The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a Small Island State (SIS) with 29 atolls and five islands, it is a geographically and logistically isolated region of the world that lacks infrastructure and social service delivery. The negative impacts of social change related to urbanization and loss of tradition are of concern. This thesis is an exploratory study, utilizing a capacity development framework, of the RMI’s ability to respond to social change issues. The objectives are; to characterize the current social change issues, to identify the current capacity of the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to respond to social change issues, and to prioritize the gaps in government and NGO programming to address social change issues. Through qualitative methods the results identified that government and NGOs have an understanding of the root cause of social change issues, but lack capacity at the enabling environment and individual levels. / Richard and Sophie Hungerford Graduate Travel Scholarship

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This thesis examines the roles played by Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in addressing the broad issue of poverty and development by focusing on the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. A new and intricate interplay of the profit, public, and non-profit sectors has arisen as the importance of NGOs has grown throughout the Global South. NGOs, now at the heart of economic development in LAC, are actors in what has been called a global civil society and have demonstrated an immense breadth of specified knowledge and adaptability. The main objective of the paper is to explore whether, and to what extent, NGOs can strengthen the capacity of states to effectively and fairly govern, and promote sustainable development. What can NGOs do to improve states in Latin America and the Caribbean? NGOs are placed within the progressive spectrum of development, while uncovering the need for a balanced approach to the complex topic of development. Consequently, NGOs carrying out capacity building objectives can be seen to support the involvement of local actors and communities while serving as interlocutors between the state and civil society. Haiti is used as a case study because it provides a unique and extreme example of the role that NGOs can play in promoting the public sector.

This research was aimed at establishing the contributions of developmental nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to social welfare service delivery in Gauteng, South Africa, and to examine the challenges they have faced since the transition from Apartheid social welfare to a developmental welfare paradigm. This study revealed how developmental NGOs function to meet the needs of citizens, especially the marginalised and vulnerable class of the society. It also examined the contributions of developmental NGOs in terms of capacity building, physical infrastructure development and their sustainability. The research was qualitative and exploratory in nature, and a multiple case study design was applied. The research sample of 15 participants was drawn from three developmental NGOs registered with the Department of Social Development, Gauteng, South Africa. Five employees from each developmental NGO were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. A face to face interview was the method of data collection. The data collected was analysed. The main findings showed that there is evidence of positive contributions to capacity building and infrastructural development at the grassroots level. However, funding remains the biggest challenge, which then affects the sustainability of development.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Within the discourse of community development, the expression 'capacity development' stands out. Its common usage has somehow rendered it almost insignificant given the fact that those who use it tend to think of it in ways that hardly can be considered as having singular meaning. To be precise, there is no consensus as to its meanings; yet, it has not stopped its usage. The implication is that capacity development as a concept remains complex and has the tendency to erect difficulty in the attempt to operationalize it and apply it in evaluating development initiatives. However, this study presents an operational definition of capacity development in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria; levels of capacity development as well as dimensions used to evaluate on-going development projects/ policies in the region. The research method used to gather data was mixed. Quantitative method was more convenient due to the topography of the study area. However, qualitative method was introduced and utilized to guarantee the validity, authenticity and reliability of data collected. Mapping and an observation of government agencies/ organizations involved in capacity development in the study area (the Niger Delta region, by extension); questionnaires that spoke of practices supportive of capacity development in the region as well as resources available to Southern Ijaw LGA for capacity development; focused group discussions and in depth interviews that drew attention to factors affecting capacity development at all levels; individual, institutional and societal etc. these tools were means that efficiently helped in assessing the extent to which capacity development has been operationalized in post conflict Niger delta.

Development aid has long been a major policy tool of the discourse and policy practiceof bilateral and multilateral donors alike. Originally used for servicing the reconstructionof post-war economies and the wider geo-political aspirations of the period, moderndevelopment aid was quickly transformed to an ever-growing industry which hasexpanded to the most remote locations of the globe. Large countries and internationalorganisations swiftly set up a variety of specialised agencies, institutes and researchcentres in order to promote their aid programmes and projects to the poor countries ofthe South. The persistent failure of the development industry to achieve substantialresults in the poorest regions of the world has meant that discourse and priority areashave been redirected multiple times according to the trends of every period. However, itis not clear how far development practice actually alters in correspondence with changesin aid discourse. This dissertation provides an empirical study of the relationshipbetween the two in the context of the move to bottom-up 'partnership' discourse andJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) development practise in Ghana. During the last ten years Ghana has geared its development policies towards achievingthe Millennium Development Goals and entering the group of countries classified ashaving (lower) middle-income status. Major donor agencies like JICA have gathered inthe country to provide their 'expertise' and to 'assist' Ghana in reaching the targets ofthe Millennium Declaration. Drawing from two JICA case studies of TechnicalCooperation for Capacity Development in Ghana in health and education this thesissheds light on the differences between JICA's aid rhetoric and practice. This studyargues that despite JICA's aid discourse for a 'demand-driven', 'relevant' and'participatory' aid understanding, its implementation practice contradicts the substantivenormative meanings of these terms and is instead reticent of the past orthodox and 'topdown'aid practices of big donor countries and organisations.

Namibia’s community based natural resource management program (CBNRM) integrates local participation in rural development and biodiversity conservation. This effort was launched through key legislation that devolved the right to manage wildlife and other renewable resources on communal lands from the state to community level conservancies. Local participation is dependent upon the capacity of the locals to self mobilize and establish conservancies, plan and implement their programs, and monitor and evaluate their progresses and impacts. Accordingly, this study examines the role of capacity development (CD) in CBNRM, particularly its processes, products, performance, and permanence at the individual, organizational (conservancy), and community levels. The research was carried out using interviews and participatory self-assessment exercises with various conservancy stakeholders. This study uncovers why and how capacity development has to be based on local realities and aspirations where capacity users need to have ownership of the process through partnerships with service providers in order to enhance endogenous capacity. However, such notion of “partnership” between CD stakeholders is challenging to translate into reality in the face of power imbalances, where government and NGOs are continuously influenced and coerced by donor interests, where NGOs are considered stronger than the government because they control more financial and human resources, and where conservancies tend to report upwards to NGOs and government instead of their constituents. Moreover, this research reiterates that CD has to be holistic enough to incorporate individual, organizational, and community level changes in order to create sustainable capacities and prevent problems of elitism, manipulation, and dependency on few individuals. With respect to CBNRM, the research argues that its basic premise of diversifying rural livelihoods using incentives to bring about sustainable resource management can only be achieved when conservancies have the capacity to create representative and participatory democratic processes, and when they are able to generate equitable and reliable tangible benefits with manageable costs to their constituents. As seen in this study, when such governance and benefit sharing structures are in place, they enhance local participation by promoting political empowerment, trust, ownership, and positive attitude towards living with wildlife. However, if such conditions are not met, local participation is reduced, while intra-community conflicts from marginalization to nepotism and members’ dissatisfaction and disinterest are inevitable.

This thesis investigates how capacity development techniques, including training and group formation, can be leveraged to aid in new livelihood development for women living in rural areas who lack the resources necessary for agricultural livelihoods: lack arable land, labour, and capital. This study is situated as a case in an agroforestry development project. The study used multiple qualitative methods to identify how these micro-livestock rearing activities contributed to women’s practical and strategic needs. Key informant interviews (n=5); in-depth interviews, including ranking and scoring exercises, with beneficiaries (n=16); and participant observation all contributed to an in-depth understanding of the relevant phenomena. Interviews were coded and analyzed for key themes that emerged. The study focuses on how micro-livestock as a development intervention may contribute to increased capacities of women in the communities. The conclusions emphasize the importance of fostering knowledge exchange amongst beneficiaries for the maximization of tangible and intangible benefits.

Namibia’s community based natural resource management program (CBNRM) integrates local participation in rural development and biodiversity conservation. This effort was launched through key legislation that devolved the right to manage wildlife and other renewable resources on communal lands from the state to community level conservancies. Local participation is dependent upon the capacity of the locals to self mobilize and establish conservancies, plan and implement their programs, and monitor and evaluate their progresses and impacts. Accordingly, this study examines the role of capacity development (CD) in CBNRM, particularly its processes, products, performance, and permanence at the individual, organizational (conservancy), and community levels. The research was carried out using interviews and participatory self-assessment exercises with various conservancy stakeholders. This study uncovers why and how capacity development has to be based on local realities and aspirations where capacity users need to have ownership of the process through partnerships with service providers in order to enhance endogenous capacity. However, such notion of “partnership” between CD stakeholders is challenging to translate into reality in the face of power imbalances, where government and NGOs are continuously influenced and coerced by donor interests, where NGOs are considered stronger than the government because they control more financial and human resources, and where conservancies tend to report upwards to NGOs and government instead of their constituents. Moreover, this research reiterates that CD has to be holistic enough to incorporate individual, organizational, and community level changes in order to create sustainable capacities and prevent problems of elitism, manipulation, and dependency on few individuals. With respect to CBNRM, the research argues that its basic premise of diversifying rural livelihoods using incentives to bring about sustainable resource management can only be achieved when conservancies have the capacity to create representative and participatory democratic processes, and when they are able to generate equitable and reliable tangible benefits with manageable costs to their constituents. As seen in this study, when such governance and benefit sharing structures are in place, they enhance local participation by promoting political empowerment, trust, ownership, and positive attitude towards living with wildlife. However, if such conditions are not met, local participation is reduced, while intra-community conflicts from marginalization to nepotism and members’ dissatisfaction and disinterest are inevitable.

Capacity development has long been considered a cornerstone of development. While the development industry’s commitment to capacity development has been fraught with debate about its ambiguous nature and lack of associated success, after more than thirty years of experience, there is now widespread agreement that capacity development is a priority for development. There is also renewed understanding that an alternative development paradigm is at the core of capacity development and core principles and good practice guidelines are emerging. However, while there has been a transformation in thinking, much of the development industry is entrenched in existing practices and there remains a gap between the theory that is espoused and capacity development in practice. Currently, the development industry is in transition. This transition is necessary and unavoidable if the development challenges faced by billions of people are to be addressed. This research sought to identify ways to facilitate this transition and close the gap between theory and practice. The research was underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical perspective. As such, a central aim of the research was to make a practical contribution to improving practice. A design-based research methodology was used to carry out research into the practice of delivering two capacity development interventions: 1) the Public Sector Linkages Program (PSLP) Project; and, 2) the Sustainable Sanitation and Wetlands Technology (SSWT) Project. These interventions were designed to develop Indonesian capacity in water and sanitation. In design-based research, practice and research are carried out concurrently. This methodology provided an opportunity to advance understanding of the relationship between capacity development theory based on the alternative paradigm and improved practice. A Framework for Capacity Development is the main outcome of this research. The Framework provides specific guidance regarding the design of capacity development interventions based on the alternative paradigm. The Framework was found to facilitate the design of interventions with improved processes and outcomes. Further application of the Framework in different contexts is recommended.