Thesis (doctoral)--Landbouwuniversitet Wageningen, 1997. / "Stellingen" inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-250).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--RAND Graduate School, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--RAND Graduate School, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Social and Political Thought. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 371-402). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99242

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

M.A. / Development administrators in the Third World, whether attached to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or Third World governments, face the same kind of problems. Considering the high failure rate of "development" in Third World countries, the major challenge is to implement development programmes effectively. Development in the Third World is highly complex due to a vast variety of regional variations in terms of historical, economic and political factors, and diverse cultures and traditions, etcetera, crammed together in states that were initiated and demarcated by the previous colonial powers of the Western world. Implementing Western development policies successfully in the Third World without taking the above diversity into consideration has detrimental and stagnating results. This study highlights some causes, elements and the consequences of inertia. The purpose is to make administrators, organizations and governments aware of the negative effect of this phenomenon. A literary review indicates that inertia exists virtually in all development circumstances, and if inertia is ignored, it will inhibit the effective and efficient implementation of development programmmes. This finding is substantiated by the experiences of the Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP), indicated in case studies from the Northern Province of South Africa. These case studies revealed certain elements of inertia that not only delay the execution of RDP projects, but also underline the nature of financial burdens as a result thereof. Furthermore, the different types of pathology in the Third World, such as the patrimonial state and Sultanism, create a situation full of loopholes allowing inertia to take its toll. The impact of these "types" of government is highlighted by the excessive centralization of decision-making, the sheer size of the civil services as well as the obsession of political leaders in the Third World to obtain power and self-enrichment. Inertia is like an octopus that spreads its tentacles to all spheres of civil service operations and has a detrimental impact on the effective implementation of development projects. The operation of civil services in the Third World not only delays the processing of development policies, but has a negative impact on the attitude of civil servants as well. The findings are substantiated by the consequences of the rigid rules and regulations in the civil service as well as the inadequacy of civil servants to operate efficiently. The implementation of the recommendations of this study to eliminate inertia calls for a review of development strategies used by developers in order to successfully address the highlighted practical problems of implementation.

M.A. / A stable environment for future economic growth in South Africa will depend on curbing violence, crime and poverty. Government has started to address the development backlog by initiating programmes such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Urgent problems such as housing shortages, the education crisis, unemployment, violence and poverty are receiving priority. This has had a further effect on the policy of service delivery in the field of Social Work, hence there is a paradigm shift towards development social work as emphasized in the White paper for Social Welfare (Government Gazette, 1997). Communities establish development projects with the aim of creating jobs, etc but are not aware of the process involved (e.g. management) for such a project to be successful. For this reason the researcher is of the opinion that many community development projects fail due to the fact that they are not managed properly. The main goal of the study is to develop guidelines on how to manage development projects in deprived communities. A qualitative exploratory study was used to address the following main question: “How do you manage your project?” A non-probability sampling procedure was used to select two projects that were under study. The data collection methods that were employed were face-to-face and focus group interviews, observation and the analysis of project documents. The method of data analysis utilized was data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing. The following main themes were identified as important entities in the management of community development projects: teamwork, planning, implementation, monitoring and control, leadership and evaluation. All these themes are considered to be very important in ensuring project success. / Prof. J.B.S Nel

The purpose of this study was to investigate the of a role of local economic development (LED) project in the rural town of Stutterheim, with reference to Mgwali Cultural Village and Abenzi Woodhouse project in town. The main objective was to gain understanding as to whether these LED projects have contributed to the positive change in the socio-economic conditions of rural people in the area. The study also sorts to ascertain and understand at challenges the projects face and the role played by various government departments, and private sector organisations in supporting the projects. In depth case study was used in the study involved various data collection instruments, tools like interviews, questionnaire and observations. Findings suggest that if LED projects are properly managed and supported, they can play a vital role in poverty alleviation in rural areas. They can provide employment and can definitely improve socio-economic conditions.

M.A. (Social Science) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This investigation of social learning processes in the Chipembere gardening project was conducted in Rockvale village one in Sebakwe communal area in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe. In essence, the study sought to explore how the Chipembere gardening project as a community-based natural resource management initiative (CBNRM), was reflecting and supporting social learning processes of change. It also sought to enrich and deepen an organizational understanding of social learning and to generate ideas and draw recommendations that could be used to strengthen learning in other CBNRM projects. The research was undertaken as a qualitative case study with data generated through semi-structured interviews with individuals and groups. It also included an analysis of project documents and an extended period of participant observation on site and in the gardening activities. Data were indexed and coded for generating analytical memos that were used to extract and represent the scope of social learning interations within the developing project. The study found that within the Chipembere gardening project a wide range of learning interactions were significant in shaping the developing project. Furthermore, these interactions were earmarked as the major drivers of social learning processes within the project. The study concluded that the social learning interactions amongst the gardeners in the Chipembere community garden were instrumental in fostering change that enhanced community livelinhoods and wellbeing.