Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Physiotherapy) / The interaction between impairment and environmental factors impose a certain degree of incapacity on individuals, often undermining their freedom to function. Despite the fact that this disablement may require support services to forestall loss of function, little research has been conducted in Africa and the Sub-Saharan region, more specifically in Kenya, to explore persons with disabilities support services needs and utilization. There is also a paucity of information on predictors of PWDs' use of existing support services. In addition, Kenya lacks a disability policy.

Magister Educationis - Med / Parental involvement in low-income school communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, has received little attention irrespective of its significance to learner outcomes. This study explores parental involvement with regard to teachers' perceptions of parental involvement, as well as barriers and solutions to meaningful parental involvement in a low-income school community in the Western Cape. This study, in the form of a qualitative study, sought to establish how teachers perceived parental involvement, and what restricts parents with poor socio-economic backgrounds from becoming involving in their children's education. Additionally, the study sought to establish or develop ways in which parental involvement could be improved. This study adopted a qualitative method design using qualitative procedures such as semistructured interviews, focus group interviews, observation and an open-ended questionnaire. It emerged from the findings that teachers had limited understanding of parental involvement. They perceived parental involvement to be parent's school-based activities such as fund-raising and the provision of school materials for the learners. Most of the teachers were never exposed to training on how to involve parents. Teachers believed that lack of material resources and poor parental education contributed to the issue of a lack of parental involvement in the school. Furthermore, participant parents indicated that they are willing to become involved in their children's education; however, their involvement was restricted by various barrier factors such as poverty and a lack of enabling environment. Both (teachers and parents) participants also suggested programmes or useful ways in which parental involvement could be promoted, such as the provision of basic infrastructures, grant support, educational training or facilities and a supportive environment for the parents. The findings revealed that creating an enabling environment to nurture these parents' capabilities will improve parental involvement. The capability-approach framework was used not only to explain the restraining factors to parental involvement but also to propose or suggest ways or intervention measures to improve parental involvement in their children's education, especially the parents from the community of this research. The approach was use to analyse parental involvement with the view to develop parental involvement or parents' capabilities in the school community.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Education) / The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa of 2006 (NPF) outlines seven principles which underpin this policy as expressed in the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000). These principles require a teacher to be: a specialist in a particular learning area, subject or phase; a specialist in teaching, learning and assessment; a curriculum developer; a leader, administrator and manager; a scholar and lifelong learner; and a professional who plays a role in community development, citizenship education, and pastoral care. Beginner teachers have difficulty adapting to these new roles as they have not had efficient exposure to the actual, often harsh realities of the classroom situation as it unfolds on a daily basis. A qualitative research approach is employed in the research study to explore beginner teachers' perceptions of school support to enhance their capability sets in relation to teacher education policy. Generally, a qualitative study lends itself to developing an understanding of a particular phenomenon of interest without formulating a hypothesis. In this explorative study, the investigation was underpinned by the elements of Amartya Sen's Capability Approach which include "Freedoms", "Unfreedoms", "Capabilities" and "Functionings" (Sen 1992). These elements were used to understand the nature of beginner teachers' competences and the impact of policy on their performance. In this regard, the achievement of quality learning outcomes concerning the basic competences of beginner teachers could be linked to Sen's vision for reaching achieved functionings (those valuable activities and situations that make up a person's well-being, which is also referred to as that which a person ultimately manages "to be and to do").

Women and persons with disabilities are at increased risks of experiencing negative health outcomes during and after disasters. The Sendai Framework (2015), published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlights the need to strengthen disaster risk reduction (DRR) among populations at disproportionate risk, using an all-of-society approach that is inclusive and engaging. This research investigated the perceptions of capability among female stroke survivors, in the context of DRR. The purpose of this study was to 1) examine the role of asset literacy in the social construction of capability and lived experiences of female stroke survivors and 2) create an opportunity for female stroke survivors to share their lived experiences among themselves, and members of the stroke and DRR communities. Four women were recruited through snowball sampling. Study participants were invited to join a PhotoVoice project – a participatory method in which survivors were asked to respond to prompts using photography. Data was analyzed using qualitative, thematic analysis. Study results revealed that perceptions of capability in DRR for stroke survivors was rooted in the context of their recovery. Participants discussed 4 sets of recovery and DRR assets: 1) physical, 2) social, 3) energy and 4) personal characteristics. Autonomy was identified as a valued recovery outcome, and as needed to establish self-efficacy and adaptive capacity to cope with disasters. Social participation and asset literacy can support one another, and may enhance disaster resilience. An important aspect of Photovoice initiatives is sharing the messages with important stakeholders, as identified by the participants. This research has been shared at the annual international EnRiCH meeting (2018). We are currently planning a photo exhibit to be held in the fall of 2018. Overall, this research shows how creative tools (i.e. Photovoice, asset-mapping) can be used to foster social participation, and include populations at disproportionate risk in the DRR discussion.

Esta tese tem o objetivo de evidenciar a troca de prioridades na formulação de políticas públicas imposta pelas novas pressões e desafios sofridos pelo Estado, bem como pelas demandas e expectativas por parte da sociedade civil concernentes a uma agenda política voltada para questões de justiça, eqüidade e gastos públicos voltados para as necessidades dos cidadãos. Essa investigação fundamenta-se na limitação da abordagem que está na base do processo de reforma seguido pelo Estado a partir da década de oitenta. Conforme o paradigma subjacente (Nova Administração Pública), no processo de reforma, as ações governamentais e, portanto, a definição de políticas públicas, se reduzem a fins utilitários, focados na renda e na obtenção da maximização de resultados quantitativos. No entanto, o novo cenário exige uma ampla demanda por respostas estatais, cujas ações, através das políticas públicas, não podem ser voltadas apenas para a eficiência, mas, também para a eqüidade governamental. Dessa forma, toma-se necessário avançar em direção a um modelo que fundamente as ações estatais - elaboração e implementação de políticas públicas - que considere outras dimensões relevantes além da dimensão econômica. Para tanto, apresenta-se a Abordagem da Capacitação como um modelo alternativo para as ações governamentais mais recentes, preocupadas com a eficiência e a eqüidade. Assim, empregando o estudo de casos múltiplos e a técnica qualitativa de análise descritiva-interpretativa, foi verificado se as políticas públicas dos municípios estão incorporando questões mais relacionadas com a Abordagem da Capacitação, em comparação com aspectos mais instrumentais, como sugere o modelo da Nova Administração Pública. Como resultado, foi constatado que, de modo geral, todos os municípios pesquisados estão incluindo outros aspectos além da eficiência na elaboração de suas políticas públicas e, portanto, estão incorporando questões mais relacionadas com a Abordagem da Capacitação, em comparação com aspectos mais instrumentais, como sugere o modelo da Nova Administração Pública. Diante dessa constatação e dadas as limitações referentes ao modelo da Nova Administração Pública observadas nos casos de Tupandi e de Porto Alegre com respeito ao modelo de gestão implícito e da insuficiência do foco em questões administrativas e gerenciais no desenvolvimento das políticas para tratar problemas atuais verificada em todos os casos, conclui-se que as políticas públicas dos três municípios analisados estão seguindo uma intuição da Abordagem da Capacitação e, dessa forma, esse paradigma proposto representa melhor as ações governamentais mais recentes, preocupadas com a eficiência e a eqüidade, servindo, assim, como um modelo alternativo à Nova Administração Pública para as ações estatais. / This thesis aims to analyze the change of priorities in the design of public policies imposed by the new pressures and challenges suffered by the State, and by the demands and expectations of the civil society by justice, equality and public spending for citizen's needs. This investigation is based in the limitation of approach that is in the basis of the State reform process starting from the eighty decade. In accordance with this paradigm (New Public Management), in the reform process, the govemment actions and the design ofpublic policies are reduced to utilitarian objectives focused in the income and in the maximization of quantitative outcomes. However, the new context requires a wide demand for state answers, whose actions through the public policies they cannot just be related to efficiency, but also for the govemmental equality. Then, it's needful to move forward towards a model that bases the state actions - elaboration and implementation of public policies - that considers other dimensions besides the economical dimension. Therefore, the Capability Approach is presented as an alternative model for more recent governmental actions, concerned with the efficiency and the equality. Using the multiple cases study and the descriptive-interpretative analysis qualitative technique, it was verified if the municipalities public policies are incorporating characteristics more related with the Capability Approach, in comparison with more instrumental aspects, as the New Public Management Model suggests. As result, it was verified that, in general, all of the researched municipalities are including other aspects besides the efficiency in the public policies elaboration and, therefore, they are incorporating characteristics more related with the Capability Approach, in comparison with more instrumental aspects, as the New Public Management suggests. In accordance with this verification and given the New Public Management model limitations observed in the Tupandi and Porto Alegre cases about implicit management model and the inadequate focus in managerial aspects in the policies development to treat current problems verified in every cases, then the three municipalities public policies analyzed are following an Capability Approach intuition. Therefore, that proposed paradigm represents the current govemmental actions better, concerned with the efficiency and the equality, and serves as an alternative model to the New Public Management for state actions.

O objetivo deste trabalho é fazer uma breve análise da pobreza e do desenvolvimento humano fundamentados pela Abordagem da Capacitação (AC). A primeira parte discute os limites da visão tradicional de pobreza como insuficiência de renda e de desenvolvimento restrito a crescimento econômico. A segunda parte fornece um esboço da AC como um framework normativo amplo, enfatizando-se a discussão sobre os aspectos operacionais dessa perspectiva. A última parte apresenta diferentes técnicas de operacionalização e mostra os resultados da aplicação da teoria dos conjuntos fuzzy para avaliar funcionamentos entre uma amostra de pessoas mais pobres vivendo na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre. / The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the links between the categories of poverty and human development and the Capability Approach (CA). Part one discusses the limits of the view of poverty as income deprivation and economic development as economic growth. Part two characterises the CA as a broad alternative normative framework, stressing some issues related to its operational aspects. The last part presents different techniques to operationalization and brings out an application of the fuzzy sets theory for assessment of functionings among a small sample of poor people living in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre.

O agravamento das condições sociais de muitos países motivou 189 países-membros da ONU a aprovarem, em 2000, a Declaração do Milênio, que define os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milênio (ODM). Os valores essenciais necessários para a promoção do bem-estar considerados pelos ODM, que definem os objetivos e as metas, levam em consideração o conceito de desenvolvimento humano da abordagem das capacitações e a Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos. Logo, para que haja desenvolvimento, deve haver expansão das oportunidades para que as pessoas possam viver com liberdade e dignidade, a fim de promover a expansão das capacitações fundamentais. Dessa maneira, por meio dos ODM, processo conduzido e monitorado pela ONU, busca-se promover as capacitações fundamentais. Um dos desafios desse processo, e de qualquer processo de desenvolvimento, é a produção de levantamentos estatísticos para o seu acompanhamento. Este estudo estrutura e analisa um indicador social agregado para o Rio Grande do Sul a partir dos ODM. Dada a natureza do indicador, uma das preocupações, além de preservar o seu caráter multidimensional, foi utilizar um sistema de ponderação para que o indicador reflita os pesos de cada dimensão e as variáveis em cada uma delas. Ou seja, levar em consideração que as diferentes dimensões não contemplam a mesma participação na satisfação do bem-estar. Para tal, foram utilizados dados secundários referentes aos ODM, para os 496 municípios gaúchos, coletados em diversas fontes (IBGE, FEE, Datasus, INEP, dentre outros). Inicialmente, através de técnicas estatísticas multivariadas de análise fatorial via componentes principais, foram estimados os pesos. No segundo momento, a partir dos pesos estimados, foi estruturado o indicador, geral e por dimensão, denominado de Índice dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milênio (IODM). Os resultados indicam que o índice é sustentado por três fatores: o primeiro, corresponde a 39,89% (indicadores de ensino básico, sustentabilidade ambiental e saúde materna); o segundo, com 32,58% (indicadores de pobreza e fome, igualdade entre os sexos e autonomia das mulheres); e o terceiro fator, com 27,53% (indicador de combate às doenças e mortalidade infantil). O IODM por município apresenta uma hierarquização diferente dos indicadores comumente utilizados, que levam em conta o princípio da equiproporcionalidade. Logo, infere-se que esse resultado não se dá somente pelas dimensões que o IODM utiliza, mas, também, pelo sistema de ponderação adotado. / The worsening of many countries´ social conditions urged 189 UN member-countries to approve, in 2000, the United Nations Millenium Declaration that establishes the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The essential values - which the MDGs consider necessary to promote well-being and establish the targets and goals - take into consideration the Capability Approach and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights´s concept of human development. Thus, to enhance development, there has to be an increase of opportunities so that people can live in freedom and dignity, and the expansion of the fundamental capabilities can take place. Accordingly, through the MDGs, a process led and monitored by UN, the fundamental capabilities have been fostered. One challenge of that process - and of any development process - is to create statistic surveys for its follow up. The present study organizes and analyses a social indicator added to Rio Grande do Sul as from the MDGs. Given the indicator´s nature, one of the concerns, besides maintaining its multidimensional feature, was that of using a weighting system so that the indicator can show the weights and variables of each dimension. That means taking into consideration that different dimensions do not participate equally in achieving well-being. Therefore, MDGs´ secondary data were used for 496 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, collected from several sources (IBGE, FEE, Datasus, INEP, among others). Firstly, weights were estimated by means of various statistic techniques, factor analysis through principal components. Secondly, the general and dimensional indicator - called Millennium Development Goals Index (MDGsI) - was established, as from the estimated weighs. The results show that the Index is supported by three factors: the first one corresponds to 39,89% (indicators of Primary Schooling, Environmental sustainability, and Maternal health); the second one, with 32,58% (indicators of Poverty and hunger, Gender equality and Women empowerment) and the third factor, with 27,53% (indicator of Combat of diseases and Child mortality). The MDsI per municipality shows a hierarchy which is different from the commonly used indicators that consider the principle of equiproportionality. So, one can infer that this result does not only occur due to the dimension that the MDSI uses, but also due to the weighting system used here.

Para a mensuração da insegurança alimentar freqüentemente são feitas estimativas a partir da definição de linhas de pobreza ou indigência, associando o grau de carência alimentar ao nível de rendimentos do domicílio, intuindo que famílias pobres (baixa renda) vivam em condição de insegurança alimentar. Entretanto, é possível encontrar unidades domiciliares com rendimentos situados abaixo da linha de pobreza e que vivem em segurança alimentar, do mesmo modo que existem aquelas com rendimentos acima do corte da pobreza que passa por restrição alimentar quantitativa. O exercício teórico desenvolvido por Amartya Sen, abrange uma série de conceitos que permitem a análise de realidades sociais, como a insegurança alimentar no Rio Grande do Sul, de maneira multidimensional, incorporando variáveis quantitativas e indo além delas. Um desses conceitos que pode auxiliar na compreensão das dificuldades de acesso digno a alimentos adequados, quantitativamente e qualitativamente, é a noção de intitulamento (entitlement), termo que foi originalmente desenvolvido por Sen para tratar do problema da fome na Ásia e na África. Através da abordagem das capacitações, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar os intitulamentos que se relacionam com a insegurança alimentar no Rio Grande do Sul, e avaliar os impactos dessa situação para a expansão das capacitações das famílias rurais gaúchas. Os resultados da análise realizada, através do Coeficiente de Contingência, Teste Qui-Quadrado e do modelo de regressão Probit, que permitiram diferenciar e tecer comentários entre os espaços rural e urbano do Rio Grande do Sul, evidenciam a necessidade de um tratamento multidimensional para a caracterização das situações de insegurança alimentar no estado gaúcho, sugerindo a inclusão de novas percepções que permitam melhor caracterizar as dificuldades de acesso à alimentação adequada, propondo uma alternativa à perspectiva tradicional. / Frequently, estimates to measure food insecurity are made based on the definition of poverty lines or indigence, associating the degree of lack of food considering the household productivity, and having in mind that poor families (low income) live in a condition of nutrition insecurity. However, it is possible to find household units with income considered below the poverty line and that live in a nutritional stability, as well as those ones with income above poverty line that have quantitative food restriction. The theoretical exercise developed by Amartya Sen encloses a series of concepts which allows the analysis of social reality, like food insecurity in Rio Grande do Sul, in a multidimensional way, including quantitative analysis and venturing beyond them. One of these concepts which can help the understanding of those difficulties of reaching dignified access to adequate nutritional levels, quantitatively and qualitatively, is the notion of entitlements, terminology which was originally developed by Sen to deal with the problem of hunger in Asia and Africa. By means of the capability approach, the objective of this work is to analyze the entitlements which are intertwined with food insecurity in Rio Grande do Sul, and evaluate the impacts of this situation to expand the condition of rural families in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The results of this analysis which was performed through contingency coefficient, chi-square tests and a probit regression model, which allow to differentiate between rural and urban spaces in Rio Grande do Sul, show clearly the necessity of a multidimensional treatment in the Gaucho State, suggesting an inclusion of new concepts which allow better characterize the difficulties of access to adequate alimentation, proposing an alternative to traditional perspective.

O Rio Grande do Sul está entre os estados brasileiros que apresentam os melhores indicadores em relação aos estudos de qualidade de vida desenvolvidos por diversos institutos. Entretanto, é possível verificar ainda a existência de situações caracterizadas pelas carências em relação ao atendimento de algumas necessidades que acabam, por fim, caracterizando situações de pobreza no estado gaúcho. Sendo um estado bastante associado à atividade agrícola, que se desenvolve em ambientes predominantemente rurais, há em evidência uma discussão em relação às características da pobreza rural. Baseado em uma concepção conhecida como Abordagem das Capacitações, desenvolvida por Amartya Sen, o objetivo deste trabalho é o de identificar aspectos sócio-estruturais capazes de configurar as situações de carência em relação a determinados aspectos, buscando a caracterização da pobreza rural gaúcha. No trabalho as situações que configuram as carências estão associadas às possibilidades de acesso a oportunidades municipais (intitulamentos). Apresenta-se aqui uma sugestão analítica que procurou não estar limitada à situação de renda ou ao tipo de atividade produtiva. Neste sentido, a partir da análise de 108 (cento e oito) variáveis que reúnem alguns tipos de intitulamentos encontrados nos municípios, foram identificados grupos caracterizados em relação à ruralidade (associada a aspectos de paisagem e produtivos) e às situações de pobreza (associadas à renda municipal per capita e à variação da infra-estrutura relacionada a serviços de educação e saúde). / Rio Grande do Sul is between the Brazilian states that present the best indicators in relation to the studies of quality of life developed by several institutes. However, it is still possible to verify the existence of situations characterized by lacks in relation to the attendance of some necessities that, finally, characterize situations of poverty in the state. Being a state essentially associated to agriculture, which is developed predominantly in rural environments, there is evidence of a debate about the characteristics of rural poverty. Based in a conception associated with the capability approach, developed by Amartya Sen, the objective of this work is to identify social and structural aspects that are able to characterize situations of lack in relation the some aspects, aiming at the characterization of rural poverty in the state in relation to the situations that configure the access possibilities to the municipal opportunities (entitlements). An analytical suggestion is presented here that tried not to be limited to the situation of income or the type of productive activity. In this direction, through the analysis of 108 (one hundred and eight) variables that congregate some types of entitlements found in the municipalities, several groups were characterized in relation to the rurality (associated the productive and landscape aspects) and to the situations of poverty (associated to the per capita municipal income and the variation of the infrastructure related to services of education and health).

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo analisar teoricamente como as avaliações de professores podem auxiliar, através da expansão da base informacional,na construção de uma política educacional voltada para a melhoria da qualidade da educação dentro do framework proporcionado pela Abordagem das Capacitações de acordo com a perspectiva de Martha Nussbaum. Procura-se analisar os aspectos considerados mais relevantes da educação na literatura das capacitações e das avaliações de professores, em especial em relação ao que cada formato e metodologia avaliativa é capaz de medir. Por fim, foi propõe-se a utilização de um formato e de duas das seis metodologias de avaliação de professores analisadas a fim de aprimorar a base informacional utilizada na construção de um índice de desenvolvimento educacional. / This dissertation aims to analyze theoretically how teachers' assessments can help, through the expansion of the information base, in building a focused educational policy to improve the quality of education within the framework provided by the Capability Approach in accordance with the prospect of Martha Nussbaum. It seeks to analyze the most relevant aspects of education in the capability’s literature and teachers’ evaluations, especially in relation to what each format and evaluative methodology is able to measure. Finally, it is suggested the use of one format and two of the six analized teachers’ assessment methodologies to improve the informational base used in the construction of an educational development index.