South Africa relies heavily on fossil fuels, particularly coal, to generate electricity and it is a well known fact that the use of fossil fuels contributes to climate change, as it produces greenhouse gases (GHGs). In fact, internationally South Africa is the 17th highest emitter of GHGs (Congressional Research Service (CRS), 2008). Coupled with the environmental consequences of fossil fuel use, South Africa has a further responsibility of addressing the inherited backlog of electricity provision to the rural, and previously disadvantaged communities. In an attempt to address these two problems, the government issued the White Paper on Renewable Energy. In this paper, renewable energy alternatives are proposed to replace a portion of traditional electricity generating methods. Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) energy generation is one such renewable option available to government. CPV uses optic elements (such as lenses) to concentrate sunlight onto solar cells. Owing to the light being concentrated, the cells in CPV use less semiconductor material, which makes them more efficient in comparison to conventional photovoltaic (PV) cells. CPV is a technology that operates well in regions with high solar radiation. As such, South Africa is particularly well suited for this technology, with average solar radiation levels ranging from 4.5 to 6.5 05 ℎ/. CPV is also well suited for off-grid application, which addresses electricity demand in remote rural areas. This study is an economic project analysis of the installation, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of CPV technology in a rural area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The study area chosen for this purpose is the Tyefu settlement in the Eastern Cape. Tyefu was deemed ideal for this type of analysis due to four characteristics. Firstly, Tyefu is a remote rural settlement at the end of the national grid. Secondly, the community is very poor and previously disadvantaged. Thirdly, many households are without Eskom generated electricity. Lastly, the study area is located in an area with ideal irradiance levels for CPV. Two methods of economic project analysis are applied to this case study, namely a costbenefit analysis (CBA) and a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). Additionally, two types of CBA are performed, namely a private CBA and a social CBA. The private CBA evaluates the Tyefu electrification project from a private investor's perspective and the social CBA evaluates the project from society's point of view. The CEAs carried out compare the costeffectiveness of the traditional PV technology to that of CPV in terms of private and social costs. The private costs and benefits of the CPV project were identified and valued in terms of market prices. Then, this cost benefit profile was used to calculate net benefits which in turn were discounted to present values using a private discount rate of 6.42 percent. Three decision making criteria were generated, namely the net present value (NPV), the internal rate of return (IRR) and the benefit cost ratio (BCR). Sensitivity analysis was carried out by varying the private discount rate and the bidding price. The social costs and benefits of the CPV project were identified and valued in terms of shadow prices. This cost benefit profile was used to calculate net benefits. The net benefits were discounted to present values using a composite social discount rate equal to 5.97 percent. The same decision making criteria used in the private CBA were used in the social CBA and a sensitivity analysis was completed by varying the social discount rate. In terms of the private CEA, the costs were identified and valued in terms of market prices. All costs were brought to present values using the private discount rate of 6.42 percent. In terms of the social CEA, the costs were identified and valued in terms of shadow prices. All costs were brought to present values using the social discount rate of 5.97 percent. The cost-effectiveness (CE) ratios calculated have identical denominators since the annual output for both technologies are identical - both CPV and PV systems deliver 30 300 kWh per annum. This output is based on the demand of the given case study. The private CBA showed unfavourable results. The private CBA has a NPV of R2 046 629.01, the IRR is undefined (this is due to no sign change being present in the cost benefit profile), and has a BCR of 0.365. However, the social CBA yielded positive results, with a NPV of R125 616.64, an IRR of 8 percent (which exceeds the social discount rate of 5.97 percent), and a BCR of 1.045. The CEA showed that the CPV is more cost-effective than the traditional PV both in terms of private and social costs. The private CE ratio of CPV is R4.23/kWh compared to PV's CE ratio of R4.39/kWh. Similarly, the social CE ratio of CPV is R3.51/kWh compared to PV's CE ratio of R3.69/kWh. CPV rollout appears to be socially efficient on a small scale according to the social CBA. Consequently, the CPV project is not seen as desirable in terms of the private CBA as the benefit (income received per kWh) in the private analysis is too small to outweigh the costs of implementing and running a CPV plant in Tyefu. On the other hand, a redeeming factor is that CPV may be feasible privately, for large scale applications. A major reason for the CPV project not being appealing to private investors is that the maximum bidding price of R2.85/kWh (as at August 2011) is not high enough for private investors to undertake the CPV project. The sensitivity analysis of the bidding price showed that the bidding price of R2.85/kWh needs to be increased in the range of 250 percent (R7.13/kWh) and 300 percent (R8.55/kWh) for a great enough incentive to exist for private investors. It is thus recommended that policymakers take this into consideration when formulating policy. In terms of the social CBA, it is recommended that government undertake CPV projects of this kind, as it will be a socially desirable allocation of resources. If government were to pursue these types of projects, it is recommended that CPV be implemented as it is more cost effective than PV.

In an attempt to manage scarce health care resources and keep drug expenditure low, health care administrators worldwide have to make careful considerations regarding the choice of drugs to be provided to patients within their systems. One of the key strategies that is being employed to achieve this goal is the use of formularies. A major challenge in the formulary development process is to use pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research effectively to arrive at formularies that simultaneously provide patients with effective pharmacotherapy whilst maintaining financial stability. The extent to which this can be successfully achieved depends to a large extent on the availability of appropriate pharmacoeconomic data. The primary objectives of this study were to describe the availability and quality of literature pertaining to South African based pharmacoeconomic research, and to establish the manner in and extent to which pharmacoeconomic data is used in drug formulary decision-making processes, in both the private and public health care sectors in South Africa. A structured bibliographic search for South African pharmacoeconomic studies was conducted and a qualitative assessment of the identified studies which met the predetermined inclusion criteria was completed, using a pre-validated quality evaluation tool. In order to determine the use of pharmacoeconomic data in the formulary decisionmaking processes, by various stake holders in both the public and private of health care sectors in South Africa, a cross-sectional, descriptive study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. The results suggest that there is a limited availability of pharmacoeconomic research data in South Africa. Only 16 full pharmacoeconomic studies could be identified as having been published between 01 January 1995 and 30 June 2007. The quality of 3 of these studies was considered to be ‘dubious’, one study was found to be of high standard whilst the other 12 (74.95%) were of acceptable quality and thus could be considered as suitable to be used in formulary decision-making. The results of the national survey indicated that pharmacoeconomics is considered to be of importance and is used in formulary decision-making processes in both the public and private sectors. The primary source of pharmacoeconomic data used in formulary decisions appears to be international peer-reviewed publications. Of concern however, is the finding that this data, mostly from studies conducted outside of South Africa, is applied directly without sensitivity analysis or modelling. The results of the literature search and the subsequent quality appraisal suggest that pharmacoeconomic research and the use of pharmacoeconomic data in formulary decisions is at its infancy in South Africa. Thus efforts are needed to develop and grow the discipline of pharmacoeconomics in South Africa.

The South African government implements numerous strategies with the aim of reducing poverty. The social grant system is one of these. Social grants are aimed at reducing poverty as well as income inequality. Considering the growing number of social grant beneficiaries, people often question whether these grants reduce poverty and, if they do, whether they are effective.This treatise investigates the impact of social grants in poverty reduction. In order to investigate this, the researcher used the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province, as a study area. This study examines the different views of social grants beneficiaries, and the importance of prioritisation when using this unearned money. It alsoinvestigates the role played by the heads of household and shows how beneficiaries’ locations can influence the use of unearned income. Social grants dispense little money, but the researcher discovered that the responsibility of spending and allocating the money lies with the head of household. The descriptive statists show that social grants have created dependency and that families require exit strategies to stop depending entirely on these grants. Findings from the correlation matrix show both positive and negative correlations. Finally, the study has identified the need for an integrated strategy that will not only provide income, but that will also improve the lives of South Africans.

The purpose of this study was to establish a common understanding of the implementation of urban housing reform in China and to examine the trends in housing development in China and its relationship with the national economy. The crucial role of the Chinese government in the development of housing, the necessity of government intervention in China and whether it should be involved in housing development at all, were also explored in this study. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this study, it was necessary to analyse the success and failure of the urban housing reform implemented in a particular period in China, and to investigate the challenges and problems existing in housing development. As regards the significant contribution of the housing development to the national economy, Rostow’s stages of economic growth were used to investigate the relationship between the housing industry and the national economy in China. This model shows that the housing industry could become a leading sector in the Chinese national economy. The housing industry in China has not yet reached maturity, and direct regulation by government is still necessary. In an attempt to address the research problem and to fulfil the research objectives, an in-depth and comprehensive literature study was undertaken to provide a basic framework and conceptualization of the housing industry in China. The international scope of the findings, as well as the insights that were gained through the study, contributed largely to solving the identified research problems. The normative and positive nature of the study made it possible to recommend solutions for the problems in the development of housing in China. iv Recommendations were made with regard to sustainable and healthy strategies, regulatory instruments, housing finance, and the utilization of lightweight materials in housing development in China. Although Rostow’s model is one of the more structuralist models of economic growth, it de-emphasizes any differences in how leading sectors develop in free and controlled markets. However, Rostow’s consideration of non-western cases such as China show that, to some extent, modernization can be achieved in different ways, through a free market or controlled economic means, and still fit into his model.

Economic growth or development, the process by which a nation gains wealth, is analysed in Part I. So far there is no theory which fully explains the phenomenon of sustained increases in the per capita income of a country. Probably, development is possible only if many economic and non-economic variables have values within certain relative ranges, which should be the subject of further study. In this thesis a dynamic consumption function has been postulated and used to construct a simulation model to help guide an economy's approach to sustained economic growth. Computer analyses with the model show the changes in per capita income as an economy approaches the "take-off" stage. They also suggest that, due to different existing values of the relevant variables, each country may find its optimum method of development to be different from others. It seems that early and large imports of foreign capital (a minimum of about 10 per cent of GNP annually), or a comparable reduction in personal consumption, are needed to initiate economic development. In Part II analyses indicate that a limited role can be played by forests in the poorly understood but urgently sought process of economic growth. Under usual circumstances, forests can help the economy move towards the take-off stage and meet the requirements created as development proceed. Forests, like any other resource, are important for development and human welfare. But, society must forego something when it uses any one resource. Foresters have often looked only at the benefits from forestry. It is essential to consider also the costs involved in using forests. The costs are in the form of missed opportunities to use forests fully or to replace them with a substitute for forest products. This thesis helps evaluate the role that forestry can play in economic development. The widely accepted principle of sustained yield forest management has been criticized. The principle of maximization of the present worth of net benefits from forest land is suggested as a desirable alternative. Forestry is different from other sectors in that (1) wood is its product as well as the major part of capital, (2) the period of production is long and (3) the product is very versatile. Forestry is suitable for being given priority in a national or regional development plan because it can (1) efficiently utilize under-employed rural resources, (2) produce important raw material for making paper which is necessary for human investments, (3) substitute for imports and earn foreign exchange in today's underdeveloped countries, (4) provide fuel and release cow dung for use in agricultural fields in some parts of the world and (5) serve as the basis for regional development where forests are plentiful. Commonly, if plans changes, wood grown for one purpose can be used easily for another. Most of these characteristics have been recognized by forestry economists but their studies have usually been based on historical evidence rather than analysis of possible future development. The future importance of forestry depends on its technological progress in relation to other sectors which are potential rivals of forestry. Forests can facilitate development and also help maintain economic growth. As per capita incomes rise, demands for forest products increase. Forest products needed to initiate and sustain development can be supplied best by managing forests in such a way that the present profits from forest property are maximized without detriment to the present worth of future profits. Profits then should be used for investment in the most economically desirable fields. It is shown that revised user cost concepts can be applied in forestry, These determine the optimum rate of forest harvesting and the amount of investments to be made in the present so that the present worth of the forests is maximized. Further refinements of decision theory are needed to solve the complex problems involved. Because there are many substitutes for them, only the most economical forest products will remain important in the long run. Forestry's role can be enhanced most effectively if foresters improve the technology employed in growing and utilizing forests. Finally, policy implications for underdeveloped countries in general, and India in particular, have been discussed. It is concluded that the policy of rigid sustained yield forest management should be rejected. It should be replaced by maximization of present worth of net benefits from forest land in each management unit. Then, forestry can play its maximum possible role in economic development. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

The present thesis is a study compiling farm management information to be used as the basis for extensive literature for distribution to British Columbia farmers. The phases of farm management which are presented here are farm accounting, the use of farm accounts in making production plans for the farm business, and the methods of acquiring and financing farm businesses in British Columbia. An introductory chapter containing data with respect to the position of the agricultural industry in British Columbia precedes the chapters on farm management practises. A system of farm accounting, which is particularly adapted to the filing of the Federal Income Tax returns is described in the second chapter. In addition, a description of other useful farm records is given there. The third chapter is concerned with the use of the farm records in the analysis of the present farm business operation and in the formulation of future farm production plans. The final chapter is devoted to a description of the methods used in appraising a farm for purchase or lease the procedure followed in acquiring Crown land in British Columbia; the sources of loan funds available to British Columbia farmers. A sample accounting and physical records form together with a suggested lease form is appended to the thesis. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Tree fruit farms in the south Okanagan Valley are characterized by a high degree of specialization. Over 95 per cent of the irrigated land of these farms is in orchard. The farms are small in area and few livestock are kept. Depending on their location, the orchards may be classified into three main "types, namely, apple, stone fruit and combination fruit farms. To provide an insight into the structure, production techniques, and problems of the orchardists, 165 farm business records which had been obtained from the growers in the years 1949 and 1950, were studied and analysed. Also an endeavour was made to answer the question, do the majority of the orchards supply full employment and an adequate income for the operators?. The average capital investment on these farms was over $21,000. On each type of farm, orchard land accounted for more than 65 per cent of the total farm investment. Excluding the value of the farm dwelling, machinery and equipment made up the second largest capital investment. Apple farms in the south Okanagan Valley averaged 17 acres in area, of which 15 acres were in orchard; stone fruit farms averaged 11 acres, of which 9 acres were in orchard; and combination fruit farms had an average total acreage of 14 acres, of which approximately 12 acres were in orchard. The average total cash receipts for these years were $7,276 for the apple farmers; $5,551 for the stone fruit farmer; and $6,953 for the combination fruit farmer. On the apple farms 69 per cent of the total cash receipts were derived from the sale of apples; on the stone fruit farms 75 per cent derived from the sale of stone fruits; and on the combination fruit farms, stone fruits provided per cent, and apples 34 per cent of the total cash receipts. Labour was the largest single item of expense on each type of orchard, varying from 49 per cent to 54 per cent of the total current expenses. The average net income on the apple farms was $2,346; on the stone fruit farms, $2,783; and on the combination fruit farms, $2,720. The factors determining the total output of fruit in any one year include the number of trees, their age distribution, the variety of fruit grown, the amount of cultural care, the prevalence of disease and pests, and the weather. Although the year to year production of all fruits in the valley is erratic, the trend in total production has been upward. The average output of apricots for the three year period, 1947-1949, was 110 per cent greater than the average output for the three year period, 1939-1941. Comparing the same periods, the total yield of cherries increased by 110 per cent, peaches by 141 per cent, pears by 89 per cent, and apples by 44 per cent. Since 1930 the average yield per acre of apple, pear, plum and prune trees has shown a steady increase, whereas the yield per acre of apricot, cherry and peach trees has varied widely from year to year. The tree population of the south Okanagan has been steadily increasing, but the relative position of the various kinds of tree fruits has changed. In 1925 apple trees made up 66 per cent of the total number of trees; in 1950 they accounted for 33 per cent of the total tree inventory. On the farms studied, the majority of the apple trees were over 20 years of age. Most of the apricot, peach, plum, prune, and pear trees were less than 15 years of age. On 94 orchards 16 per cent of the apricot, 15 per cent of the cherry, 31 per cent of the peach, 10 per cent of the plum and prune, and 4 per cent of the pears were killed in the winter of 1949-50. Considering acreage trends, the number of non-bearing trees, and the number of trees to be removed, as well as the average yield, it would appear that for the next few years the general trend in south Okanagan Valley apple, apricot, plum, prune, and pear production will be upward, while the trend of peach and cherry production will be downward. In general the domestic market takes the Okanagan stone fruit and pear crop but the apple grower is dependent to a large extent upon the export market. Present deterioration of the apple market presages a trend to further increases in the plantings of stone fruit and pear trees. Volume of production, yield, and the degree of diversification appear to influence the size of labour earnings. The average total amount of labour required to produce an acre of apples was 253 hours, an acre of apricots 469 hours, an acre of cherries 608 hours, an acre of peaches 386 hours, an acre of prunes 222 hours, and an acre of pears 350 hours per annum. Although the labour prior to harvest was spread over many months, the total pre-harvest time was less than that required for harvesting the fruit, except in the cases of peach, apple and pear trees. On studying the influence of yield on labour requirements, it was found that a doubling of the yield per acre of peaches resulted in an increase of the harvesting time required by 57 per cent. For pear trees doubling of the yield increased the harvest requirements by 75 per cent. From an economic and social viewpoint, it is suggested that a desireable farm organization for the area would be the two family farm. Such a unit, under long run yield expectations and 1949 cost-price relationships, would fully employ two men and provide them with labour earnings of over $3,000 per man, yearly. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Average Canadian farm incomes tend to be consistently lower than non-farm incomes. Many reasons, including aggregate overproduction are advanced as possible explanations of the above problem. This thesis attempts to determine whether overproduction has been one of the causes of the farm income problem. The bulk of information used in this study was time series data as prepared by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics for the years 1935 to 1965. A model was constructed to test two related hypotheses regarding the presence of excess capital formation and its effect on income and overproduction. The basic findings of the study were that capital formation was not greater than required to produce an aggregate supply of agricultural products equal to aggregate demand. The growth in aggregate supply and aggregate demand were found to be very similar for the period 1935 to 1965, thus indicating that the farm income problem was not aggravated during this era by overproduction. In subsequent analysis, a broader view of the problem was undertaken. To begin, it was established that per capita farm incomes have been growing at a rate similar to that of non-farm incomes. In addition the so called "cost-price squeeze" was not found when the entire 1935 to 1965 period was observed but rather was only found in subperiods. Factor share analysis was used to show that agricultural capital offered returns at least equal to the opportunity costs of capital. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

In I968 the B.C. Forest Service provided growth and yield data in the form of nearly seven hundred volume/age curves. These were summarized quantitatively and sorted by electronic computer. Summaries were used for study of the criteria determining rotations in British Columbia. At the same time an assessment of these curves for other uses in forest land management was made. The curve summaries illustrated the need to consider differences in region,species, or growth type, site class and utilization standards. It was shown that a direct, negative correlation exists between rotation length and site index. This was done using the physical criterion which determines the rotation age at the culmination of mean annual increment in cubic foot volume. Because simple volume over age curves do not provide some important data such as numbers of trees per acre and average stand diameter, the study showed how several rough estimates of these would be derived theoretically. No positive conclusions could be drawn. The exercise did show, though, that the use of actual data describing stand density for fully stocked stands would benefit the forest land manager to a remarkable degree. The next step involved an assessment of the available financial alternatives to physical rotation determination, then compared them with approaches employed by two representative agencies in British Columbia. The possibility of using average stand diameter as a means of approximating the financial rotation was indicated. B.C. Forest Service volume/age curves now are useful as a tool of forest land management. They could be improved by the provision of information to define growth behaviour at full stocking, given various levels of stand density. Another conclusion was that the forest manager using the optimum accounting rate of return (single year) investment criterion and the economist using time preference criteria both have the same objective, namely the most efficient use of capital. This objective is more likely to be achieved by the manager in a series of Intermediate steps. At the same time the economist's time preference may span a single rotation. It was recommended that the B.C. Forest Service continue to develop forecasts of average stand diameter with their yield predictions as a means of introducing the financial implications of a chosen rotation. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

The objective of this study was to examine the farm organization and management of the University Research Farm at Oyster River. Its present resource use and a normative analysis postulating a more desirable organization of enterprises is presented. The method for the positive analysis was to prepare inventories, net worth statements and operating statements for the fiscal years 1962-63, 1963-64, and for the calendar year 1964. From this data, measures of performance were calculated and compared with similar data from regional studies of dairy farming on Vancouver Island and in the Fraser Valley. In addition, comparisons were made with budget studies in Washington State. The University Farm operated at a loss in each of the three periods, although the results for the 1964 calendar year showed considerable improvement. Costs at Oyster River farm were higher than in the studies used for comparison, due to higher overhead costs and higher wage rates. However, measures of physical performance were generally equal to regional averages. In making this evaluation, consideration was given to the development and expansion programs undertaken in recent years. The record keeping system was reviewed, and an alternative method proposed which will facilitate the evaluation of factor use. Linear programming was chosen for the normative analysis, because it had the advantage of being able to recommend optimal enterprise combinations after considering a relatively large number of alternative activities and resource constraints. Although more activities could have been considered in the programmes, it was decided a priori to limit the number to those which could reasonably be established immediately, or in a period of a few years. Included in this study were 15 dairy activities, two for beef, one for sheep, and one for potatoes. It was necessary to consider the purchase of hay and the employment of additional labour. Resource constraints were included for land, nine labour periods, operating capital and building space. Of the five analyses undertaken, one included as a prerequisite 30 Ayrshire cows and permitted labour purchases for all periods. This particular analysis is of interest in view of the necessity for maintaining the Ayrshire herd for experimental purposes. With this initial herd requirement the optimum plan also introduced 56 Holstein cattle and 40 acres of potatoes. The return to fixed factors of production was maximized at $29,324.51, representing a rate of return on investment of 5.8%. The stability of the optimum plans with respect to price changes was determined. The normative analysis specifies a higher level of production per cow than is presently being achieved, but the level is within the reach of a commercial operation. A more serious limitation lies in the establishment of a shipping quota for potatoes. It would take a number of years to establish an adequate quota and the initial acreage would have to be on a smaller scale. However, in principle the situation is no different from that encountered in building up a milk quota, and therefore the establishment of a potato enterprise may be regarded as a desirable long-run objective. The remaining four analyses define optimal programmes for recommended activities under varying conditions of enter; prise combination and resource availability. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate