Female Genital Mutilation is a cultural and historical practice engrained in the African Culture.This practice is part of the African Rite of Passage; where a young girl passes on from being achild into being a grown woman. According to Martha Nussbaums’s Capability Approach thispractice undermines the woman and violates her rights as a human being, on the other handMelville Herskovits’ Cultural Relativist theory encourages acceptance and respect of the variouscultures and their beliefs; thus making female genital mutilation a cultural tradition that shouldbe respected like any other tradition around the world.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:48:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marianna Percinio Moreira Bomfim.pdf: 968431 bytes, checksum: 6d2c5a7a517580ddae8f4ea086db80c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This dissertation aims to introduce the components of the economic theory of well-being proposed by Sen, called capability approach, and to discuss its influence on the human development index (HDI) - an indicator of well being presented in the annual reports of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).To that effect, firstly the methodological path done by Sen in the elaboration of his approach is presented. To do so, the author retake the thoughts of Adam Smith, analyses the economic theory of well-being and its utilitarian foundations and uses concepts present on Kenneth Arrow s and John Rawls works. Then, the reviews made regard the income and GDP when used as indicators of human development are listed, backing the creation of HDI as an alternative to a less restrictive measure. Besides the concept of human development that supports the indicator, it is presented: the calculation process developed from 1990, some criticisms and suggestions suffered in the last twenty years and the construction of a new HDI in 2010.In conclusion, we discuss the influence of Sen s approach in the UNDP indicator, beyond the limitations of the analyzes of well-being, given that existing tools can not capture all dimensions of human development presented in the theory, inferring that, regard the great progress made on the human condition evaluation due to today, it is still necessary theoretical and technical improvement for a broader understanding of people s well-being / O objetivo desta dissertação é apresentar os elementos constitutivos da teoria econômica do bem-estar proposta por Sen, denominada capability approach, e discutir sua possível influência no índice de desenvolvimento humano (IDH), indicador de bem-estar social apresentado nos relatórios anuais do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD). Com esse objetivo, apresenta-se inicialmente o percurso metodológico feito por Sen para construção de sua abordagem. Para tanto, o autor retoma o pensamento de Adam Smith, analisa a Teoria Econômica do Bem-estar e seus alicerces utilitaristas, e se utiliza de conceitos presentes nos trabalhos de Kenneth Arrow e John Rawls. Em seguida, parte das críticas feitas à renda e ao PIB quando utilizados como indicadores do desenvolvimento humano são elencadas, respaldando a criação do IDH como forma alternativa a uma mensuração menos restrita. Além do conceito de desenvolvimento humano que suporta o indicador, são apresentados: o processo de cálculo inicial, parte das críticas e sugestões sofridas nos últimos vinte anos, e a construção de um novo IDH, em 2010. À guisa de conclusão, é discutida a influência da abordagem seniana no indicador do PNUD, além das limitações das análises de bem-estar, dado que as ferramentas existentes não conseguem captar todas as dimensões do desenvolvimento humano apresentadas na teoria, inferindo-se que apesar do grande progresso na avaliação da condição humana feito até o momento, se faz ainda necessário aprimoramento teórico e grande melhoria técnica para uma compreensão mais ampla do bem-estar das pessoas

Insourcing, outsourcing and co-sourcing are three approaches to procuring an information system. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on insourcing an information system; exploring and discussing the enabling and inhibiting factors of the insourcing of an information system in selected government agencies in Malaysia. This study was undertaken in response to a paucity of similar projects and a limited literature focused on developing countries. It considers the post outsourcing context following the decision to insource a major Malaysian Government Information System in 2011. A qualitative research method was used to obtain empirical evidence from selected government agencies through 69 semi-structured interviews in two data collection periods: 2013-2014 and 2015. Interviews were conducted with civil servants at all levels, from senior management to clerical staff, including users of the government information system. By using coding principles from grounded theory to analyse the data, seven exciters and six inhibitors of insourcing a government information system were identified and mapped in the analytical framework. Further, this is the first research to use an enhanced model, devised by combining the OPTIMISM model and two distinct theoretical traditions: institutional theory and the capability approach; in order to analyse the insourcing of government information system adoption. The enhanced model was created by mapping the OPTIMISM model (that has a set of dimensions) to an analytical framework comprising the capability approach, institutional theory and technology (ICTs). The main research contribution of this thesis is in the area of capacity building of the internal development team. The increased budget for training, the selection of appropriate training providers and knowledge sharing among experienced and novice developers all contribute to building capacity in the internal development team; and consequently help to improve the quality of the system which will improve service delivery to the general public. The approach and findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge and understanding of the subject in government information system development and implementation, and can also be applied to improving the quality of service delivery. While this study has focused on government information systems, the wider area of eGovernment, and applications serving the needs of the general public, is equally important, and therefore the researcher suggests that insourcing eGovernment applications would also assist in the capacity building of internal IT staff.

A Abordagem das Capacitações, de Amartya Kumar Sen, é uma teoria da justiça social que reconhece no processo de desenvolvimento a expansão das liberdades, ocasionando a eliminação de privações, as quais limitam as escolhas das pessoas para exercerem sua condição de agente. As capacidades (capabilities) para atingir o bem-estar é que precisam ser igualadas e expandidas. As oportunidades, devem ser proporcionadas com base na justiça social como equidade. Pela diversidade própria do ser humano em relação a características pessoais e externas, oportunidades sociais podem requerer ação pública de modo a atender essas especificidades, para que os indivíduos possam realizar funcionamentos (estados e ações de uma pessoa). Para combater essas desigualdades, políticas de redistribuição e reconhecimento são fundamentais, sobretudo, no meio rural em relação ao sistema educacional. Apesar da educação ser um direito previsto constitucionalmente, o histórico da educação rural é de precarização. Com o surgimento da luta em prol da Educação do Campo, é criado em 1998, como resposta às reivindicações dos movimentos sociais, o Programa Nacional de Educação na Reforma Agrária - Pronera. Anteriores a este programa, já existiam práticas pedagógicas do Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST, dentre as quais destacava-se o Curso Técnico em Cooperativismo – TAC. Esta dissertação pretendeu investigar se o curso Técnico em Cooperativismo – TAC, realizado pelo Programa Nacional de Educação na Reforma Agrária – Pronera no Rio Grande do Sul, interfere na realização de funcionamentos e expansão das capacitações de seus egressos. Durante a pesquisa exploratória, foi realizada uma imersão no cotidiano do Instituto Técnico de Capacitação e Reforma Agrária – Iterra. Além disso, foram gerados dados quantitativos, com os quais foi possível traçar o perfil das turmas do TAC, através da estatística descritiva. Foram realizadas entrevistas com egressos de seis estados brasileiros e com representantes da Concrab e Coceargs, entidades responsáveis pelo TAC em nível nacional e estadual, respectivamente. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram alcançados, sendo concluído que o TAC tem contribuído para a expansão das capacitações e funcionamentos de seus egressos, com repercussões no desenvolvimento dos assentamentos, sendo que os resultados permitiram conhecer muito além das variáveis de análise propostas inicialmente. / The Capability Approach, by Amartya Kumar Sen, is a social justice theory that acknowledges the expansion of freedoms in the development process, which results in the elimination of deprivations, a limiter of people’s choice to exercise their agency. The capabilities, or opportunities, to achieve well-being is what needs to reach equality and expanded. The opportunities should be provided on basis of social justice as equity. Due to the humanity diversity, regarding personal and external characteristics, social opportunities might require public action in order to meet those peculiarities, so that individuals can perform functionings (states and actions of a person). In order to fight off these inequalities, policies of redistribution and acknowledgement are fundamental, especially in the countryside, concerning the education system. Even though education is a constitutional right, the history of rural education shows a state of precariousness. With the arrival of movements fighting for Rural Education, the National Program of Education in the Agrarian Reform – Pronera, was created in 1998, as a response to the social movement requests. Before this program, there were already pedagogical practices of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), amongst which the Cooperative Technical Course (TAC) is highlighted. This essay intends to investigate if the Cooperative Technical Course – TAC, created by the National Program of Education in Agrarian Reform – Pronera in Rio Grande do Sul, affects the functionings and expansion of capabilities of its egress students. During this exploratory research, there was an immersion in the daily activities of the Technical Institute of Capacitation and Agrarian Reform – Iterra. Also, quantitative data was generated, which allowed the profiling of the classes in TAC, through Descriptive Statistics. Interviews with former students from six states and with representatives of Concrab and Coceargs were conducted, two entities responsible for TAC in national and state level, respectively. The objectives of this study were achieved, with the conclusion that TAC has significantly contributed to the expansion of capabilities and functionings of their egress students, with impacts over settlements development. The results also enabled us to gather much more knowledge than the initial variables proposed.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA (DVS) / Capabilities as espoused by Sen are the realizable opportunities that are open to an individual that enable her to be or do that which she finds reasonably valuable. This study assessed the work-care arrangement capabilities that single mothers in Gugulethu have at their disposal to undertake a juggling arrangement schedule that they find satisfying (fulfilling). In this study, single mothers were asked to affiliate themselves to one of three work-care arrangement groups namely, work-centered, child-centered and flexible. Then, the study empirically examined if there is a significant difference in respondents' work-care satisfaction within these three groups. It accomplished this by using the Kruskal-Wallis Test. The study then went on to identify the work-care arrangement capabilities of 7 single mothers who were undertaking juggling arrangement schedules that were not of their preference or choice. They were interviewed in this study to ascertain whether they had viable opportunities/ capabilities to undertake their preferred juggling arrangement schedule, which they believed would bring them much personal fulfilment/satisfaction.

O estudo tenta investigar quais são as fontes de privações que impedem a expansão das liberdades dos agricultores familiares no semiárido norte-mineiro e se a presença do Microcrédito Produtivo Rural (o Agroamigo) e dos Programas de Formação e Mobilização para a Convivência com o Semiárido: Um Milhão de Cisternas Rurais (P1MC/P1 +2) apresenta alguma eficácia com vistas à redução dos níveis de privações destes agricultores. A hipótese central que guia o itinerário deste trabalho tenta confirmar que as políticas e programas voltados para a região do semiárido norte-mineiro, mesmo que articulados, ainda são insuficientes para causar grandes efeitos na agricultura familiar. O que se observa também é a falta, por parte dos agricultores, de uma formação contextualizada para conviver com o semiárido por meio da adoção de tecnologias apropriadas e de estratégias para o enfrentamento à seca. O estudo demandou como aportes teóricos o pensamento crítico do semiárido e a abordagem das capacitações com a finalidade de explicar a realidade da base empírica. Para tanto, foram coletadas 92 amostras em seis comunidades rurais no município de Januária/MG, cujos dados foram operacionalizados e, posteriormente, analisados com base na abordagem das capacitações. A construção do Índice de Liberdade do Agricultor Familiar no Semiárido Norte-Mineiro (ILAF-SAM) deu suporte para mensurar os níveis de privações identificadas nos grupos de funcionamentos de cada liberdade instrumental. Os resultados revelaram ILAF-SAM muito baixo (0,387) na liberdade “A formação contextualizada e a convivência com o semiárido norte-mineiro”, enquadrando-se no nível extremamente alto de privação de liberdade para os agricultores conviverem com o fenômeno da seca. As oportunidades sociais (ILAF-SAM = 0,599), as facilidades econômicas (ILAF-SAM = 0,598), a segurança protetora (ILAF = 0,502) e as garantias de transparência (ILAF-SAM = 0,640), compuseram as principais fontes de privações que cerceiam os agricultores de ampliarem as suas liberdades. Observou-se também fraca articulação entre os programas de convivência e o Microcrédito Produtivo Rural a fim de reduzir as fontes de privações dos agricultores familiares. Mesmo assim, os resultados encontrados em algumas variáveis, isoladamente, foram relevantes no sentido de complementar este estudo e abrir novas perspectivas de pesquisas no semiárido norte-mineiro. / The study attempts to investigate what are the sources of deprivations that prevent the expansion of the freedoms of family farmers in the semiarid of northern Minas Gerais and whether the presence of the Rural Productive Microcredit (Agroamigo) and of the Training and Mobilization Programs for Coexistence with Semiarid Conditions: One Million Rural Cisterns (P1MC/P1 +2) has some efficacy in reducing the levels of deprivation of these farmers. The central hypothesis guiding the itinerary of this paper tries to confirm that policies and programs for the semiarid region of the northern Minas Gerais, even when conjoined, are insufficient to cause major positive effects on family farming. What is also observed is the lack, on the part of the farmers, of a contextualized training for living in the semiarid through the adoption of appropriate technologies and strategies for coping with drought. The study demanded as theoretical supports the critical thinking of the semiarid and the capabilities approach in order to explain the reality of the empirical basis. Therefore, 92 samples were collected in six rural communities in the municipality of Januária / MG, whose data were operationalized and subsequently analyzed using the capabilities approach. The construction of the Index of Freedom of the Family Farmer in the semiarid northern Minas Gerais (ILAFSAM) supported measuring the levels of deprivation identified in the groups of each instrumental freedom. The results revealed a very low (0.387) ILAF-SAM for the freedom "Contextualized training and coexistence with the semiarid northern Minas Gerais", characterizing an extremely high level of deprivation of freedom for farmers to live with the phenomenon of drought. Social opportunities (ILAF-SAM = 0.599), the economic possibilities (ILAF-SAM = 0.598), protective security (ILAF = 0.502) and guarantees of transparency (ILAF-SAM = 0.640), along with the previous one, composed the main sources of deprivation that curtail farmers from extending their freedoms.We also observed weak connections between these programs for living with the semiarid and the Rural Productive Microcredit with the aim of reducing the sources of deprivations for family farmers.Even so, the results in some isolated variables were relevant in order to complement this study and open new perspectives for research in the semiarid northern Minas Gerais.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Have South African women's lives become happier since the transition to democracy? If they are, could this be linked to gender equality? This is the central question of this study. This study explored a group of women’s subjective experiences of gender equality, by which I mean equality on the basis of gender; and happiness, which refers to women’s life satisfaction and their affective state. It further explores whether gender equality and happiness are linked. The study assumed that everything being equal, endeavours to liberate women from patriarchy and towards gender equality enhance women’s happiness. 1994 ushered in a democratic South Africa and numerous legislative and policy changes were introduced that affect women. Considerable gains have been made at the constitutional and political levels for women’s equality and gender justice. This is reflected in the rankings of South Africa on many different indices. Yet, we see numerous challenges facing women including poverty and gender-based violence. This study examined whether the presence of a range of policies as well as affirmative and protective measures for women have impacted on how they experience their lives. In particular, do they feel that they are happy and do they see happiness as linked to gender equality efforts? Given the research question, this study was grounded within a feminist framework. A mixed methods approach utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods was employed.

This study aims to contribute to the poverty studies in Turkey in terms of the capability approach introduced to the scientific literature by Nobel Laureate thinker Amartya Sen. The approach is closely connected with the idea of justice and particularly with the Rawls&rsquo / s model of social justice. This study&rsquo / s perception of justice is based on the idea that justice is the virtue of the institutions, but not that of individuals. Although the Rawls&rsquo / s justice analysis is approved in terms of making institutional analysis, his perception regarding to the rights are criticized since these are perceived as &ldquo / ends&rdquo / but not the &ldquo / means&rdquo / of individuals&rsquo / welfare. Therefore, it is claimed in this study that holding certain sets of rights are not significant by themselves, but how they can be converted into personal wellbeing is crucial as well. In this framework, poverty is considered as capability deprivation and it is claimed that poverty analyses based on commodity ownership are not satisfactory. As the case of this study, General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity organized as the main state institution so as to alleviate the poverty in Turkey has been chosen and the question of whether the relief programs of the institution are designed to alleviate poverty by enhancing individuals&rsquo / capabilities is raised. It has been concluded in this study that (1) income centred poverty perception of the institution does not take into account the variations in needs, (2) the reliefs are designed to increase economic productivity of individuals but not the valuable capabilities and (3) the operational logic of the institution is based on managing poverty, but not alleviating it.

In this thesis my aim is to bring attention to the problem of sexual exclusion as experienced by members of the disability community and argue that this is an issue of justice. I do this by first discussing the value of sex. I maintain that sex is an integral part of a flourishing human life. Once this is established, I examine theories of justice and demonstrate how the systematic sexual exclusion of persons with disabilities can be understood as an injustice that must be addressed. Finally, I give an overview of some of the proposed solutions to the problem of sexual exclusion and conclude that the transformation of social attitudes is necessary for sexual justice. / Graduate / 0422 / trw.deboer@gmail.com

Magister Educationis - MEd / Since the onset of democracy in 1994, education in South Africa has undergone many developments and changes due to curriculum innovations and interventions. For more than two decades, the government has been seeking to eliminate the divisions of the past by establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and the observance of fundamental human rights as described in Act 108 of 1996 in the Constitution. The curriculum changes in South Africa after 1994 had a huge impact on the education system as a whole, and classroom teaching shifted from being largely teacher- centered to being predominantly learner-centered. Hence, the newly revised Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) was introduced (DBE, 2011) to provide all teachers with the same outline of what should be taught, when and how. The government's efforts at improving teaching and learning as well as maintaining a high standard of education are commendable, however, findings through this research demonstrate that CAPS disregards the massive differences in terms of contexts within which schools operate and the general lack of resources faced by certain schools. The main aim of this research was to explore the nature of the capability sets of teachers with respect to the implementation of the CAPS curriculum in a no fee school community in the Western Cape. The research was conducted within the framework of a qualitative research approach with a case study design. Classroom observation, focus group interviews and document analysis were utilized as data collection methods. The capability approach of Amartya Sen was applied to unveil the nature of teachers' capability sets in a no fee school in the Western Cape. This study has established that there are several factors inside and outside the school, which influence the implementation of CAPS during the teaching and assessment processes. Therefore, recommendations are made that the policymakers should take into account the context and socio economic background of the school and learners before changing the curriculum.