This dissertation measured using appropriate methodology the degree of independence of the Reserve Bank of Malawi based on the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act of 1989. Furthermore the dissertation assessed the vulnerability of this independence in the context of good governance and a variety of internal and external threats on the independence. This comes from the understanding that even though central banks are accorded independence, there are situations where practice deviates from what the charters state. Therefore the dissertation provides recommendations on how to strengthen the Reserve Bank Act to support its legal independence. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

The Republic of Transkei, the first of the "Independent" National States has financed a number of research projects which have attempted to establish a data base on which a Five Year Development Plan can be grounded. A important element of this plan has been the suggestion of the creation of a hierarchy of Service Centres in the rural areas of Transkei. From these, it is envisaged that essential services could be distributed to the rural poor. In addition, these Centres are expected assist with the co-ordination of other projects based in the rural areas, and, further, to contain some inherent growth potential which could stimulate development. It was intended that this thesis should provide a critical analysis development planning in for the rural areas of Transkei. Particular attention has been paid to the existing conditions and structures in the rural areas, and the manner in which these might influence the success or otherwise of a Service Centre Approach. In addition, the relationship between rural households in Transkei, and the South African economy has also been examined. Chapter One of this thesis introduces the importance of development studies in Southern Africa. It goes on to examine the important theoretical approaches to Third World economies, notably, the Dualistic and the Dependency paradigms. The Althussarian concept of an articulation of two or more modes of production is discussed in this section. Thereafter, the Southern African development experiance is reviewed, taking into account the Liberal and Radical interpretations, and placing these within the paradigms discussed earlier. The chapter concludes by situating Transkei within the broader Southern African political economy. Chapter Two discusses the Rural Service Centre concept, and the emphasis which has been placed on it in Transkeian planning. The chapter raises a number a crucial questions regarding this concept and posits that a deeper understanding of the conditions in the rural areas might assist in providing the answers for some of these questions. To this end a household survey was conducted in the Umzimkulu District of Transkei, and the chapter concludes with a description of methodology, and of the areas which were selected for survey. Chapters Three to Five present the findings of the survey, and represent the empirical core of the thesis. Chapter Three describes the demographic characteristics of the sampled population. Chapter Four deals at length with the income generating ability of the rural households, taking into account subistence agriculture, local formal and informal employment, welfare payments and remittances. In addition, a wealth index has been created, and the distribution of wealth examined. Chapter Five briefly introduces the Basic Needs Approach to development, and the remainder of the chapter concerns itself with the fulfilment of essential needs in the Umzimkulu District. Finally, chapter Six draws together the dependnecy theory discussed in chapter One, the data presented in chapters Three to Five, and the politio-economic structure of Transkei. The chapter argues that although the Service Centre Approach may appear to be a suitable strategy for development in purely spatial terms, in fiscal terms the approach contains a crucial flaw. Such an approach requires a redistribution of resources from the urban wealthy to the rural poor. In view of Transkei's dependent status viv-a-vis South Africa, and in view of the nature of the Transkeian bureaucracy , it is argued that such a transfer seems unlikely. However, in order to move away from the overall pessimistic tone of the conclusion, it is suggested the Last Word that, ultimately, it appears that the position of the rural poor will only recieve attention once this group becomes important to politicians in Umtata and Pretoria. Consequently, local development projects should seek ways in which they will be noticed by the government. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 1984.

This project explores the persistence of racial frameworks amongst Coloureds in Wentworth, Durban, using perspectives from discourse analysis as a methodological and theoretical framework. In-depth focus groups and interviews with Wentworth residents were conducted to investigate the continued socio-political relevance of such frameworks in the context of their own identity as 'Coloured', especially where these relate to residual racial hierarchies of the colonial era. Three sample groups were utilised to reflect the community's socio-economic spectrum, which enabled a class-based discussion of the way 'Colouredness' and ideals such as national reconciliation may be reflected by different socio-economic groups. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Governments in many developing countries have stepped up efforts to provide water and sanitation services sustainably to as many people as possible. In some instances, time frames for provision of services to all of their citizens have been set. While these are commendable efforts, the question whether these services are provided efficiently remains unanswered. In South Africa, although the government conducts consumer satisfaction surveys, seldom are citizens consulted for their views. While its efforts have been hailed as a success in the postapartheid era, there have been many obstacles in the supply process. The assumption has been that the government knows what the citizens want and gives it them, irrespective of their concerns. This study interrogated this assumption as its overall research objective, aiming to evaluate whether a supply-driven approach is effective in satisfying the demands of the consumers. As such the study sought to gain insight into the perceptions of Ohlange Township residents in Inanda, Durban, regarding water supply and sanitation services. The study found out that many of these residents could not afford to pay for basic services, although they are currently expected to pay for some of the costs of service provision. However, in a resource-constrained environment, the government can no longer sustainably provide these services without recovering costs. In this case, the government faces the challenge of balancing its constitutional mandate of providing all citizens with basic services and the demand by the poor for improved services they cannot afford. In this case, supply-led delivery system is severely limited in fully addressing consumer demands. This approach also results in poor service delivery due to inefficient resource management. It also disempowers communities because they are not involved in decision-making processes. Based on the study findings, the demand-led approach, one that is consumer-driven, is recommended. This approach puts the consumer at the centre of the delivery of basic services; allows consumers to participate in decision-making processes and encourages them to honour their obligations by paying for the services received. 11 / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Water is essential to human survival, health, wellbeing and livelihoods. Access to sufficient water for consumption and domestic use is considered a basic need and a human right. Water use however, goes beyond basic needs; water is an asset important to livelihoods. There is a growing body of literature documenting water and livelihoods linkages, the gendered nature of water access, use and livelihoods however, is usually neglected. This case study investigates the gender, water and livelihoods interface in Mseleni, a rural community in KwaZulu Natal. 'Positive' (e.g. livelihoods enhancing) and 'negative' (e.g. livelihoods constraining) linkages are found. Access to a reliable, sufficient water supply increases the range of possible livelihood activities and has a 'multiplier' effect on livelihood outcomes. Poor water access results in health, opportunity and financial costs and furthermore, constrains livelihood activities; in particular agriculture. Where access is poor, there is a 'market' for selling water and water access, from which some people profit. Water access is influenced by inter and intra-household hierarchies: Gender, age, social status and class affect access to and control over resources and result in uneven accruement of the positive and negative water and livelihoods linkages. Technology, transport and money are potential levers which can alter the social relations of access. Recommendations are made on several levels to enhance livelihoods and advance gender equity: Factoring livelihoods water uses into definitions of basic needs and humans rights, norms, standards, policies and programmes. Working towards a more nuanced understanding of power relations at household and community level which influence water access and livelihood outcomes, coupled with commitment to support and empower disadvantaged people in rural areas to define their basic needs and claim their human rights. And the equitable roll-out of simple technologies, infrastructure and transport to deep rural areas in order to make water for livelihoods more accessible. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

With the end of the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA), many have predicted that countries in Africa will lose their comparatively inefficient clothing and textile industry as competition from China increases. Madagascar has not escaped such threat. The clothing and textile industry is important to Madagascar in terms of export revenue, employment creation and income generation. Trade agreements have played an essential role in the growth of the clothing industry as Madagascar is eligible for both AGOA (Africa Growth and Opportunity Act) and European Union ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) trade benefits. This paper aims to find out how the end of the MFA has affected the industry thus far, investigate the competitiveness of the Madagascar garment industry to respond to this new global change, assess strategies firms and government have for the future, and offer policy suggestions on how firms can be supported to encourage them to remain in Madagascar. / Thesis (M.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This case study explores climate change knowledge among a group of youth in Durban who participated in the seventh Conference of Youth (COY7). The conference was held 25th-27th of November 2011 in Durban in conjunction with the 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The study examines how they understand the concept of climate change; what inspired them to take an interest in climate change issues; what sources of information on climate change that have been influential for them; and how their participation in the conference influenced their knowledge and commitment. The findings reveal that many different sources have been influential for providing climate change knowledge and engendering commitment among the youth. While peers are particularly important as a source of initial interest, the influential sources of knowledge are more varied. Two main sources were evident in this study: sources provided by more structured settings like university and written materials, and sources obtained through more socials settings, such as interactions with people and conferences and seminars. According to the findings, COY7 was more important for the youth as a source of inspiration and motivation than as a source of new knowledge. The case study reveals the importance of diversity in sources of information about climate change among the youth. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This study raises important questions about the motivation that is driving companies to adopt social responsibly programmes, and why they should engage in the field of social development in the first place. Many would argue that the role of business is to make profit and that their only responsibility is to act within the law, while others urge the need for business to get more socially involved and become more accountable in terms of their actions. Particular in developing countries, where governments are often dysfunctional and ineffective, private sector hold the key to resources that does not exist elsewhere, and should contribute to improve those societies. As a result of increased awareness of the role of business in society, which has been triggered through numerous corporate scandals throughout the past decades, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained great attention. Today, most big companies invest a notable amount of money in CSR programmes of various kinds, however, it is not always clear why they do this. Is it because they really care and want to make a change, or is it because they want to gain or maintain a good public reputation? CSR has long been accused for what has been called “green-washing”, in the sense that it is only an attempt to conceal any forms of unethical and irresponsible behaviour. Nevertheless, there has also been a growing perception that business should play a greater role in the social aspects of society, and by carefully selecting their programmes, this can lead to win-win situations for all the stakeholders involved. This study aims to examine these issues by addressing the need for more sustainable and transparent stakeholder relationships between the companies and the beneficiary organisations. This attempt is achieved through the selection of case studies, as well as examinations of a wide range of literature existing in the field. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The South African government has a constitutional obligation to provide health care services to all South Africans. The Department of Health (DOH) has been tasked with delivering health care services to a country which is still recovering from the inequities of the past where unemployment, lack of education, and poverty rates are high. Poverty contributes to food insecurity in many households. Household food insecurity contributes to malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality, particularly in children. Policies are made to tackle a particular identified social problem. In 1995, the DOH introduced the Integrated Nutrition Program (INP) to deal with malnutrition in this country. The Health Systems Trust (HST) is an independent NGO which was established in 1992 to support the transformation of the South African healthcare system. The HST implements the community component of the INP with the aim to contribute to household food security and health status of children under the age of 5 years (INP Progress Report 2002/3: 3). The purpose of the study is to identify policy implementation issues as identified by the literature, particularly the literature on policy networks, while analyzing the implementation of the INP. The key focus of this study is policy implementation. It particularly looks at policy networks as forums for policy making and implementation. It looks at interactions between government and non-governmental organisations, more particularly the DOH and HST and their networking with other organisations. A qualitative methodology was used because, as Marlow (1993:67) argues, a qualitative approach may be more effective because the answers can provide a detailed description of the program. Primary and secondary data was collected from the DOH as well as the HST. Purposive sampling was applied where participants were selected on the basis of their relevance to the study. Interviews were held with key informants. A structured questionnaire was designed for the key participants at the HST as well as the key participants of the DOH. The implementation of the INP by the DOH and HST is an illustration of a policy network in action. The study on the HST's implementation of the INP emphasizes that government cannot afford to ignore the contribution NGOs have made and continue to make in service delivery 'because of their cost effectiveness and ability to engage people at the grassroots level, especially in remote areas' (Taylor, cited in Camay and Gordon, 2002:37). Factors which contribute to network failure, according to Kickert et al (1997:9) include: a lack of incentives to cooperate and the existence of blockades to collective action; proposed goals may be vague; important actors may be absent, while the presence of other actors may discourage the participation of necessary actors; crucial information about goals, means and actors may be lacking; discretionary power may be absent; and the absence of commitment of actors to the common purpose. All the above were evident in the implementation of the INP. The implementation of the INP is for the most part successful. The issue is about whether it is a relationship which will be able to endure and overcome its existing weaknesses thereby sustaining the delivery of an integrated nutrition program. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

Gender inequality remains the greatest challenge for many societies and this has implications for the sustainable development and well-being of societies. There exists gender inequalities with regards to access to resources such as land, healthcare, credit, information, education and decision-making power between races and between the sexes. The advent of democracy brought freedom for all South Africans and the new government understood gender inequality as a deterrent to the achievement of sustainable development for all and the building of a democratic state. The National Policy Framework for Women‟s Empowerment and Gender Equality provides a roadmap through which gender should be mainstreamed within government and elsewhere towards achieving the goal of gender equality. It stresses that the shift from inequality to equality requires the transformation of government and civil society. The efforts of the Department of Social Development towards gender mainstreaming are premised in this national framework. The purpose of the present research is to ascertain whether and how gender is being mainstreamed in the National Department of Social Development (DSD), specifically looking at the conceptualization, management and structures in place for gender mainstreaming. This is a qualitative research analysis, using in-depth interviews as primary data collection methods, as well as a review of official gender mainstreaming documents of the DSD. Eighteen officials in middle management from all the different branches (reflected in the organogram in Figure 1) of DSD were selected. Middle management refers to staff that have the rank of Assistant and Deputy- Director. These are members of staff who are directly involved in policy implementation and, in many instances, contribute to the development of policies. The findings indicate that the implementation of gender mainstreaming is varied in the Department, with considerable success towards the attainment of employment equity target of 50/50 women representation in senior management. According to the DSD Employment Equity Report 2007/2008, women constituted 48% of senior managers. The official reports of the DSD point to progress being made in gender mainstreaming within the Department. This includes working towards approving a range of service delivery policies that address concerns of women and men, in intensifying service provision to respond to people‟s vulnerabilities and to ensure sustainable development of communities. The respondents in this study argued that policy commitments to gender equality are not supported by political and administrative will and necessary resources. The majority of the respondents did not know that there was a Gender Focal Point, whose responsibility is the facilitation of gender mainstreaming in the Department. They struggled to define basic gender concepts with gender mainstreaming, mainly understood to be employment equity. The respondents were also not conversant with the Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines and did not know what is needed in implementing gender mainstreaming. The gap between the official reports of the Department on successful gender mainstreaming implementation and the negative perspectives of the respondents needs further investigation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.