: Contractual or psychologically Embedded? Two approaches to the idea of Social Justice
(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Stephens, John Joseph Martin; Beck, Simon
I briefly restate the structure and essential elements of Rawls's theory of justice to facilitate an understanding of its basic narrative, before examining a few of the critiques of his approach to the question of social justice. Then an approach to that question is developed, based on an evolutionary psychology (EP) understanding wherein knowledge and principles from evolutionary biology are used in research on the structure of the human notions of social justice. This leads to an understanding of the basic intuitive grasp humans have of the idea of justice from its role in human evolutionary history, which is then formulated in two principles of social justice. This understanding is thereafter related to the Rawlsian narrative and its critiques in a discussion which indicates divergences but also congruencies between the two approaches. It is also noted that the EP approach offers some insights that are lacking in justice as fairness but are also in fact supportive of some of its conclusions and arguments. It is further found that the EP approach has important implications for public policy.
Social movements and planning institutions in urban transformation : housing in metropolitan Harare, Zimbabwe (2000-2015)
(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Muchadenyika, Davison; Williams, John J
This thesis examines the interaction between social movements and planning institutions in the delivery of low-income housing in metropolitan Harare. Post-2000, the problem of housing in Zimbabwe has been characterised by the weak technical and financial capacity of local authorities and central government to deliver low-income housing and social movements challenging conventional housing delivery approaches and promoting alternatives. Between 2000 and 2015, the largest share of low-income housing was provided by housing movements. This study employs transformative theory (Friedmann, 2011) to explain how societies, especially marginalised people, organise alternative services pertinent to their lifestyles. The thesis draws on 95 key informant interviews, 14 focus group discussions (with 120 members of housing movements), and enumeration survey data (covering 6,636 households). It uses extensive material from document analysis (council resolutions, council committee reports, departmental annual reports, co-operative audits and reports, and government investigation reports). This study uses purposive sampling in which defined criteria were used to select housing movements. The study suggests that there has been urban transformation in metropolitan Harare. As argued in this thesis, urban transformation is evidenced by changes in the urban fabric (for instance, through new housing and infrastructure services for the predominantly poor population), reconfiguration of power (with the urban poor playing a vital role in urban development) and the adoption by planning institutions of grassroots-centred planning and housing delivery approaches. This transformation seems to be the result of four factors. First, the sudden increase in social movements involved in the ‘formal and informal’ delivery of low-income housing. Secondly, the drastic decline in the capacity of central and local governments to fulfil their housing delivery mandates. Thirdly, the changes to low-income housing delivery approaches in terms of both planning and housing policy and practice. Lastly, the Fast Track Land Reform Programme has had a wide impact on access to housing in peri-urban areas. The study concludes that urban transformation has primarily been the result of social movements placing pressure on planning authorities which has brought a new urban development order. Interactions between social movements and planning institutions have been characterised by struggles, contestation and alliances, which continue to profoundly shape urban planning and housing in Zimbabwe.
The political economy of social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: Tracing the agenda in Zambia and Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Kapingidza, Samuel; Devereux, Stephen
This study traces the political economy of the social protection policy processes in the two country case studies of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It focuses on the role of global actors/external agencies (bilaterals, multilaterals and IFIs), national actors (government, parliament) and local actors (beneficiary communities, INGOs, CSOs) in social protection policy evolution. It looks at the power dynamics within the policy space: who is more powerful and who is less powerful, who voices and whose voice matters, who makes decisions and who follows decisions, who drives the policy and who follows, who has the money and who follows the money, who consults and who is consulted, and whether the rural communities (perceived beneficiaries) are active participants or ‘passive’ recipients. Therefore, the study is based on key informant interviews with officials from government, external agencies, INGOs and CSOs as well as focus group discussions with the communities. What emerges is that social protection is a policy contestation between the external agencies themselves; between external agencies and the government; between personnel of the same external agency; and within the government itself. Despite being driven by a common goal to fight poverty, external agencies have different global social protection policy positions and each would ‘push’ for the adoption of that policy position over the rest. Contestation between external agencies and the government reflect that government priorities differ from those of the external agencies. While external agencies pushed for social protection, the government would prefer agricultural subsidies to support the productive capacity of the people. Intra-government ‘struggles’ relate to the contest over which ministry is best placed to coordinate social protection and Ministry of Finance’s ambivalence over budgetary commitment to social protection. The study therefore underscores the primacy of politics in social protection.
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.
The role of the informal economy in Libya's development: A case study of the informal food sector in Misrata
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Tika, Ali Abduallah; May, Julian D.; Jonah, Coretta M.
In society, development had hitherto been mainly defined in relation to the pursuit and sustenance of balanced economic growth. Since the new millennium however, the essence of development has increasingly shifted beyond minimalist economic definitions, to include a balanced incorporation of social welfare focusing on core areas like health and education, and other issues like environmental sustainability. Also, linkages have been established between both aspects, such that for all countries, developed or developing, the success of economic policies is often influenced by and/or linked to the extent of social development. Still, priorities differ between developed and developing countries. While developed countries are more concerned with issues of global peace and national security, most developing countries focus on poverty eradication, job creation, universal access to quality education and improved health services. Libya’s vibrant informal economy has the potential to contribute to the country’s economic and national development efforts. The informal food sector, which is a part of the informal economy, can play an important role in this. Not only does the sector provide food to the poor at affordable prices, it also creates employment and business opportunities for a large number of people who otherwise would find it difficult to find employment, earn a living and secure theirs and their family’s livelihoods through income generated within the sector. Despite this, very few studies have been conducted to explore the nature and potential of the sector.
Understanding the democratisation process in the Middle East and North Africa after the ‘Arab Spring’: The case of Libya
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Alahwal, Abdsalam; Pillay, Suren
In this research study, the researcher explores the democratisation process in the Middle East and North African region (MENA), with Libya as the case study. The study is based on the views of students and lecturers from universities in the three major regions of post-revolution Libya – Tripoli, Benghazi and Sabha – and examines how the relationship between democracy and revolution is perceived. The causes of the Arab Spring revolution, as well as its economic, social and political implications are presented in the study, based on reviewed literature, and the perspectives drawn from the study sample. Finally, the researcher presents the challenges and barriers to the process of democratisation after the Arab Spring.
Digital infrastructure and food systems in rural communities of Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Gwaka, Leon Tinashe; Tucker, William D.
This study examines the relationship between digital infrastructure and the sustainability of livestock systems in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. The study aims to answer the question: Do digital infrastructure transformations impact the sustainability of livestock systems in rural communities? By answering this question, the study contributes towards efforts to enhance food security in rural communities, achieve Sustainable Development Goals (1, 2, 5 & 9) at grassroots levels as well as achieve the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation. The study details a digital infrastructure intervention in Beitbridge and applies post-positivist approaches towards the intervention’s impact assessment to develop recommendations on whether digital infrastructure interventions should be prioritized in rural communities towards improving food security. The study was conducted in four villages of Ward 15 in Beitbridge and the target population were livestock system actors. Using a mixed methods approach, data collection, with the assistance of locally recruited research assistants, was conducted between 2015 and 2018. Qualitative data were collected using community visioning workshops, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and participant observations. Household survey questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data. Data analysis was completed using a mixed methods approach. The first objective of the study, using the Socio-Ecological System framework, was to characterise the livestock system, explore livestock contribution towards household food security and determine the livestock system’s sustainability. The study established that livestock play multiple roles towards household food security contributing to different dimensions of food security. Households sell livestock to generate income to purchase (access) food and include animal source foods in their diets even though different consumption patterns of different livestock species were observed. Apart from this, livestock also play sociocultural roles. However, the study established that the livestock system is fragile, stemming from multiple factors such as poor governance and a lack of appropriate infrastructure. Secondly, using Kleine’s Choice Framework, the study investigated the potential of digital technologies to contribute towards sustainable livestock systems. Study findings suggest that digital technologies can enhance the dimensions of choice of livestock system actors. However, a lack of digital infrastructure inhibits the integration of digital technologies in the livestock system. The potential of these technologies and the fragility of local value chains has however triggered interventions by government and non-governmental organisations including the MOSMAC project in Beitbridge rural.
Sustainable irrigation agriculture for food security and poverty reduction among smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Adeniyi, Daniel Adeoluwa Seun; Dinbabo, Mulugeta
Nigeria, like many African countries is caught up in the uncertainty of the effectiveness of agricultural intervention in achieving food security, poverty reduction and improved quality of life. This ambiguity is more pronounced especially in rural areas where majority of the poor and those involved in agriculture reside. Indeed, issues relating to resource utilization and productivity in the agricultural sector and how they affect livelihoods and food security of smallholder households remain underexplored. The study examines the contribution of small-scale irrigation agriculture towards ensuring food security and poverty alleviation among smallholder households. It assesses the productivity, food security and livelihoods status of smallholder households in the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project, North West Nigeria, the relationship that exist between the phenomena, as well as factors influencing them. It also explores smallholder households’ differentials on the basis of their efficiency, food security and income status, and what other factors determine the smallholder typologies. The research was situated within three bodies of theoretical work; political ecology, political economy of food and agriculture, and sustainable livelihoods. This was done with a view to providing a nuanced understanding of both the micro and macro processes and factors influencing agricultural production, food security and livelihoods of smallholder households. A concurrent triangulation mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. This involves the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of research to drive the research agenda. Systematic random sampling technique was used to collect data for the quantitative aspect and purposive sampling was used to select participants for semi-structured interviews for the qualitative research. A total of 370 questionnaires were administered but 306 questionnaires were successfully completed and returned, representing an 83% response rate. Also eight respondents were interviewed for the study. While thematic content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data, quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.
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.
Information and communication technologies for development: Reshaping poverty in South Africa
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Diga, Kathleen; May, J D
The aim of this thesis is to examine the association between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and poverty reduction in South Africa. ICTs have been argued to be a means to improve household livelihoods and thereby to provide people with the capability of changing their existing poverty trajectories. The study conceptually investigates ICTs as a contributor to human development through the theoretical lens the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF). Since ICTs broaden the asset base of the poor, the study first theorises household access to ICT as a new form of capital, termed as the ‘digital basket’. This new wealth indicator augments the current well-developed list of capitals adopted within the SLF approach. This digital basket concept and the ICT systems that provide its components are described, establishing the theoretical contributions of this thesis.
The dwelling as a workspace: Urban planning and home-based entrepreneurs in Kampala city slums
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Waiswa, Jeremy; du Toit, Andries
The ubiquitous urban informality that characterises the cityscape of most sub-Saharan cities, has been impacted by states’ rationalised urban planning interventions to make urban spaces, and the activities of citizens more legible and governable. This study aimed at understanding the effects of urban planning and the regulatory environment on the business operations of the home-based entrepreneurial households and the strategies employed by these households to ensure their livelihood survival. The study used Katanga slum in Kampala, Uganda as a case study. The study approaches urban planning as a dialectical process, and therefore critically discusses the production and use of space (through urban planning) at different spatial scales of the city, slum and household, while highlighting the challenges experienced by the households and how they cope with these challenges. To facilitate the understanding of these issues, the study employed an integrated theoretical framework that comprised of Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, Scott’s concept of state legibility, Jalan & Ravallion’s concept of urban spatial poverty traps, and Clark’s border theory.
The role of the local enterprise and skills development programme (LESDEP) in reducing youth unemployment and promoting sustainable livelihoods in the central region of Ghana
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Agwani, Kwesi Aloysius; Dinbabo, Mulugeta F
Unemployment rates in Ghana are high, and the problem persists in developing countries, making it a significant economic problem for these economies. Unemployment generates severe economic and social issues such as poverty, social exclusion and rural-urban migration; it also poses a threat to national stability. In Ghana, unemployment is more prevalent among urban dwellers than those in rural areas, particularly among the youth. Since independence, successive governments in Ghana have implemented several skills development programmes to reduce youth unemployment. Skills development is regarded as playing a crucial role in Ghana’s youth employability by providing unemployed youth with technical and entrepreneurial skills to become self-employed to improve their livelihoods and socio-economic conditions. However, the impact of these programmes on youth unemployment in the short-run has been weak as a result of its partial and fragmented nature. This study examines the effects of skills development programmes on youth employability using the Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) given that skills development is crucial in building human capital, financial capital and social networks. The Ghanaian government, as a means of stemming the tide of unemployment, introduced the Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme to provide skills that would make the youth employable. The programme is envisaged to reduce unemployment among the youth in Ghana.
The right to adequate housing in Zimbabwe: A contextual and jurisprudential anatomy of public housing policy implementation; Harare (2000-2018)
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Chidhawu, Tinotenda; Durojaye, Ebenezer
Amid notable and ongoing research about housing, structural hurdles crippling state efforts to guarantee the right to adequate housing have been extensively analysed and widely recognised. Albeit study after study demonstrates bureaucratic lethargy, the housing challenge is much complex. Harare increasingly appears to be a city in a housing crisis. The depredations of politics have repeatedly frustrated orderly urbanisation. Comparatively little on the politics of housing has been written or studied. Consequently, the realisation of the right to housing is under constant threat with the city spiralling into endemic disorder. The turbulent policy landscape since 2000 plunged housing into a chaotic and unstable milieu
In the best interest of the child: Food choices and body mass index of adult and children living in urban peripheral townships in Cape Town
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Belebema, Michael Ngautem; Dinbabo, Mulugeta
The increase in overweight and obesity worldwide is described as a global health epidemic. A great proportion of this epidemic is now found in low- and middle-income countries with higher levels of prevalence, particularly in emerging economies. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa ranks high in the prevalence of obesity at all levels. Since the inception of democracy in 1994, the government is yet to overcome the burden of poverty and inequality routed in its apartheid past. Apartheid systematically and unjustly disintegrated and segregated black Africans and people of Colour, denying them access to economic opportunity, thus leaving them on a dependency status. Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain are the relics of apartheid policies. Obesity and associated diseases are highly correlated with gender dynamics, economic conditions, nutritional status, poverty, and urbanisation. It is increasingly evident that poor urban dwellers, especially women and children are at risk of obesity-related factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases. The increasing incidence of obesity especially amongst children is concerning. The prevalence of child poverty is in South Africa is a cause for concern. Over 18.5million children are in South Africa, 64% of which are dependent on CSG. With poverty and inequality affecting millions of households, access to food and quality food has reached crises level. Yet, it is a basic human right that has received little empirical response amongst policymaker in South Africa. The South African food system is complex, poverty is endemic and poor households are most vulnerable to unhealthy eating habits. This research critically analysis the link between food choices, overweight and obesity in adults and children living in urban peripheral communities in Cape Town. The study was designed to interrogate the kinds of food eaten by urban peripheral dwellers, their socioeconomic status and how the policy of the BIC addresses the problem of child obesity in South Africa.

Browse

Browsing by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options