Thesis (PhD (Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Numerous theories have been constructed to provide reasons for economic growth differences between countries. As data became more readily available, cross-country empirical studies identified a set of variables that contributed to economic growth, including variables such as the investment in human and physical capital.

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Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Although Botswana is considered by some indices as an economically successful country, poverty is experienced by 30% of the population. This is considered a very high poverty rate especially when it is compared to other countries on a similar level of economic development. Several policies have been put in place by the Botswana government to relieve the consequences of poverty. One of these policies, the destitute policy, targeted those individuals who are disabled and/or unable to engage in sustainable economic activities, causing such individuals to have insufficient assets and income sources. It was found by the Botswana government that the implementation of the destitute policy aggravates dependency of the destitute on government support. As a result, development workers were expected to lead registered destitute to independence through the implementation of a destitute rehabilitation programme. However, literature suggested that approaches that are used by development workers to enable individuals to engage in sustainable economic activities are often detrimental to the very empowerment purposes that such workers set out to achieve. The objective of this research was therefore to develop a conceptual framework for capacity enhancement of development workers in Botswana. This objective was addressed through applying action research in order to gain in-depth understanding of the perspectives, practices and experiences of the key role players involved in destitute rehabilitation. This was done in one urban district, one semi-urban district and one rural district council in Botswana. This research took place in four phases, all of which were informed by the action research approach. The first phase comprised four cycles of action research. Each cycle encouraged reflection and observation on destitute rehabilitation practices and planning towards improved practices, followed by implementation. It became evident to the researcher that only singleloop learning was practiced by the development workers. Therefore, instead of gaining deeper insight into aspects that influence destitute rehabilitation, the same problems related to destitute rehabilitation practices were repeated by development workers. Reflection on this process created understanding by the researcher on why the expected results were not achieved. Based on this reflection, a literature review was carried out in iv Phase II to develop the final theoretical and methodological frameworks for this research. Phase III consisted of focus group discussions to understand the perspectives, practices and experiences of the different role players in destitute rehabilitation. The data produced in Phase III enabled understanding of how development workers’ capacity was influenced by the system within which they are operating. The results of this research showed that development workers saw themselves in the same state of powerlessness as the destitute and as not being able to influence the system within which they are operating. Phase IV comprised the application of the coding principles of grounded theory to make sense of data related to Phases I and III, followed by the application of critical systems heuristics to make further sense of the data. Based on the understanding that emerged through the application of CSH, a conceptual framework was developed for the capacity enhancement of development workers in Botswana. It became evident in this research that the challenge for the government of Botswana is to not only reduce the number of registered destitute, but to redesign the system within which destitute rehabilitation takes place, by using the conceptual framework developed in this research. The purpose of the conceptual framework is to enable policy-makers and development workers to scrutinise the whole system within which destitute rehabilitation is implemented by engaging the key role players in dialogue on adjustments that need to be made to the system to enhance development workers’ capacity in destitute rehabilitation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel Botswana, gemeet aan sekere maatstawe, as ’n ekonomies suksesvolle land beskou word, leef 30% van die bevolking tans in armoede. Dit kan as ’n buitensporig hoë graad van armoede beskou word, veral as dit vergelyk word met lande met ’n soortgelyke vlak van ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Verskeie beleide is deur die Botswana-regering in werking gestel om die gevolge van armoede te bekamp. Een van die beleide, die sogenaamde beleid vir behoeftige persone, is spesifiek gerig op individue met ’n tekort aan bates of inkomstebronne veroorsaak deur gestremdheid en/of ’n onvermoë om aan volhoubare ekonomiese aktiwiteite deel te neem. Die Botswana-regering het egter bevind dat die implementering van hierdie beleid behoeftiges se afhanklikheid van regeringshulp vererger. As gevolg hiervan word daar van ontwikkelingswerkers verwag om geregistreerde behoeftiges na onafhanklikheid te lei deur die implementering van ’n program vir die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges. Die bevindings uit beskikbare literatuur dui egter daarop dat die metodes wat deur ontwikkelingswerkers gebruik word om behoeftiges in staat te stel om aan volhoubare ekonomiese aktiwiteite deel te neem dikwels ’n negatiewe uitwerking ten opsigte van die beoogde bemagtigingsoogmerke het. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was dus die ontwikkeling van ’n konsepraamwerk vir kapasiteitbou vir ontwikkelingswerkers in Botswana. Die mikpunt is benader deur aksienavorsing toe te pas om ’n grondige begrip te verkry van die perspektiewe, praktyke en ondervindings van al die rolspelers betrokke by die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges. Die navorsing het volgens die aksienavorsingsbenadering in vier fases in een stedelike, een newe-stedelike en een landelike distriksraad in Botswana plaasgevind. Die eerste fase het vier siklusse van aksienavorsing behels. Elke siklus het reflektering en observasie met betrekking tot ontwikkelingswerkers se bestaande rehabilitasiepraktyke aangemoedig. Dit is gevolg deur beplanning vir verbeterde praktyke en implementering van die beplande aksie. Dit het vir die navorser duidelik geword dat slegs enkellus-leer deur ontwikkelingswerkers toegepas is. In stede daarvan om ’n dieper insig in die aspekte wat die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges beïnvloed te verkry, is dieselfde problematiese praktyke met die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges telkens deur die ontwikkelingswerkers herhaal. Nabetragting oor die proses het die navorser die redes laat verstaan hoekom die verwagte resultate nie behaal is nie. Gebaseer op hierdie nabetragting is ’n literatuurstudie tydens Fase II uitgevoer om die finale teoretiese raamwerk en metodologie raamwerk vir die navorsing te ontwikkel. Fase III het fokusgroep-besprekings ingesluit om die perspektiewe, praktyke en ondervindings van die verskillende rolspelers tydens die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges beter te verstaan. Die gegewens verkry gedurende Fase III het die navorser insig gegee in die wyse waarop ontwikkelingswerkers se kapasiteit beïnvloed word deur die stelsel waarbinne hulle werk. Die resultate van hierdie navorsing het getoon dat ontwikkelingswerkers hulself beskou as in dieselfde toestand van magteloosheid as die behoeftiges, en dat dit vir hulle onmoontlik is om die stelsel waarbinne hulle werksaam is te beïnvloed. Fase IV het begin met die toepassing van koderingsbeginsels van gegronde teorie ter opklaring van gegewens verkry tydens Fases I en III, gevolg deur die toepassing van kritieke stelsel-heuristiek, ’n stelsel-denke-benadering, om die gegewens van Fase I en III te integreer. Die insig wat verkry is deur die toepassing van kritieke stelsel heuristiek het bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van die konsepraamwerk vir die kapasiteitsbou van ontwikkelingswerkers in Botswana. Dit het uit hierdie navorsing geblyk dat die uitdaging vir die Botswana-regering nie net is om die aantal geregistreerde behoeftiges te verminder nie, maar om ook die huidige stelsel waaronder die rehabilitasie van behoeftiges plaasvind, te herontwikkel deur die konsepraamwerk wat in hierdie navorsing ontwerp is, te implementeer. Die doel van die konsepraamwerk is om beleidmakers en ontwikkelingswerkers in staat te stel om die rehabilitasiestelsel van behoeftiges te bestudeer deur al die rolspelers in dialoog te betrek sodat veranderinge aan die stelsel gemaak kan word vir kapasiteitsbou van die ontwikkelingswerkers.

Though Botswana is regarded as one of the richer countries in Africa, it is faced with challenges experienced by other developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as poverty, unemployment and HIV/AIDS. Recession in the mining and agriculture sectors, which have been the pillars of the country's wealth, has caused the economy to decline. The National Development Plan 9 (NDP 9 2003/4-2008/9) is a five year national development plan for Botswana that states that 36.7% of the populace have incomes below the poverty datum line. Entrenched in the nation's Vision 2016 statement are two development goals aimed at poverty reduction; to create sustainable jobs and to develop human resources. The Botswana government has thus earmarked the promotion of small, medium and micro-enterprises as one of the measures to reduce poverty. This shift to self-employment would help create much needed jobs, contribute to the economy and improve the quality of life of the Batswana. The government's efforts alone will not suffice in this predicament. It needs the assistance of all stakeholders including the private sector and the general public. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the Junior Achievement Botswana Programme is an effective programme for equipping the youth in Botswana with business skills with the hope that they would in turn establish businesses in their communities. The study focused on exploring the perceptions of the trainees/learners in the programme to establish if they felt that the training gave them the necessary knowledge and skills to boost their confidence and motivation to plan, start up and sustain business ventures. The perceptions of teachers and trainers involved in the delivery of the programme were also sought to establish the programme's strengths and challenges and to suggest how the programme could be improved. The study also employed an entrepreneurial test to determine whether the programme attracted teachers and students who have the desired characteristics for business. At the heart of this study was an attempt to articulate the role of education and training in preparing the youth for self-employment. Data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies. The data was analysed descriptively as well deriving themes and meanings. The study found out that the JAB is a good and informative programme that inspires the youth and instils confidence in them to believe that they have gained knowledge and skills required to be engaged in viable business ventures. They felt particularly confident about market research, production and marketing components of running businesses. However, the study also found out that the programme has deficiencies such as insufficient preparation of its trainees to access and manage finances, inability to develop networks for support especially once the students have left schools and are no longer under the comforting guidance of the programme facilitators. In addition, the study realised that the programme seems to overlook the role of monitoring, follow up, evaluation, networking and mentoring in training for entrepreneurship. Issues pertaining to partnerships and public relations also surfaced in the study. On the whole, the respondents in the study found the programme enjoyable and worthwhile and wished it could be extended to many others. The study also found that the desired characteristics for business as identified by the entrepreneurship test administered were possessed by fewer than 20 percent of the students and teachers. This may also have contributed to the low numbers of people who went on to start their own businesses. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Micro and small businesses have become a contributor to both reduction of unemployment and to national development. The informal small scale clothing producers in Botswana have been supported by government through policies directed towards poverty alleviation and employment creation. Despite the government's efforts of availing financial assistance, technical expertise, promotional and marketing support, the informal small scale clothing producers do not seem to be utilising these for full benefit. Participation of the informal small scale clothing producers at Botswana International Trade Fair was expected to provide them with avenues for long term benefits through marketing their products and learning. The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of Botswana International Trade Fair on the informal small scale clothing producers. The informal small scale clothing producers have had assistance and access to promoting their products for a considerable time, with not much change in the market share and quantities of production. The challenges facing these informal small scale clothing producers has been to utilise BITF for competing with local and regional producers in providing quality products; to increase production for meeting the demands of the market; to increase profits, and expand businesses to reduce unemployment. Purposive sampling was used to select participating informal small scale clothing producers and council Home Economists while the· independent small scale exhibitors were conveniently sampled during the 2006 trade fair. Seventeen informal small scale clothing producers from the eastern part of Botswana were interviewed to establish impacts from participating at the trade fair. One producer who h-ad won most prizes at the trade fair was interviewed for a different perspective in production strategies employed. Fifteen council Home Economists, acting as liaison and change agents for the informal small scale clothing pmducers, also participated in the survey and focus group discussions. Two case studies were developed fmm in-depth interviews with independent small scale exhibitors to ascertain impact brought about by BITF on these producers. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in collecting data. The results were analysed in terms of frequencies and chi-square relationships. Great similarities were found to exist between the three samples. The results revealed that there was adequate knowledge about BITF on the informal small scale clothing producers, as weil as with council Home Economists and the independent small scale exhibitors. The three groups understood the objectives of BITF to be mostly educational and followed by promotion. All the groups reported noticeable impact to be growth in the number of customers, increase in production, increase in assets, improvement in quality of products and addition of newly developed products. Perceptions of the three groups on the benefits from BITF matched what they experienced as result of participation at the trade fair. The producers on the other hand experienced a decline in the number of employees while the independent small scale exhibitors had an increase. For utmost benefit of BITF, the producers have to. strengthen their marketing strategies, during and outside the trade fair. There is need for the producers to take initiatives to secure their own stalls for participation during the trade fair as individuals or jointly with other producers. Producers could benefit more from using funding from government for promotion of products. Home Economists should support self representation by the producers so that they directly learn from participation and eventually wean off continued support from government. For monitoring and planning purposes, a national data base for micro and informal small scale clothing producers should be kept by the Department of Social Services. Benchmarking on involving micro and small scale businesses in training is essential, and establishment of local markets for continued contact with customers could expand producers' knowledge in production. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.