Co-operatives are multifaceted as they have different meanings for their members. They are an important passage to sustainable development as they provide their members and communities with the opportunity of joining forces and addressing their needs. Various pieces of South African legislation endorse the establishment of co-operatives and support community members to own co-operatives. The research findings show that cooperative members are motivated to participate even though they experience challenges in the cooperatives. What keeps them going is the drive to succeed. This is strengthened by cooperative principles to which they adhere. The role of the social worker in initiating and supporting cooperatives, utilizing empowerment and developmental approaches, provides extra benefits for cooperative members, their families and the larger community. One critical benefit is the income generated through economic activities to support members and their families. Based on the research findings, recommendation are made with regard to practice, policy and further research. / Social Work / M.A. (S.S.) (Social Work)

This thesis discusses the involvement of informally housed communities in shaping local government policies aimed at poverty alleviation. Involving the poor in the design of anti-poverty policies at local level is regarded as an invaluable opportunity that should be used by municipal governments to make poverty alleviation efforts more demand-driven and therefore more relevant to the people they are meant to benefit. The argument is that because the poor know about poverty first-hand, they would be in a position to revive local government's capacity to respond effectively to their needs. But this does not come without a price. Because of the complexity of public management, participative democracy is liable to slow down the process of governance. It may also become advantageous to the interests of some people or groups of people at the expense of others if attention is not paid to the representation and consideration of all the voices in the community–to name two drawbacks. For this reason, it is essential to the realization of an effective bottom-up approach to anti-poverty policy-making that certain conditions are in existence and practical issues of involvement are worked through. Accordingly, it is the intention of this study to focus on two particular areas (conditions and practical issues that would facilitate the process of involving informally housed communities in the design of local government policies that affect their lives), which are investigated with particular reference to the South African context. Drawing upon a series of field surveys and a broad selection of relevant works of scholars from both the international and local scene, the picture that emerges is that there needs to be a proper level of government's commitment, capacity and legally binding responsibility coupled with a healthy degree of community's motivation, ability and organizational capacity in order to involve the poor in local governance efficiently. The study has also found that there needs to be proper forms of involvement (the most relevant of which are identified as an ombudsman, public meetings and residents' committees) that are to be employed with attention to such issues as stakeholders to be engaged, degree of participation, timing of involvement and topics for which public debate may be sought. / Development Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

The Public Participation Process (PPP) for Environmental Assessment (EA) is a mandatory procedure to facilitate participation of Interested and Affected Parties (IAAPs) in decision making for proposed development projects. Participation of the vulnerable IAAPs in the PPP is affected by complex challenges. These challenges make it difficult or impossible for Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) to successfully conduct and complete PPPs. This study investigated the nature and impact of the challenges in the decision making process. The study sought to develop an understanding of the challenges and suggest better approaches. Based on purposive sampling, a case study approach was adopted to analyse five PPP cases conducted in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Five key challenges: lack of EA legislation awareness; imbalanced power relations; negative past experience; threat to environmental autonomy; and poor project planning affected the PPP cases analysed in this study. These challenges emanate from internal and environmental factors. The study argues that internal challenges such as a lack of EA legislation awareness can be managed better during the PPPs. However, external challenges such as imbalanced power relations are usually impossible to resolve during the PPP. The modes of communication play a key role in public participation. Word of mouth is appropriate to facilitate participation of the vulnerable IAAPs. A key finding was the combined impact of the challenges and appropriateness of communication mode determines the PPP outcome, with the challenges being significant determining factor. The study maintains that a good understanding of potential challenges associated with development project sites will enable EAPs to design better and more responsive PPP approaches. To achieve this, the study recommends a Dual Approach Planning Model (DAPM). This approach recommends designing the PPP through preplanning information appraisal and prediction of potential challenges to create awareness about potential challenges. The DAPM argues that this awareness will assist EAPs to better estimate the time and to mobilise tools and resources required to manage the challenges, while focusing on successful completion of the PPP. This approach is also adaptive in nature. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This thesis discusses the involvement of informally housed communities in shaping local government policies aimed at poverty alleviation. Involving the poor in the design of anti-poverty policies at local level is regarded as an invaluable opportunity that should be used by municipal governments to make poverty alleviation efforts more demand-driven and therefore more relevant to the people they are meant to benefit. The argument is that because the poor know about poverty first-hand, they would be in a position to revive local government's capacity to respond effectively to their needs. But this does not come without a price. Because of the complexity of public management, participative democracy is liable to slow down the process of governance. It may also become advantageous to the interests of some people or groups of people at the expense of others if attention is not paid to the representation and consideration of all the voices in the community–to name two drawbacks. For this reason, it is essential to the realization of an effective bottom-up approach to anti-poverty policy-making that certain conditions are in existence and practical issues of involvement are worked through. Accordingly, it is the intention of this study to focus on two particular areas (conditions and practical issues that would facilitate the process of involving informally housed communities in the design of local government policies that affect their lives), which are investigated with particular reference to the South African context. Drawing upon a series of field surveys and a broad selection of relevant works of scholars from both the international and local scene, the picture that emerges is that there needs to be a proper level of government's commitment, capacity and legally binding responsibility coupled with a healthy degree of community's motivation, ability and organizational capacity in order to involve the poor in local governance efficiently. The study has also found that there needs to be proper forms of involvement (the most relevant of which are identified as an ombudsman, public meetings and residents' committees) that are to be employed with attention to such issues as stakeholders to be engaged, degree of participation, timing of involvement and topics for which public debate may be sought. / Development Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Tanzania is ranked among the world’s poorest nations despite her enormous natural resource base, enviable tropical climate and geographic location as the gateway into several landlocked African countries. This abject poverty is particularly pronounced in the rural areas where almost ninety per cent of the population live. In this study, the researcher sought to unravel the complexity of participation with regard to Tanzania’s rural community development and thereby provide insight into possible policy guidelines that will result in more effective and sustainable community development. Since independence, grandiose government policies, political manifestos, different socio-political ideologies, astronomical budgets of national and donor funding as well as bona fide efforts have made little difference in the eradication of poverty in Tanzania’s rural communities. The researcher opines that Tanzania’s failure to meet its development goals and its dismal economic performance are a result of the rural communities’ lack of participation in development projects. Social inclusion as a concept and the game theory of participation were explored as dynamic and innovative analytical tools to understand the participatory process in community development. The framework was tested against the analysis of participation in multiple health, education and water projects in rural Tanzania. The key findings of this study indicate that the community members’ lack of participation has hindered development efforts but there are mitigating circumstances. The community members are, for the most part, willing to participate in development projects. However, they find themselves socially excluded by variables which include government policies, bureaucratic obstacles, conflicts arising from political alliances and deeply-entrenched corruption. Based on the findings and conclusion of this study, this study makes recommendations for the implementation of more meaningful community participation in rural Tanzania includes having more women and youth representatives at every leadership level especially at the grassroots level and giving local government autonomy. The researcher concluded that, for participation to be effective, it has to be accompanied by well-structured empowerment programmes. Wherever possible, participation by beneficiaries should be solicited from the initial stages of a project. Participation is therefore synonymous with the inclusion of all groups. The researcher’s conclusive thesis is that, should the government adopt this participatory approach, the stalled growth will gain traction and pull the nation from its position among the world’s poorest countries and place it on the path towards sustainable progress. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Community participation is a concept that is frequently mentioned in community development. Practitioners in development believe that in order for projects to succeed, communities need to actively take part in designing, implementing and shaping the projects that affect them. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate community participation by measuring quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation. It is important to note that there are no universal indicators of participation. The thesis presents three projects as case studies. In order to measure participation in the three cases, the quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation of Oakley et al. are reviewed. The indicators are applied across all three cases and the analysis indicates whether they were high, low or absent. It is also important to note that to measure participation effectively requires one to spend lengthy periods at the project site and this proved to be a challenge, as will be shown in the thesis. The thesis also demonstrates that to a large extent community participation is contextual. Of the three projects, two were rural projects and one an urban project. The two rural projects, Mongoaneng Development Forum and TsweloPele Women‟s Co-operative, were initiated by members of the community and aimed at addressing issues of poverty. The urban project, Motherwell Youth Development Forum, was specifically targeting young people with the aim of providing them with skills. Key findings include the fact that each of the cases was highly diverse, and furthermore, when measuring these cases, a common thread was that not all participation indicators were present at any given stage. Another key finding is that co-operation amongst project members tends to yield positive results and the reverse yields negative results. Another finding relates to the sustainability of the projects, pointing to the fact that even though two of the cases were doing well, their sustainability was questionable.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

The master's thesis deals with the citizen photojournalism and the citizen videojournalism in the Czech media landscape. It focuses on the frequency of the amateur photographs and videos published on the selected news web sites and also on the gatekeeping process. This master's thesis also reflects the editor's opinions on the citizen photojournalism and the citizen videojournalism. The citizen journalism is usually viewed from the perspective of the citizen journalists, but this master's thesis brings the view from the second side, from the media professionals. The thesis uses the combination of the quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, there was conducted the quantitative content analysis. Secondly, there were interviewed the media professionals. The conclusions of the master's thesis indicate that the citizen photojournalism and the citizen videojournalism is rarely used on the Czech web sites. The media professionals evaluate this phenomenon positively, find its contributions to the news flow but only under the certain conditions. On the other hand, they do not find the citizen photojournalism and videojournalism absolutely necessary element for the news service.

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg 1997 / South Africa has recently begun a number of conservation Initiatives which link conservation with the development of people This follows a worldwide trend in which it is acknowledged that conservation cannot be undertaker without the participation of local communities who are most affected by the establishment of protected areas The Thukela Biosphere Reserve In KwaZulu/Natal South Africa iS such an Initiative The research provides an assessment of the potential of the TBR to successfully introduce a sustainable land use strategy in the region This assessment is achieved through an investigation of the historical situation as well as local communities perceptions and attitudes toward the TBR and environmental degradation These attitudes are compared to a more scientific analysis of land degradation The research made use of participatory methodologies to assess these perceptions Findings indicate that local Afrrcan communities are intensely aware of environmental degradation in the TBR A number of factors however prevent them from accepting the TBR as an effective land use option These include oppressive historical polices leading[Abbreviated [ Abstract. Open document to view full version]

The Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys Ecomuseum is a regional heritage demonstration project initiated by Heritage Canada, B.C. Heritage Trust and the local governments of the Cowichan Valley Regional District in 1988. This thesis used the Ecomuseum as a case study to investigate how and why people participate in public processes, specifically from the perspective of the participants themselves. The study provides a documentation and analysis of individual participatory experiences across a range of public involvement activities. The thesis has two main purposes. The research provides conclusions which may be useful in the design and implementation of the Ecomuseum's future public involvement activities and similar projects. As well, implications from the research are identified which contributes to a better understanding of public participation in context of community development. The study outlines the participatory process of the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys Ecomuseum, provides a descriptive evaluation of individuals' participatory experiences and summarizes individual reports across different types of participatory activities. The research methods included a general literature review, a review of the documents, materials and organizational files of the Ecomuseum Society, the development of a newspaper survey and personal interviews with 24 participants. A content analysis of the interviews and surveys was used to summarize the research findings. Activities of the Ecomuseum Society are guided by principles of community participation and consensus decision-making in pursuit of three recognized objectives: - To preserve and present the history and living heritage of the British Columbia forest legacy of the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys; - To increase resident and visitor awareness and appreciation of this heritage through the management of unique resources - To stimulate regional economic growth through appropriate tourism development and marketing of forest related "heritage experiences". With its emphasis on local involvement, the Ecomuseum is pioneering a new approach to community-based tourism and community development in general. Active public participation is the cornerstone of the ecomuseum concept. To date, the only formal evaluation of the Ecomuseum's progress has been a telephone survey to determine the level of resident awareness regarding the Ecomuseum. Given the critical role of public participation in the development of an ecomuseum, additional evaluation of the project was necessary to provide information about local involvement. Research on patterns of public participation suggest that different groups of people participate in different types of activities. As well, these patterns of participation may be identified and categorized by a variety of psychosocial variables perhaps more accurately than by a composition of demographic characteristics. During its five years of operation, the Ecomuseum has developed a wide range of public involvement activities to facilitate local participation. Six general categories of participation can be identified: general, passive participation, such as attending displays, lectures and tours; public forums; educational/ training programs; general volunteer work; working committees and specific Ecomuseum development projects. This study examined the usefulness of developing participant group profiles based on the descriptive experiences of individual participants. As well, the research investigated the hypothesis that different people participate in different types of activities through a comparison of participant profiles in each of the six categories of participation noted above. The research provides information about the experiences of local participants, their preferences and patterns of participation which is useful to the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys Ecomuseum Society. The findings suggest that the initial reasons for individuals partaking in a particular activity will be common for members of a particular activity, but are different across different types of participation. Regardless of the type of activity people were participating in, most people indicated a common preference for certain kinds of activities. These included activities of a general, passive nature as well as those with an educational component. Within the category of general, passive activities, participants from the entire range of activity types again showed similar preferences. Exhibits/ displays, tours and lectures/ presentations were cited as common preferences although participants gave different reasons for their preference. While the main purpose of the research was to draw out implications for future activities of the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys Ecomuseum, information from this research can be generally applied to community development public processes in general. Empowering a community to affect change requires developing the skills, capabilities and confidence of individuals to the point where they can take action. Improving the individual participatory experience is a means of increasing people's effectiveness in the collective process of community development. If the intention is to provide people with participatory opportunities which respond to their needs, information about participants' needs and desires is necessary. Research which focuses specifically on the participant's perspective should be encouraged. The development of participant profiles is suggested as a means of generating information which is useful in designing future participatory processes. Ultimately, the purpose is to facilitate the development of effective and satisfying opportunities for participation. The research findings were reviewed for their contribution to better understanding processes which facilitate increased levels of participation, project efficiency, effectiveness and self-reliance through local participation. The study does not provide a blueprint for designing public processes instead, the intention of the research is to stress certain aspects of the participants' perspectives which have implications for public participation processes in general and which should be considered in future research.