Research Publications

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10566/1351

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 50

Making life liveable in an informal market Infrastructures of friendship amongst migrant street traders in Durban, South Africa
(Berghahn Journals, 2023) Mbatha, Nomkhosi; Koskimaki, Leah
African migrants working in street trading business in Durban, South Africa oft en face xenophobia and must navigate policies regulating the informal economy. However, they sustain livelihoods in urban markets through building friendships while maintaining transnational connections back home. Based on qualitative research conducted in 2019 and 2021 with thirty street traders from Senegal, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Malawi at the Workshop Flea Market in Durban, the article interrogates the way in which friendship and conviviality emerge in informal market spaces. Building on AbdouMaliq Simone’s concept of “people as infrastructure,” we show how migrant street traders in the Workshop Market invest in the urban collective, while locally and transnationally connected through economic and aff ective exchanges.
Deep-sea fisheries as resilient bioeconomic systems for food and nutrition security and sustainable development
(Elsevier, 2023) Gatto, Andrea; Sadik-Zada, Elkhan Richard; Ozbek, Sürmeya
population, contributing to a substantial shift toward fishing in the mesopelagic zone. These areas contain a potentially huge amount of fish biomass. Considering that the global population will demand an increase of 60% in food production by 2050, it appears that exploiting the mesopelagic resources is simply a question of time. The present paper reviews the major risks and opportunities related to the exploitation of mesopelagic fisheries. Due to the significance of the uncertainties related to the stock of fish resources, environmental and biodiversity effects of the deep-sea fisheries, this inquiry advocates for the enhancement of sustainable small-sized deep-sea fishery practices on the one hand side and a global moratorium on large-scale mesopelagic fishing on the other hand. Deep seas could provide substantial resources for combating global food insecurity and facilitate a substantial improvement of the nutritional status in the regions plagued by a high incidence of infant mortality and disproportional poverty headcount ratios. For the sake of global and regional food and nutrition security, the exploitation of the biological resources of the mesopelagic zone is a legitimate target, whereby environmental sustainability is the major precondition for the rollout of these kinds of fishing activities.
Connecting relational wellbeing and participatory action research: Reflections on ‘unlikely’ transformations among women caring for disabled children in South Africa
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023) van der Mark, Elise J.; Zuiderent-Jerak, Teun; Conradie, Ina M.
Participatory action research (PAR) is a form of community-drivenqualitative research which aims to collaboratively take action toimprove participants’lives. This is generally achieved throughcognitive, reflexive learning cycles, whereby people ultimatelyenhance their wellbeing. This approach builds on twoassumptions: (1) participants are able to reflect on and prioritizedifficulties they face; (2) collective impetus and action areprogressively achieved, ultimately leading to increased wellbeing.This article complicates these assumptions by analyzing a two-year PAR project with mothers of disabled children from a SouthAfrican urban settlement. Participant observation notes,interviews, and a group discussion served as primary data. Wefound that mothers’severe psychological stress and the strongintersectionality of their daily challenges hampered participation.Consequently, mothers considered the project‘inactionable’.
The threat of Covid-19 on food security: A modelling perspective of scenarios in the informal settlements in Windhoek
(MDPI, 2023) Nickanor, Ndeyapo M.; Tawodzera, Godfrey; Kazembe, Lawrence N.
Due to the heterogeneity among households across locations, predicting the impacts of stay-at-home mitigation and lockdown strategies for COVID-19 control is crucial. In this study, we quantitatively assessed the effects of the Namibia government’s lockdown control measures on food insecurity in urban informal settlements with a focus on Windhoek, Namibia. We developed three types of conditional regression models to predict food insecurity prevalence (FIP) scenarios incorporating household frequency of food purchase (FFP) as the impacting factor, based on the Hungry Cities Food Matrix. Empirical data were derived from the 2017 African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN) Windhoek study and applied univariate probit and bivariate partial observability models to postulate the relation between food insecurity and FFP within the context of stay-at-home disease mitigation strategy. The findings showed that FFP was positively correlated with the prevalence of food insecurity (r = 0.057, 95% CI: 0.0394, 0.085). Daily purchases portrayed a survivalist behaviour and were associated with increased food insecurity (coeff = 0.076, p = 0.05).
International migration and social protection in South Africa
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2022) Nzabamwita, Jonas; Dinbabo, Mulugeta
For a developing country, South Africa has the most comprehensive social protection system in terms of social grant coverage. Moreover, the country is also often hailed for its transformative constitution which enshrines socio-economic rights for all. Similarly, South Africa is widely praised for its progressive refugee policy, which encourages refugees to self-settle into the local community, and those who are not able to support themselves are provided with services in the same way as the citizens of South Africa. In light of this, in 2012 the Department of Social Development promulgated changes to the regulations, by which refugees became eligible to claim social grants provided by the government of South Africa.
Making asylum seekers more vulnerable in South Africa: The negative effects of hostile asylum policies on livelihoods
(Wiley, 2020) Carciotto, Sergio
In post-apartheid South Africa, migration policies and legislation have left critical issues such as social cohesion and integration unsolved. Furthermore, the inability to reconcile the national interest of maintaining borders’ integrity with respecting moral and legal obligations has placed the asylum system under tremendous stress. Drawing from secondary sources, as well as qualitative interviews, this paper explores the development of new asylum policies aimed at curtailing asylum seekers’ right to work in South Africa. The study’s findings provide support for the conclusions of earlier research that highlights the consequences of hostile policies and practices for asylum seekers’ livelihoods. The author argues that curtailments on asylum seekers’ right to work will have many possible socio-economic ramifications. In the immediate term, the legislation seeks to inhibit asylum seekers from engaging in self-employment, while in the long run it may achieve the undesired effect of producing more precarious forms of livelihood.
Do share allocations to the indigenous investor drive the demand for IPOS?
(MDPI, 2023) Tajuddin, Ahmad Hakimi; Gopal, Kanesh; Sadik-Zada, Elkhan Richard
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of allocating shares to the indigenous (Bumiputera) investors on the oversubscription ratio of IPO. This factor is unique to Malaysian IPOs and would enable us to reflect the signaling theory. Data on 348 IPO firms listed on Bursa Malaysia over a span of 17 years from 2002 to 2018 were examined using a cross-sectional regression analysis. The findings demonstrated no significant impact arising from the fractions of shares allocated to Bumiputera investors on the oversubscription ratios, except that the revised guidelines on the Bumiputera equity requirement had a significant negative influence on oversubscription. Further tests showed that the influence of such share allocation on oversubscription was moderated by firm size, which was proxied by market capitalization. The findings lend support to the signaling theory, indicating that the demand for IPOs will be slightly higher for larger firms listed in bigger markets.
Resource rents, savings behavior, and scenarios of economic development
(Elsevier, 2023) Sadik-Zada, Elkhan Richard
The paper revisits the nexus between natural resources and economic growth from the lens of development economics. It augments the traditional dual-sector economy model by the assumption that in addition to capitalists, also workers contribute to the capital accumulation through private savings out of their wage income. The proposed differential game theory model of the interaction between the public and the elites identifies two realistic open loop Nash and three Stackelberg scenarios for the management of the commodity driven budget surplus. Based on the conventional transversality conditions, the model detects a progressing decay of social cohesion and institutional quality. It shows that at the early stages of the exploitation of the natural resource riches, both the public and elites enable a rather modernization-friendly scenaros. At the rather advanced stages of the exploitation of natural resources both groups try to maximize their short-term private benefits and by doing so protract or even inhibit the process of economic modernization. The study finds that the savings behavior of the workers has a positive modernization effect. Nevertheless, workers’ savings cannot fully offset the negative modernization effects of the inferior management of natural resource revenues.
Persistence of the inverse care law in maternal health service utilization: An examination of antenatal care and hospital delivery in Ghana
(PAGEpress, 2019) Jonah, Coretta M.P.
The gap in maternal health outcomes, access and utilization between the haves and have-nots continues to be a challenge globally despite improvements over the past decade. Though Ghana has experienced steady gains in maternal health access and utilization over the years, maternal outcomes, on the other hand, remain poor. In this regard, it is essential to know how various groups in the population achieved improvements and whether some women continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged. The paper performs an analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2017 Ghana maternal health survey to examine the existence of the inverse care law in maternal health services in Ghana. Using descriptive techniques and multivariate logistic regression models the study reveals a pro-rich and pro-urban gradient in the use of hospital facilities for delivery and antenatal care attendance — also, regions known for their high levels of poverty feature significantly lower rates of hospital deliveries. The paper concludes by stressing that unless policies are changed to accommodate these groups, overall gains in maternal health will continue to be incremental.
Leveraging the potential of wild food for healthy, sustainable, and equitable local food systems: Learning from a transformation lab in the Western Cape region
(Springer, 2022) Pereira, Laura M.; Kushitor, Sandra Boatemaa; Willis, Jenny
Food insecurity and diet-related diseases do not only have detrimental efects to human health, but are also underpinned by food systems that are environmentally unsustainable and culturally disconnected. Ensuring access to a healthy, afordable, and sustainable diet is one of the greatest challenges facing many low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa. These challenges in accessing a diverse diet often persist despite biocultural richness. For example, South Africa is globally recognised for its rich biodiversity, an ecologically unrivalled coastline, and a rich body of traditional knowledge amongst wild-food users. In this paper, we explore the potential that coastal wild foods as neglected and underutilised species (NUS) can play in local food systems in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
What might a decolonial perspective on child protection look like? Lessons from Kenya
(SAGE Publications, 2022) Nyamu, Irene K.; Wamahiu, Sheila P.
Using decolonial perspective, this paper critically examines how certain child protection interventions in Kenya might increase childhood vulnerabilities among children from poor social backgrounds who are disproportionately represented in the justice system. Findings point to ambivalent child protection practices as a result of entrenched colonial legacies which criminalises juvenile ‘delinquents’, relying heavily on judicialisation while limiting social welfare investments. The study suggests alternative approaches to better child protection services that take into account southern-centric childcare practices and knowledge.
The home environment and parental involvement of preschoolers in Philippi, a low-income area: Do they hinder or support early learning?
(AOSIS, 2022) Bayat, Amiena; Madyibi, Siphe
Successful interventions targeting families can only occur through informed research findings. It is important that policymakers understand the unique household dynamics that low-income households face and the kinds of assistance they need to foster early learning and development at home.To investigate the extent of parental involvement in the early learning of preschoolers in Philippi and the role of the home environment in promoting or hindering early learning and development.This study was conducted in Philippi, one of the biggest poor urban settlements in the city of Cape Town, South Africa.The researcher visited 20 early childhood development (ECD) facilities and 40 caregivers in Philippi. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the ECD principals, practitioners and caregivers.
Multisectoral intervention on food security in complex emergencies: A discourse on regional resilience praxis in Northeast Nigeria
(Springer, 2022) Badewa, Adeyemi S.; Dinbabo, Mulugeta F.
Sustainable livelihood as an enabler of food security can be constrained by climate variability and violent conficts, with dire consequences in regions with crude adaptation practices. The efects of such ‘complex emergency crises’ on food production and livelihoods in Northeast Nigeria impair human security and resilience, particularly, in the Boko Haram ravaged Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, and the adjoining Lake Chad region. This study examines the efcacy of multisectoral interventions on food security and resilience in Northeast Nigeria, using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. Its thematic analysis of qualitative data was supported by the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) regional report of acute food insecurity assessment in the Sahel.
Young people’s experiences with an empowerment-based behavior change intervention to prevent sexual violence in Nairobi informal settlements: A qualitative study
(Johns Hopkins University, 2021) Kågesten, Anna E.; Oware, Phoene Mesa; Ntinyari, Wendy
Young people in sub-Saharan Africa face one of the world’s highest burdens of sexual violence. Previous impact evaluations indicated that a 6-week empowerment-based behavioral intervention in Nairobi informal (slum) settlements can reduce sexual assault. This qualitative study investigated girls’ and boys’ experiences of the intervention to identify potential mechanisms of change.We conducted a qualitative study in Nairobi slums with students (aged 15–21 years) who had participated in 2 parallel school-based curriculums called IMPower (girls) and Your Moment of Truth (boys) at least 1 year ago. Data were collected via 10 focus group discussions (5 for boys, 5 for girls) with 6–11 participants in each and 21 individual in-depth interviews (11 boys, 10 girls) that explored participants’ experiences of the intervention and their suggestions for improvement. Findings were analyzed using thematic network analysis guided by empowerment theory.
Social protection responses to COVID-19 in Africa
(SAGE Publications, 2021) Devereux, Stephen
Most African countries implemented measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 during 2020, such as restrictions on business activity and travel, school closures and stay-at-home lockdowns for several months. These restrictive policies had adverse economic and social consequences that triggered a follow-up wave of expansionist public interventions intended to mitigate these effects. ‘Shock-responsive’ social protection measures included increased benefits to existing beneficiaries (vertical expansion) and registration of new beneficiaries on existing programmes (horizontal expansion). These approaches had the advantages of being quick and administratively simple, but the disadvantage of bypassing people who were made most vulnerable by COVID-19, notably retrenched and informal workers with no access to social insurance. On the other hand, setting up new humanitarian relief or temporary social assistance programmes was slow and susceptible to targeting errors and corruption. COVID-19 also prompted a reassessment of the social contract regarding social protection, with some governments recognising that they need to become better coordinated, more inclusive and rights-based.
Efficiency, food security and differentiation in small-scale irrigation agriculture: Evidence from North West Nigeria
(Cogent OA, 2020) Adeniyi, Daniel Adeoluwa; Dinbabo, Mulugeta F.
Ambiguity over the effectiveness of agricultural intervention is more pronounced in rural areas where the majority of North West Nigeria’s poor population, and those involved in agriculture, reside. Further characterising these areas is the paucity of research on the issue of differentiation within the smallholder community. Specifically, definite classification of households based on efficiency, food security and income status remains inadequate. The study explores smallholder households’ differentials on the basis of these three phenomena, and other factors that affect smallholder typologies. Data was collected from 306 randomly selected smallholders involved in the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Smallholders’ technical efficiency and households’ Food Consumption Score (FCS) were assessed. Also, Pearson correlation analysis, a segmentation approach using cluster analysis and multinomial regression model were used for the study. The study showed that the mean efficiency level of smallholder farms was 85.9% and that the majority of the households were food insecure.
Harnessing public food procurement for sustainable rural livelihoods in South Africa through the national school nutrition programme: A qualitative assessment of contributions and challenges
(MPDI, 2021) Mensah, Clement; Karriem, Abdulrazak
This paper examines how public food procurements contributes to sustainable rural livelihoods through local sourcing of school food, what has become known as ‘home-grown’ school feeding. Specifically, it draws on in-depth interviews to explore the contributions and challenges of using local farmers as suppliers for South Africa’s National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) using the case of the Eastern Cape Province, the country’s poorest province. The study found that participating schools in rural areas benefit from local sourcing by way of using fresh vegetables in preparing meals thanks to the utilisation of a decentralised catering model in the Eastern Cape Province. Consequently, there is evidence of farmers participating in NSNP food market earning additional income and growing more vegetables on more land in some cases. However, even though the Eastern Cape Province uses a decentralised procurement model, it has no clear-cut programme to optimise the benefits of local sourcing for NSNP. It only ‘encourages’ schools to buy vegetables grown locally. This calls for pragmatism on the side of government to, through creative procurement and initiatives such as the Agri-Parks, use NSNP as a tool for making the South African food system more inclusive, drive down rural poverty and realise sustainable rural development.
Socio-economic inequity and decision-making under uncertainty: West African migrants’ journey across the Mediterranean to Europe
(Cogitatio Press, 2021) Dinbabo, Mulugeta F.; Badewa, Adeyemi S.; Yeboah, Collins
Understanding the nexus between poverty, inequality and decision-making under uncertainty in migrants’ journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe remains a significant challenge, raising intense scholarly debate. Several suggestions have been offered on how to reduce migrants’ journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in several guises, including the formulation and implementation of proper social, political and economic policies in Africa. Despite all odds and challenges, migrants from Africa cross state boundaries and stay in transit state(s) for limited periods, en route the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Underpinned by different migration theories and conceptual frameworks, our study applied a qualitative methodology to examine why migrants decide, under uncertainty, to cross the Mediterranean Sea from their countries of origin to the ultimate destinations in Europe. While focusing on the life experiences of purposively selected migrants from West Africa, the research seeks to address the underlying factors of irregular migration. The result of this empirical study clearly illustrates that limited access to opportunities, poverty and unemployment amidst precarious development challenges and the youth population bulge, exacerbate Africa’s migration crisis. The study finally brings into focus empirical observations and provides suggestions for stakeholders’ engagement in addressing African migration challenges.
Understanding and investigating relationality in the capability approach
(Wiley, 2021) Owens, John; Entwistle, Vikki A.; Conradie, Ina
he capability approach (CA) is a framework for un-derstanding, assessing, and promoting the quality ofhuman lives and social justice. It focuses on capabil-ities – people's freedoms and opportunities to live invaluable ways. Although its proponents readilyacknowledge that capabilities can depend on personal,social and environmental factors, little attention hasbeen paid to the ontology of capabilities (what they areand how they are caused and constituted) and theinherent relationality of the approach is often not wellfollowed through in research and practice. This, wesuggest, leaves the CA vulnerable to misinterpretationand misappropriation.
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.

Browse

collection.page.browse.recent.head