During the last decades “Climate Change” has become a vital topic on national and international political agendas. There it is presented as an irrevocable fact of global impact and thus of universal relevance. What has often been neglected are local discourses of marginalized groups and their specific contextualization of “Climate Change” phenomena. The aim of this project, to develop another perspective along these dominant narratives, has resulted in the research question How is social reality reconstructed on the phenomenon of “Climate Change” among the “Emerging Black Farmers” in the Swartland region in Western Cape, South Africa? Taken as an example, “Climate Change Knowledge” is reconstructed through a case study on the information exchange between the NGO Goedgedacht Trust and local small-scale farmers in the post-Apartheid context of on-going political, social, economic and educational transition in South Africa. Applying a constructivist approach, “Climate Change Knowledge” is not understood as an objectively given, but a socially constructed “reality” that is based on the interdependency of socio-economic conditions and individual assets, including language skills and language practice, sets of social norms and values, as well as strategies of knowledge transfer. The data set consists of qualitative data sources, such as application forms and interview material, which are triangulated. The rationale of a multi-layered data analysis includes a discursive perspective as well as linguistic and ethical “side perspectives”. Epistemologically, the thesis is guided by assumptions of complexity theory, framing knowledge around “Climate Change” as a fluid, constantly changing system that is shaped by constant intra- and inter-systemic exchange processes, and characterized by non-linearity, self-organization and representation of its constituents. From this point of departure, a theoretical terminology has been developed, which differentiates between symbols, interrelations, contents and content clusters. These elements are located in a system of spatio-temporal orientation and embedded into a broader (socio-economic) context of “historicity”. Content clusters are remodelled with the help of concept maps. Starting from that, a local perspective on “Climate Change” is developed, adding an experiential notion to the global narratives. The thesis concludes that there is no single reality about “Climate Change” and that the farmers’ “Climate Change Knowledge” highly depends on experiential relativity and spatio-temporal immediacy. Furthermore, analysis has shown that the system’s historicity and social manifestations can be traced in the scope and emphasis of the content clusters discussed. Finally the thesis demonstrates that characteristics of symbols, interconnections and contents range between dichotomies of direct and indirect, predictable versus unpredictable, awareness and negligence or threat and danger, all coexisting and creating a continuum of knowledge production.

Diese Arbeit untersucht ordnungsinvariante Formeln der Logik erster Stufe (FO) und einiger ihrer Erweiterungen, sowie andere eng verwandte Konzepte der endlichen Modelltheorie. Viele Resultate der endlichen Modelltheorie nehmen an, dass Strukturen mit einer Einbettung ihres Universums in ein Anfangsstück der natürlichen Zahlen ausgestattet sind. Dies erlaubt es, beliebige Relationen (z.B. die lineare Ordnung) und Operationen (z.B. Addition, Multiplikation) von den natürlichen Zahlen auf solche Strukturen zu übertragen. Die resultierenden Relationen auf den endlichen Strukturen werden als numerische Prädikate bezeichnet. Werden numerische Prädikate in Formeln verwendet, beschränkt man sich dabei häufig auf solche Formeln, deren Wahrheitswert auf endlichen Strukturen invariant unter Änderungen der Einbettung der Strukturen ist. Wenn das einzige verwendete numerische Prädikat eine lineare Ordnung ist, spricht man beispielsweise von ordnungsinvarianten Formeln. Die Resultate dieser Arbeit können in drei Teile unterteilt werden. Der erste Teil betrachtet die Lokalitätseigenschaften von FO-Formeln mit Modulo-Zählquantoren, die beliebige numerische Prädikate invariant nutzen. Der zweite Teil betrachtet FO-Sätze, die eine lineare Ordnung samt der zugehörigen Addition auf invariante Weise nutzen, auf endlichen Bäumen. Es wird gezeigt, dass diese dieselben regulären Baumsprachen definieren, wie FO-Sätze ohne numerische Prädikate mit bestimmten Kardinalitätsprädikaten. Für den Beweis wird eine algebraische Charakterisierung der in dieser Logik definierbaren Baumsprachen durch Operationen auf Bäumen entwickelt. Der dritte Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Ausdrucksstärke und der Prägnanz von FO und Erweiterungen von FO auf Klassen von Strukturen beschränkter Baumtiefe. / This thesis studies the concept of order-invariance of formulae of first-order logic (FO) and some of its extensions as well as other closely related concepts from finite model theory. Many results in finite model theory assume that structures are equipped with an embedding of their universe into an initial segment of the natural numbers. This allows to transfer arbitrary relations (e.g. linear order) and operations (e.g. addition, multiplication) on the natural numbers to structures. The arising relations on the structures are called numerical predicates. If formulae use these numerical predicates, it is often desirable to consider only such formulae whose truth value in finite structures is invariant under changes to the embeddings of the structures. If the numerical predicates include only a linear order, such formulae are called order-invariant. We study the effect of the invariant use of different kinds of numerical predicates on the expressive power of FO and extensions thereof. The results of this thesis can be divided into three parts. The first part considers the locality and non-locality properties of formulae of FO with modulo-counting quantifiers which may use arbitrary numerical predicates in an invariant way. The second part considers sentences of FO which may use a linear order and the corresponding addition in an invariant way and obtains a characterisation of the regular finite tree languages which can be defined by such sentences: these are the same tree languages which are definable by FO-sentences without numerical predicates with certain cardinality predicates. For the proof, we obtain a characterisation of the tree languages definable in this logic in terms of algebraic operations on trees. The third part compares the expressive power and the succinctness of different ex- tensions of FO on structures of bounded tree-depth.

Diese Arbeit leistet Beiträge zu drei Gebieten der deskriptiven Komplexitätstheorie. Zunächst adaptieren wir einen repräsentationsinvarianten Graphkanonisierungsalgorithmus mit einfach exponentieller Laufzeit von Corneil und Goldberg (1984) und folgern, dass die Logik "Choiceless Polynomial Time with Counting" auf Strukturen, deren Relationen höchstens Stelligkeit 2 haben, gerade die Polynomialzeit-Eigenschaften (PTIME) von Fragmenten logarithmischer Größe charakterisiert. Der zweite Beitrag untersucht die deskriptive Komplexität von PTIME-Berechnungen auf eingeschränkten Graphklassen. Wir stellen eine neuartige Normalform von Intervallgraphen vor, die sich in Fixpunktlogik mit Zählen (FP+C) definieren lässt, was bedeutet, dass FP+C auf dieser Graphklasse PTIME charakterisiert. Wir adaptieren außerdem unsere Methoden, um einen kanonischen Beschriftungsalgorithmus für Intervallgraphen zu erhalten, der sich mit logarithmischer Platzbeschränkung (LOGSPACE) berechnen lässt. Im dritten Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt uns die ungelöste Frage, ob es eine Logik gibt, die alle Polynomialzeit-Berechnungen charakterisiert. Wir führen eine Reihe von Ranglogiken ein, die die Fähigkeit besitzen, den Rang von Matrizen über Primkörpern zu berechnen. Wir zeigen, dass diese Ergänzung um lineare Algebra robuste Logiken hervor bringt, deren Ausdrucksstärke die von FP+C übertrifft. Außerdem beweisen wir, dass Ranglogiken strikt an Ausdrucksstärke gewinnen, wenn wir die Zahl an Variablen erhöhen, die die betrachteten Matrizen indizieren. Dann bauen wir eine Brücke zur klassischen Komplexitätstheorie, indem wir über geordneten Strukturen eine Reihe von Komplexitätsklassen zwischen LOGSPACE und PTIME durch Ranglogiken charakterisieren. Die Arbeit etabliert die stärkste der Ranglogiken als Kandidat für die Charakterisierung von PTIME und legt nahe, dass Ranglogiken genauer erforscht werden müssen, um weitere Fortschritte im Hinblick auf eine Logik für Polynomialzeit zu erzielen. / This thesis is making contributions to three strands of descriptive complexity theory. First, we adapt a representation-invariant, singly exponential-time graph canonization algorithm of Corneil and Goldberg (1984) and conclude that on structures whose relations are of arity at most 2, the logic "Choiceless Polynomial Time with Counting" precisely characterizes the polynomial-time (PTIME) properties of logarithmic-size fragments. The second contribution investigates the descriptive complexity of PTIME computations on restricted classes of graphs. We present a novel canonical form for the class of interval graphs which is definable in fixed-point logic with counting (FP+C), which shows that FP+C captures PTIME on this graph class. We also adapt our methods to obtain a canonical labeling algorithm for interval graphs which is computable in logarithmic space (LOGSPACE). The final part of this thesis takes aim at the open question whether there exists a logic which generally captures polynomial-time computations. We introduce a variety of rank logics with the ability to compute the ranks of matrices over (finite) prime fields. We argue that this introduction of linear algebra results in robust logics whose expressiveness surpasses that of FP+C. Additionally, we establish that rank logics strictly gain in expressiveness when increasing the number of variables that index the matrices we consider. Then we establish a direct connection to standard complexity theory by showing that in the presence of orders, a variety of complexity classes between LOGSPACE and PTIME can be characterized by suitable rank logics. Our exposition provides evidence that rank logics are a natural object to study and establishes the most expressive of our rank logics as a viable candidate for capturing PTIME, suggesting that rank logics need to be better understood if progress is to be made towards a logic for polynomial time.

The fragmented and unequal system of technical and vocational education and training in South Africa is a consequence of the apartheid era. Since 1994 comprehensive legislation has been introduced to create a transformed system of Further Education and Training (FET) guided by the principles of redress, equity and lifelong learning and aimed at producing graduates who can contribute to making South Africa a key player in the global economy. In particular, the Technical College sector requires transformation. This in turn demands new knowledge, attitudes and skills from college managers and educators. Therefore, relevant staff development programmes is a key instrument of change in colleges. Against this background this study examines the management of staff development programmes in FET colleges in Gauteng Province by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The former addresses the management of change, human resource management, staff development and organisational development with an emphasis on the application of chaos/complexity theory. Moreover, the dynamic FET landscape in South Africa is sketched and FET policies and legislation since 1994 are discussed. The empirical investigation adopts a qualitative approach using focus group and individual interviews, observation and document analysis to gather data from a small sample of participants: educators and members of senior and middle management. Participants were selected by purposeful sampling from three former Technical Colleges (one previously advantaged and two previously disadvantaged) in Gauteng, which have recently merged to create a new multi-campus college, the Tshwane North College. The findings of the interviews present the experience of participants according to six themes: the management of change; communication during change; stakeholder involvement in change; the impact of FET legislation; human resource management and the role of staff development programmes in this process. These findings were integrated with observations of staff development programmes and their management and analysis of key documents. It was concluded that people are complex and may resist change; during change effective communication, stakeholder participation, adequate funding for staff development and its effective management are essential. Recommendations for the improvement of practice are presented based on the findings of the literature and empirical study. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of the study was to offer solutions for the enhancement of Indonesia’s HIV and AIDS policy and to suggest future possibilities. In the process, the gendered nature of the epidemic was explored. In light of the relatively lower rates of employment among Indonesian women, this study also sought to gain insights into the possible reasons for many women appearing to be attached to domesticity. In the first phase of the study, interviews with stakeholders in HIV and AIDS prevention were conducted, followed by a Delphi exercise involving 23 HIV and AIDS experts. In the second phase, 28 women from various ethnicities were interviewed, including those in polygamous and contract marriages. The overall results were interpreted through the lens of complexity theory. Fewer than half of the proposed objectives were approved by the experts in the Delphi round. These were interventions mainly aimed at the risk groups while most objectives relating to education about HIV and AIDS and safer sex for the general public failed to obtain consensus. Reasons for the lack of consensus were differences in perceptions associated with human rights, moral reasoning, the unfeasibility of certain statements and personal conviction about the control of the epidemic. Emphasis on men’s and women’s innate characteristics; men’s role as breadwinner; women’s primary role as wife, mother and educator of their children; and unplanned pregnancies emerged as major themes from the qualitative phase. While the adat and Islam revival movements may have endorsed the ideals of the New Order state ideology, Javanese rituals regarded as violating Islam teachings were abandoned. Ignorance about safer sex and HIV and AIDS was also established. Interpretation of the results through the lens of complexity theory revealed that the national HIV and AIDS policy needs to encompass interventions for the general population, which would include comprehensive sex education in schools and media campaigns focusing on women. It was found that women’s vulnerability to HIV and their penchant for domesticity appear to be associated with their perceived primary role as wife and mother, as promoted by the adat-based New Order state ideology. / Sociology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

The aim of the study was to offer solutions for the enhancement of Indonesia’s HIV and AIDS policy and to suggest future possibilities. In the process, the gendered nature of the epidemic was explored. In light of the relatively lower rates of employment among Indonesian women, this study also sought to gain insights into the possible reasons for many women appearing to be attached to domesticity. In the first phase of the study, interviews with stakeholders in HIV and AIDS prevention were conducted, followed by a Delphi exercise involving 23 HIV and AIDS experts. In the second phase, 28 women from various ethnicities were interviewed, including those in polygamous and contract marriages. The overall results were interpreted through the lens of complexity theory. Fewer than half of the proposed objectives were approved by the experts in the Delphi round. These were interventions mainly aimed at the risk groups while most objectives relating to education about HIV and AIDS and safer sex for the general public failed to obtain consensus. Reasons for the lack of consensus were differences in perceptions associated with human rights, moral reasoning, the unfeasibility of certain statements and personal conviction about the control of the epidemic. Emphasis on men’s and women’s innate characteristics; men’s role as breadwinner; women’s primary role as wife, mother and educator of their children; and unplanned pregnancies emerged as major themes from the qualitative phase. While the adat and Islam revival movements may have endorsed the ideals of the New Order state ideology, Javanese rituals regarded as violating Islam teachings were abandoned. Ignorance about safer sex and HIV and AIDS was also established. Interpretation of the results through the lens of complexity theory revealed that the national HIV and AIDS policy needs to encompass interventions for the general population, which would include comprehensive sex education in schools and media campaigns focusing on women. It was found that women’s vulnerability to HIV and their penchant for domesticity appear to be associated with their perceived primary role as wife and mother, as promoted by the adat-based New Order state ideology. / Sociology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

Increasingly unpredictable, extreme and erratic rainfall with higher temperatures threatens to undermine the adaptive capacity of food systems and ecological resilience of smallholder landscapes. Despite growing concern, land managers still lack quantitative techniques to collect empirical data about the potential impact of climatic variability and change. This thesis aims to assess how ecosystem services and function and how this links with biodiversity and human wellbeing in smallholder agro-ecosystems in a changing climate. To this end, rather than relying on scenarios or probabilistic modelling, space was used as a proxy for time to compare states in disparate climatic conditions. Furthermore, an integrated methodological framework to assess ecosystem services at the field and landscape level was developed and operationalised, the results of which can be modelled with measures of wellbeing. Various multidisciplinary analytical tools were utilised, including ecological and socio-economic surveys, biological assessments, participatory open enquiry, and documenting ethnobotanical knowledge. The study was located within monsoon rice farms in the Terai Plains of Nepal, and dry season vegetable farms in Northern Ghana. Sites were selected that are climatically and culturally diverse to enable comparative analysis, with application to broad areas of adaptive planning. The linkages that bring about biophysical and human changes are complex and operate through social, political, economic and demographic drivers, making attribution extremely challenging. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that within hotter and drier conditions in Ghana long-tongued pollinators and granivores, important for decomposition processes and pollination services, are more abundant in farms. Results further indicated that in cooler and drier conditions in Nepal, the taxonomic diversity of indigenous and close relative plant species growing in and around farms, important for the provisioning of ecosystem services, decreases. All other things equal, in both Nepal and Ghana findings indicate that overall human wellbeing may be adversely effected in hotter conditions, with a potentially significantly lower yields, fewer months of the year in which food is available, higher exposure to natural hazards and crop loss, unemployment, and psychological anxiety. Yet, surveys indicate smallholders continue to maintain a fair diversity of species in and around farms, which may allow them to secure basic necessities from provisioning ecosystem services. Moreover, farmers may employ adaptive strategies such as pooling labour and food sharing more frequently, and may have greater access to communication, technology, and infrastructure. Novel methodological and empirical contributions of this research offer predictive insights that could inform innovations in climate-smart agricultural practice and planning.

The fragmented and unequal system of technical and vocational education and training in South Africa is a consequence of the apartheid era. Since 1994 comprehensive legislation has been introduced to create a transformed system of Further Education and Training (FET) guided by the principles of redress, equity and lifelong learning and aimed at producing graduates who can contribute to making South Africa a key player in the global economy. In particular, the Technical College sector requires transformation. This in turn demands new knowledge, attitudes and skills from college managers and educators. Therefore, relevant staff development programmes is a key instrument of change in colleges. Against this background this study examines the management of staff development programmes in FET colleges in Gauteng Province by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The former addresses the management of change, human resource management, staff development and organisational development with an emphasis on the application of chaos/complexity theory. Moreover, the dynamic FET landscape in South Africa is sketched and FET policies and legislation since 1994 are discussed. The empirical investigation adopts a qualitative approach using focus group and individual interviews, observation and document analysis to gather data from a small sample of participants: educators and members of senior and middle management. Participants were selected by purposeful sampling from three former Technical Colleges (one previously advantaged and two previously disadvantaged) in Gauteng, which have recently merged to create a new multi-campus college, the Tshwane North College. The findings of the interviews present the experience of participants according to six themes: the management of change; communication during change; stakeholder involvement in change; the impact of FET legislation; human resource management and the role of staff development programmes in this process. These findings were integrated with observations of staff development programmes and their management and analysis of key documents. It was concluded that people are complex and may resist change; during change effective communication, stakeholder participation, adequate funding for staff development and its effective management are essential. Recommendations for the improvement of practice are presented based on the findings of the literature and empirical study. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)