This study aims to provide a deeper insight on how the communication is used in capacity building and how it affects the socially constructed power structures using theories of Critical Discourse Analysis and the Public Sphere Theory. Through qualitative research methods, the data collected will position the analyzed material in the theoretical framework mentioned before. The study is conducted in co-operation with the Swedish civil society organization Olof Palme International Center, together with the Kosovar non-governmental organization Syri I Vizionit. It includes observation and analysis of the Active Citizenship project. The project relates to the CDA, as it involves the context of social and communicative structures based on the effects of capacity building on micro level.This work includes a Written Essay, based on scientific research and theories, and a Visual Representation in from of a documentary based on the topic of this essay i.e. communicative processes impact on capacity building (e.g. see appendix 7).

<p>Recent trends in community development efforts rely on social capital to solve issues at the local level through consensus building, increasing capacity and citizen empowerment. The asset based community development (ABCD) approach assumes relationships and partnerships built on networks of trust and shared norms build communities beneficial for all members. The current community capacity building approach blurs political interests and supports the current neoliberal agenda of the state and private interests to shift the responsibility and management of social problems to the community. This project calls in to question the potential of an assets based community development strategy as it has been attempted in Hamilton, Ontario to lead to long-term structural change in addressing social issues at the root. Findings suggest that despite the number of community projects appearing on the ground, there is little evidence to support asset based community development and social capital that leads to long-term structural change in communities, or economic prosperity to the extent proponents suggest. Furthermore, contrary to the claim of resident leadership, the findings suggest models that attempt to include resident participation are still managed, funded, and administered by professionals in organizations in a ‘top down’ manner. Additional discussion will explore how social capital and capacity can be used toward meeting social justice outcomes in communities.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p dir="ltr">Restoration of civil infrastructure is <b>not</b> equivalent to the full recovery of a community from natural hazards. Considering the recovery of only civil infrastructure in quantifying the disaster recovery of a community does not allow for capturing the long-term socio-economic impacts of natural hazards (e.g., stress, anxiety, unemployment, etc.). The role of having a robust social infrastructure in facilitating disaster recovery and addressing both short-term and long-term impacts of natural hazards needs to be explored. Social infrastructure is defined as formal entities (e.g., governmental organizations, community centers, NGOs, religious centers, etc.) as well as informal social ties such as individuals and households that assist in post-disaster recovery and alleviate the distress caused by natural hazards. Social infrastructure not only addresses post-disaster tangible needs such as shelter, food, and water but also helps alleviate disaster-induced socio-economic distress in communities.</p><p dir="ltr">This research focuses on identifying the capacity needs of the social infrastructure to facilitate disaster recovery (measured using community well-being as the recovery metric), while integrating the cascading impacts from other affected inter-dependent infrastructure systems (i.e., civil, civic, cyber, financial, environmental, and educational). Using community well-being, which is defined as the state in which the needs of a community are fulfilled, allows for incorporating both short-term and long-term impacts of natural hazards.</p><p dir="ltr">The research starts with modeling post-disaster community well-being using the indicators selected from existing community well-being models. After the selection of indicators, several data sources such as phone call, survey, and FEMA support programs data were used to 1) verify the structure of the community well-being model, and 2) quantify post-disaster community well-being. Chapter 3 elaborates on this process and its outcome, which is a framework for quantifying post-disaster community well-being based on disaster helpline and survey data.</p><p dir="ltr">Chapter 4 introduces a Bayesian Network<b> </b>modeling framework for quantifying the role of social infrastructure services in the form tangible, emotional, and informational support in enhancing post-disaster community well-being. The Bayesian model was then used to propose capacity building strategies for increasing the robustness of social infrastructure and its supporting infrastructure to foster post-disaster community well-being in the face of future hurricanes.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Intellectual Merit</b>: the proposed research is unique in its kind as it leverages social and psychological well-being models and theories to characterize the role of social infrastructure in the recovery of communities from natural disasters. The research contributes to infrastructure and urban resilience models by considering the role of social infrastructure services using community well-being as the recovery metric. It also contributes to social sciences by introducing 2-1-1 disaster helpline data as an inexpensive and timely replacement for multiple rounds of survey questionnaires for quantifying community well-being.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Broader Impacts</b>: the proposed model and the obtained results can serve as an Ex-Ante Capacity building tool for decision-makers to predict the status of communities in the face of future natural hazards and propose capacity building strategies to have higher post-disaster support, and thereby, community well-being.<br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>

In this study, a literature review and qualitative research design are used in an attempt to establish the obstacles to the effective governance of schools in previously disadvantaged communities. From the research, it emerges that the SGBs govern their schools intuitively. This is because they lack knowledge of how schools should be governed. Various strategies to build the governance capacity of these SGBs are formulated in this study to assist them to govern their schools effectively. Effective governance is an important instrument that can restore order, protect the rights of both learners and educators, prevent discipline problems amongst learners and establish the provision of quality education in these communities. / Teacher Education / M.Ed. (Education Management)

The United Arab Emirates are challenged to include the national workforce into their increasingly diversified and knowledge-based economic vision. The federal Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development incubates Sougha, a non-profit company acting as market intermediary for Emirati artisans. This study aims at providing an insight into Sougha‘s potential to become a social enterprise. A pragmatic and exploratory approach is followed. An iterative process underpins the concept of social enterprise from established literature, re-visits it through a social constructivist lens as an emerging topic in the GCC region, and benchmarks Sougha against two selected social enterprise frameworks, based on data analysis from documents and interviews. Sougha demonstrates social value creation while its commercial value creation is restricted to social mission activities. Financial motives are insufficiently reflected in Sougha‘s strategic documentation; leaving doubt to whether Sougha is genuinely seeking financial sustainability, which endangers its eligibility as a social enterprise. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The changes within the South African education system have turned-around the view that regards principals as “sole” people responsible for leadership and management of schools. The task of the school principal has undergone a radical change. Over the years the notion has been replaced by the view that sees management and leadership as prerogative of many, including stakeholders within and outside education. The move has become world-wide phenomenon compelled by the dual imperatives changing societal values and the rate of change. This study is aimed at investigating the perceptions and experiences of School Management Teams (SMTs) on teamwork as an alternative to school management. The investigation was framed within the mixed-method approach, and sought to unpack the experience of SMT members with regard to teamwork. An interpretive paradigm made it possible for me to gain an in-depth understanding of SMT members’ experience of teamwork within their school contexts. I used interviews and questionnaires as research tools to gather data. This study has found that, although the concept of teamwork is well-received, there are still significant obstacles to the implementation of teamwork as an alternative form of school management / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This research addresses the problem of how formal organisations can assist on building the capacity of informal community based organisations (CBO’s). Although informal CBO’s are being regarded as valuable resources rendering much needed services to marginalized communities, they are at present still exclude from governmental funding, because they do not meet the requirements prescribed by the state. To obtain the funds which will enable informal CBO’s to render effective and sustainable services to marginalized and poor vulnerable communities, it is from the developmental perspective in welfare crucial to build the capacity of these informal CBO’s. As a point of departure the researcher provides a general picture of the current structure of social service providers in South Africa. This is done, first of all, by conceptualizing “social service providers” within the context of general concepts such as “social welfare” and “social work”. In this respect a schematic representation provides a general picture of the various categories of social service providers involved, followed by a concise description of each, including their focuses, roles and responsibilities. This necessitates that a distinction should be drawn between the government sector, parastatal organisations, profit-yielding non-governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations without a profit-seeking motive. The concept “capacity building” is explored in accordance with the policy and legislative framework applicable to the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations. This framework is supplemented by a description of other key concepts which have a bearing on the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations, such as “empowerment” and “development”. Emanating from this an attempt is made to formulate the objective of the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations. From the diversity of the developmental requirements and the obstacles informal CBO’s experience, aims for obtaining capacity building are deduced.

Many Low and Middle Income Countries (LAMICs) still lack sufficient health research capacity to build a local evidence-base with which to inform policy and improve population health. Recognising this, The 2013 World Health Report called for all nations to be producers of health research. To achieve this, new strategies that can develop sustainable locally-led capacity are required. Among the health research capacities needed, ability to conduct clinical trials is important. However, there is no evidence-informed guidance on the best ways to develop locally-led trial capacity. This thesis aims to fill this gap. Three cases-studies using qualitative methods to explore the barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were conducted in Ethiopia, Cameroon and Sri Lanka. Current and potential local trial researchers and health research system stakeholders were recruited. A synthesis of the health research capacity development literature was conducted to compare the case-studies’ findings with wider published perspectives. These data permit an examination of the key issues facing the development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. Barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were found at macro, institutional and individual levels. Although different country research systems, and institutions and individuals within them, were variably successful at conducting trials, the key issues and mechanisms influencing successful trial undertaking were largely similar. Agreement among the case-studies and with the diverse literature suggests that many of the findings will be transferable to other LAMICs, and are also of relevance to other health research methods. A conceptual framework explaining the antecedents and consequences of locally-led trial undertaking in LAMICS is presented. This identifies the following factors as important for supporting locally-led trial undertaking: awareness and appreciation for health research and clinical trials; motivation to conduct clinical trials; availability of human resources with trial knowledge and technical skills; research leadership capabilities; ability to form collaborations, effective teams and acquire resources; trial management dedicated to sustainable capacity development and producing useful research; and system-wide prioritisation of health research. The theories of change presented within this framework are used to develop practical recommendations for development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. These recommendations have four inter-related goals: fostering pro-research cultures in stakeholder institutions; developing trial leaders and staff; providing a facilitative operational environment for trials; and ensuring trial research has an impact. However, to create the will to enact change, advocacy from research champions and conducting trials in a way that benefits local institutions and population health is needed.

Cette thèse vise à comprendre comment et dans quelle mesure l’agrément des établissements de santé est-il efficace pour développer les capacités des acteurs, nécessaires pour améliorer la qualité des soins et des services. Au cours des dix dernières années, il y a eu une croissance rapide, à l'échelle mondiale de la mise en œuvre de programmes d'agrément en santé pour l’amélioration de la qualité. L'expérience de la dernière décennie prouve que l'agrément est une technique valable pour l'amélioration de la qualité dans beaucoup d’organismes de santé. Il est également utilisé pour soutenir les réformes en santé. Malgré cela, les outils de gestion comme l’agrément sont souvent critiqués, car elles sont adoptées avec enthousiasme négligeant fréquemment une implantation favorisant la mise en place de comportements durables et la démonstration de meilleurs résultats. Le développement des capacités (DC) est un processus délibéré, multidimensionnel, dynamique dont le but est d’améliorer la performance des individus, des équipes, de l’organisation et d’un système. Le DC constitue une des trois assises de l’implantation d’une démarche institutionnalisée de la qualité, au même niveau que la communication et la reconnaissance. Cette recherche c’est déroulée dans un organisme d’Arabie Saoudite dans le cadre de leur première démarche avec le Conseil canadien d’agrément (CCASS) des services de santé. Une étude de cas unique d’implantation de l’agrément a été menée utilisant une approche mixte. Quatre niveaux d’analyse ont été étudiés en détail (individu, équipe, organisation et système) afin de mesurer 28 effets escomptés du DC puisés dans la littérature. Des entretiens semi-structurés, des groupes de discussion, une revue de la documentation ont été réalisés. Dans le but de mesurer trois des effets escomptés, un questionnaire sur le niveau d’implantation de la qualité (NIQ) a été administré pour la première fois en Arabie Saoudite dans cinq organismes. La performance du cas a été évaluée en relation avec les autres et en fonction de son positionnement dans le cycle d’agrément. Des analyses qualitatives et quantitatives utilisant la technique de polissage par la médiane ont été exécutées. Au niveau des individus, l’agrément a motivé la participation à de nouvelles formations. L’auto-évaluation est l’étape qui encourage l’apprentissage par l’autocritique. Le sentiment de fierté est le changement affectif le plus souvent répertorié. Les équipes ont amélioré leur communication par l’implantation d’une « chaîne de commandement ». Elle a introduit des notions de respect et de clarté des rôles telles qu’exigées par les normes. Au moyen de la mesure du NIQ, nous avons constaté que la majorité des organismes saoudiens se positionnent au niveau minimal d’implantation (assurance qualité). Le plus expérimenté avec l’agrément démontre les meilleurs résultats tout près du second niveau. Enfin, plus les organismes progressent dans la démarche d’agrément, plus les écarts de perception entre les 8 domaines mesurés par le questionnaire du NIQ et entre les différentes catégories d’emploi s’amincissent. En conclusion, l’agrément a démontré de l’efficacité à développer de nouvelles capacités par l’intégration des transformations des individus et par l’impact de l’acquisition des nouvelles capacités sur le changement des pratiques, majoritairement au niveau des individus, des équipes et de l’organisation. Le processus d’agrément a également fait preuve d’importants pouvoirs de convergence au niveau de l’adoption des pratiques édictées par les normes d’agrément qui contribuent positivement à l’amélioration de la qualité. / The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether accreditation is effective for developing individual’s necessary capacities that improve quality. In the last decade, accreditation shows that is a valuable tool. Accreditation program implementation has also demonstrated a world wide increased. It is as well used to support health reform. Managerial practices of this type are often criticized. They are adopted with enthusiasm but their implementation is often neglected because there is some difficulties to demonstrate sustainable behaviour changes and better outcomes.. Capacity Building (CB) is a comprehensive process, multidimensional and dynamic that seeks to improve the performance of individuals, teams, the organization and a system. CB is one of the three foundational elements of institutionalise quality improvement practices a the same level of communication and recognition. This study happens in Saudi Arabia. The hospital had participated in his first initiative with the Canadian Council of Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). A single case study to evaluate the implementation of accreditation has been carried using a mix methodology. For unit of analysis has been studded (individual, team, organization and system) to measure 28 anticipated effects of capacity Building culled from the literature. Semi-structure interviews, focus groups and a documentation review were conducted. A questionnaire on the quality implementation scale (QIS) was administered in five organizations. The performance of the case was measured in relation to the others and based on its positioning in the cycle. Qualitative and quantitative analyses using median polish technique were conducted. At the individual level, the accreditation motivated participation in new training. Self-assessment is the stage that encourages learning through self-criticism. The feeling of pride is the emotional change that was reported the most. The teams improved their communication by establishing a chain of command, which introduced the concept of respect and of clearly defined roles as required by the standards. Through the QIS measurement, we noted that all those involved position themselves at the minimal level of implementation (Quality Assurance). The most experienced with accreditation produce the best results very close to the second level. Finally, the further organizations progress in the cycle, the more the differences in perception between the eight QI domains studied narrowed. The same phenomenon was observed among different job categories. In conclusion, accreditation has demonstrated effectiveness to develop new capacities most specifically at the individual, team and organizational level. The accreditation process has also demonstrated significant convergence power to pushes the adoption of new practices dictated by the accreditation standards. Those practices were successful to demonstrated positive quality improvement outcome.

Schools today are entrusted with the duty of managing their funds in such a way that that the educational outcomes of the primary beneficiaries of these funds are maximised. This places more responsibility on the school governing bodies as the legal custodians of these funds, at local level, which need to be used economically, effectively and efficiently. To achieve this, school governing bodies need capacity in the form of appropriate skills and knowledge needed to connect school funding to educational outcomes. This study focuses on how capacity building for school governing body can contribute to value for money in school financial management. It sought to examine possible impediments to effective financial management, which result from the existing gaps in the current capacity building programmes and the financial management frameworks and procedures relating to school financial management. A qualitative research methodology involving in-depth interviews with members of governing bodies and Circuit officials was followed to examine the problem and possible improvement strategies. Themes that emerged from the data include, comprehensiveness, duration and frequency of the training programme, competency of training facilitators, monitoring, assessment and evaluation and other follow-up modalities, presentation style of the training facilitators, internal records and audited financial statements, the involvement of senior officials in school financial management, and the effectiveness of financial management. Findings suggested that, training of SGBs in financial management is inadequate, training facilitators lack requisite skills, the duration of the training for SGBs is short, the training programme is not provided frequently, the training programme’s presentation style is ineffective, mismatch between internal records and audited financial statements, lack of support and monitoring by circuit officials in the schools’ financial management, questionable conduct of external auditors, and ineffective cluster approach by SGBs. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)