South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world with vast differences in socioeconomic conditions. At the same time its carbon emissions are the highest on the continent. Recognising the need to both reduce poverty and inequality and carbon emissions, the South African government introduced the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The REIPPPP is a competitive bidding scheme and once independent power producers (IPPs) are appointed as preferred bidders a nonnegotiable, standardised and rand (ZAR)-dominated 20-year power purchase agreement is signed with the national energy producer, Eskom. In order to qualify, project companies must commit to certain economic and socio-economic development criteria within their host communities. The inclusion of this requirement is meant to uplift the quality of life in the host communities. The objectives of this study included exploring the socio-economic benefits of the REIPPPP using the SlimSun Swartland Solar Park (SlimSun) project in the Swartland Municipality as a case study. This study was thus exploratory in nature and qualitative research techniques were used. The sample population was derived through convenience sampling and data was collected via interviews with the project company, a local NGO, the municipality and the local community trust. From the thematic analysis, community trust; education; food, nutrition and healthcare; and upliftment and dignity were identified as the socio-economic development benefits which the host community derived from the REIPPPP. In investigating the experience and perceptions of community members with SlimSun, a key theme that emerged was the importance of trust between stakeholders and how strong community relationships, including with local government, helps in identifying initiatives that address the needs of the community. While this study cannot make generalisations, based on the findings, the researcher would recommend that the REIPPPP Office considers providing guidelines to the REIPPPP projects that working with local governments and NGOs may help to create lasting benefits to host communities.

The importance of savings to secure individuals in the event of uncertainties has been widely acknowledged by South Africans. However, South Africa is still facing a low savings rate compared to other developing countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that inhibit South Africans from having a culture of saving. Specifically, using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach, the study examined the determinants of the savings rate and explored the view of households on the important factors that cause a low savings rate. The data for the quantitative component employed a merged data set from the National Income Dynamic Survey 2018 and 47 individuals were consulted in qualitative interviews. The results of the quantitative approach provided evidence to suggest that high income, being employed and the highest levels of education are associated with higher savings. Larger household size and older age are associated with lower savings. Females are better at saving than males and the widowed are better at saving than married, single and cohabiting households. From the qualitative thematic analysis, the important factors that cause the low savings rate among households were identified as insufficient income to allow savings, their lack of discipline in managing their spend and the effects arising as a result of black tax repercussions. The study made the following recommendations to ensure that the savings culture in South Africa provides a safety net: entrepreneurial skills training to augment the budgets of low-income earners; financial literacy to be part of the curriculum in schools from the Foundation Phase; mandatory financial training for new employees coupled with incentives for organisations that participate in these initiatives; and innovative savings programmes targeting low-income earners from financial institutions. Finally, it was recommended that the South African Savings Institute collaborates with the Services Sector Education and Training Authority to develop training manuals that could be distributed to organisations.

This study explored the role played by civic organisations in policy formulation through public participation. A qualitative research design was used in which two sample sets were purposively selected to participate in the study. The first sample set comprised of general members of civic organisations, while the second comprised of stakeholders in the community such as members of the business community, nongovernmental organisations, and the municipal council. In-depth interviews were conducted and facilitated through a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were guided by the overall aim and objectives of the study which included exploration of participants' perceptions regarding the following: their understanding of public participation, different forms of public participation, roles of civic organisations in policy making, influence of public participation in decision-making at local level, ways in which public participation can be improved at local level; and public participation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study found that civic organisations' roles were indispensable in policy formulation as they facilitate meaningful public engagement with local government structures, legislatures, and key stakeholders in their communities in the context of policy making. Further, civic organisations enhance democracy through holding local authorities and policy-makers accountable for their actions in development. The findings also show that public participation is a fundamental and inclusive process for citizens in decision-making processes, whether directly as interest groups or individuals, or indirectly through their elected representatives. Participants from civic organisations perceived different forms of public participation as voting, public meetings, and petitions. However, key informants highlighted that most public participation practices were ‘tick-box' exercises because they did not facilitate meaningful participation for citizens. Finally, the study found that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic severely affected public participation processes. Because many civic organisations' activities had to stop, service delivery in some communities was affected. The study's major recommendation is that local government authorities such as ward councilors and municipal managers should aim to facilitate collaborative governance with civic organisations and citizens. This could be done through forming meaningful partnerships between civic organisations, stakeholders, and the local government. The study argues that this will ensure working towards an Integrated Development Plan and a people-centered approach to development in policy making.

This study aims to contribute to the academic and business knowledge of how to enhance digital credit in Pakistan's unsecured lending sector, which is vital to the development of the country's financial ecosystem. A Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is conducted with a view to answering two questions: (1) What is the optimal amount to lend to a customer? (2) How long should the loan tenor be? The objectives of the RCT were to track product take-up and product repayment as both are crucial for the success of a lending institution as well as the credit history of the individual customer. The study employs a linear probability model (LPM), estimated by an ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, to analyse take-up, and instrumental variables to analyse repayment sensitivity. The data used was obtained from a technology platform that partners with a Pakistani microfinance bank and was automatically collected via their USSD platform. The sample consisted of roughly 28,000 individuals. Causal evidence of the impact of changes in loan amount and loan repayment tenor was found on both take-up and repayment. Loan take-up was most impacted by the loan amount offered with the highest take-up for the loan of the largest amount and having the longest tenor. Repayment rates were better for the longer tenor loans and this was particularly apparent at the larger loan amount level. Some additional characteristics were also causally relevant in loan take-up but not in repayment, such as whether a customer read through the terms and conditions. Although the starting sample was large (28,000 individuals), the limited take-up of the product significantly reduced the actual sample, as is common in other studies of this kind. Future studies might seek for an even larger starting sample, alter price as one of the variables for an RCT, or add qualitative surveys to better understand loan usage and reasons for repayment and non-repayment.

This study explored psychosocial rehabilitation programmes in mental health and investigated the perceived impact of participation in a psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) programme on the recovery of persons with a history of mental illness. The study focused on how their participation in psychosocial rehabilitation programmes impacted the well-being of the mental health users individually and socially as well as their perceptions of the benefits and or disadvantages of participation in the programmes as well as their recommendations for improvements. A qualitative explorative research design was applied. Sixteen participants were selected using purposive sampling and data collected by means of face-to-face semi-structured interviewing. The data obtained was analysed using qualitative methods. Most significantly the findings of this study further supports the value of psychosocial rehabilitation programmes for mental health users. Most notably improved individual personal development and independence. Social wellbeing improvements were found with an emphasis on growth in confidence to approaching further socialisation, improvements in the quality of individual relationships and the expansion of support networks. No significant critique of the programmes was identified and the most significant improvements recommended related to the expanding of interactive activities such as more peer socialisation and recreational activities to further the therapeutic value experienced in them. The most important recommendations from the findings include expanding PSR, incorporating PSR programmes into the public service, encouraging PSR programmes through supportive legislation, integrating families more in PSR programmes, expanding research on the outcomes of PSR within a South African context and exploring research that includes the perspectives of the family members living and caring for individuals with mental illness

The relationship between financial development and economic growth remains a crucial subject of exploration in the academic world. Although several therioes and studies have been conducted to assess casuality between these two economic indicator proxies, the results remain inconclusive as to whether financial development causes economic growth or the opposite is true. Furthermore, the link between development finance institutions and economic growth is yet to receive empirical examination in emerging markets such as South Africa. Since the emancipation of South African country from apartheid the government embarked on several strategies to boost economic growth, one of which is the outlay of funds from the fiscus to development finance institutions to boost capital formation, which in turn results in growth. Whether or not these institutions and the extensions they make results in economic growth is subject to research. This study explores the long and short run effect of development finance institutions extensions on economic growth in South Africa from 1995 to 2018. It utilises annual aggregated development finance institutions extensions and real GDP as proxies for DFIs development and economic growth respectively. The study employs the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds tests approach to co-integration developed by (M. Hashem Pesaran, Shin, & Smith, 2001) to determine the relationship between development finance committments development and economic growth, along with Augmented Dickey-Fuller tests and Philip Perron tests to test for unit roots on the data. The data was obtained from SADC statistics, World Bank, South African Reserve Bank, Open Source Capital and OECD library. The results of the study found evidence to support a deterministic relationship between the DFIs development and economic growth after controlling for trade openness and stock market development. The long run effect of DFI_E on economic growth revealed that DFIs extensions show significant influence on economic growth in South Africa. It therefore recommendeds that South Africa's policy makers should focus on policies that allow proliferation and ease of capital movements for international DFIs in the country. Additionally, the study recommends that the South African government increase its funding to domestic DFIs from the fiscus to enhance economic growth.

It is universally recognized that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are extremely valuable in creating social and economic development. It is for this reason that many countries have adopted MSME development policies as part of their national development strategies. In South Africa, the post-Apartheid government rolled out development policies and established institutions through the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) with the aim to boost development of previously marginalised MSMEs. Up to 85% of the MSMEs in South Africa are informal and survivalist businesses, the majority of which are based in the townships. 70% of MSMEs in South Africa fail within their first 5-7 years. It is evident that the development of the MSME sector in South Africa is lagging behind, even with the existence of these government-led business development service (BDS) institutions. Against this background, this study sought to explore the benefits and challenges associated with utilising these development services from the perspective of the township-based MSME. The study employed the thematic qualitative analytical technique to analyse primary interview data from 17 township-based MSMEs in South Africa. The study found the main challenges to be a demand-supply mismatch, poor access to finance, lack of aftercare programmes, lack of trust in government services and poor quality and duration of services. In terms of the positives, a demand-supply match was found with the outsourced training, the quality of financial services was found to be advantageous and assistance with regulatory compliance was highly beneficial. Based on the findings, it is recommended that institutions should focus on outsourcing to the specialised and sector-specific incubation hubs rather than utilising inhouse training. Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) should outsource training to specialised townshipbased incubation hubs. Instead of pressurising informal township businesses to formalise, DFIs should aim to support a transition from the traditional informal sector to the modernising informal sector. In terms of government monitoring, policies driven by measurable targets need to be put in place and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Other recommendations include consultations, mentorship provision in clusters, an alumni network, feedback surveys, government service procurement backed by legislation, the adoption of e-procurement, the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs), an effective monitoring system, an ongoing entrepreneurship campaign and the adoption of the integrated model.

Includes bibliographical references. / Due to historical and current national and international politico-economic activities, present day south-east Madagascar is characterised by poverty, inequality and underdevelopment. As a result water supply and sanitation provision, as one of the cornerstones of primary and preventative healthcare, has been neglected. A year of participant observation in the rural south-east provided a foundation for developing a strategy to assess the current geography of defecation and sanitation infrastructure, prevailing patterns of latrine use, alternative sources of faecal-oral disease and residents perceptions regarding improved sanitation in the port town of Fort Dauphin.

Bibliography: leaves 123-130. / This study examined management development at the University of Cape Town (UCT), with specific reference to the Associate in Management (AIM) course offered at the Graduate School of Business. It is a part-time course offered to people already in employment at different levels from across various industries. Some of the recruits enrolled are working full-time in the public sector. UCT as an employer also has had some of its staff enrolled on a part-time basis on this course Further, this study descriptively analysed training and development in general at UCT, particularly regarding junior and middle layers of management. In addition, it assessed any noticeable changes in skills, knowledge and attitudes (attributes) that may have resulted from the AIM intervention. At the heart of this study also are the institutional structural complexities that have a direct bearing on the success of any development program.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-143). / South Africa is faced with many developmental challenges such as poverty, unemployment and inequality. The post-apartheid government has tried to face some of the injustices inherited from the apartheid era, but the choice of a neo-liberal economic approach seems to have worsened the situation. There is therefore a significant need for a social development approach in South Africa. Social development aims to link social welfare to economic development. One way of doing this is to support the development of small and micro enterprises. The majority of these enterprises belong to the second economy, and by supporting them the government also supports the poorest of its population. The South African government has put in place support systems to strengthen the small and micro enterprise sector. It also constantly reviews the regulatory environment in order the ease the regulatory burden on this sector. This research aimed to explore how the micro enterprises experience these efforts. It looked at the reasons behind compliance and/or non-compliance with regulations, and the reasons for the utilisation, or lack thereof, of support systems. Langa was chosen as the geographic area in which the research was carried out. In Langa, 20 micro business owners, both formal and informal, agreed to undergo qualitative interviews where they shared their experiences with regard to regulations and support systems. Nonprobability sampling was used to identify the participants. The interviews were guided by the use of semi-structured interview schedules, which included the main questions of the research. An audio recording was used, and the interviews were transcribed into text. Coding procedures from grounded theory methodology were used. Findings were drawn from the responses of the participants, and compared to findings from previous research studies. It was found that the participants to a very little degree complied with regulations. Despite the fact that most of the participants regarded complying with regulations as the right thing to do, they did not see their own enterprises as important enough to take steps towards compliance, and thought it only to be relevant to larger enterprises.