Magister Artium - MA / Access to adequate housing is one of the most debated issues in democratic South Africa. The government continues to battle with existing backlogs in the provision of housing and a seemingly increasing demand. At the same time, urban populations take to the streets to register their anger and frustration at the slow progress of service delivery as a whole, including housing and other basic services. Clearly this is an important issue in the country, one that has inspired great public debate and further engagement between the state and the people. Notably, this dissatisfaction endures despite the fact that South Africa’s post-apartheid government discourse on state-society relations has centred on greater participation, especially at local government level, as reflected in the commitment to participatory democracy in the South African constitution. Despite this, in general government housing policy has focused on ensuring the delivery of houses to the people rather than the participatory processes in the provision of housing. The 1994 Housing White Paper took an ‘incremental’ or ‘progressive’ approach to housing, which is a developer driven approach that limits the participation of ordinary citizens in the provision of housing, despite the government’s commitment to enabling participation. The introduction of the People’s Housing Process (PHP) in 1998 (later revised and became the Enhanced People’s Housing Process) was a breakthrough in government’s efforts for the involvement of communities in the housing process. However, even this initiative was criticised for its lack of any meaningful participation, as the contribution of individual residents and communities was limited to the implementation process, while the policy decisions were still in government hands. The revision of this policy and the broadening of the housing policy through Breaking New Ground were meant to encourage community ownership of housing provision and empower them beyond the limitations of the PHP. Notably, the meaning of participation encoded in housing programmes, particularly those such as the PHP, is taken for granted. It is assumed that participation will occur in a straight forward process. However, as this demonstrates, effective participatory processes necessitate particular forms of representation for beneficiaries. Designing an effective participatory mechanism thus requires paying attention to new practices of representation as well as new practices of participation. In the participatory housing processes in particular such representation is essential as the direct participation of communities in decision making might not be feasible at some points in the process, hence, community residents need people that will communicate and make decisions on their behalf in engaging with government. The South African literature on state-society relations is largely silent on the relationship between representation and participatory processes, thus there is limited analysis on local level leaders that become part of these participatory processes. This is the gap that this study explores in relation to housing through a case-study of the role of local community leaders in a People’s Housing Process housing project in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay. It aims to understand the significance of the representative role played by local leaders who are not part of the formal democratic system of representation in development participatory processes. In exploring the Niall Mellon Housing Project as a case study, the research illustrates three main points: first, local leaders played a crucial role in the housing project. They initiated and implemented the programme and contributed to the overall success of the project. Indeed it is sensible to assume that organised and legitimate local leaders are essential to development projects as they are able to provide an effective link between government and the community. Second, since these local leaders are not part of the established democratic system of representation, their status is vulnerable to contestation. Local leaders lack the formal authority that usually occurs in representation modes that require explicit authorisation or those formalised as part of the state system of representation. Their position can easily be challenged and their legitimacy questioned. Third, development projects such as the one under investigation also create these kinds of legitimacy crisis. This is due to the competition for scarce government resources introduced by the development projects. Thus, those who feel excluded from the project may retaliate and question the actions of the local leaders. Hence, even though community leaders are useful in this participatory process, the state of their position is vulnerable and their legitimacy can be undermined by the very process that needs their participation.

Thesis (M. A. (Criminology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Community Policing Forum is a forum established in terms of section 19(1) of the SAPS Act 68 of 1995 aimed at ensuring police accountability, transparency and effectiveness in the community. It was aimed at bridging the gap between the police and the community at large and builds a harmonious relationship between them. This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of Community Policing Forums (CPF) in reducing crime in Makhwibidung village. Using structured and non-structured questionnaires, a total of 40 participants consisting of three groups, namely SAPS, CPF committee and residents, were conveniently selected to provide their knowledge of CPF in the above mentioned village. The findings revealed, by majority (82.50%) of respondents, identified lack of resources as the main challenge against the functioning of CPF, whilst 55% of 40 respondents pointed out poor relationship between the police and the community among other things. These challenges may therefore lead to the downfall of CPF, and thus showing that CPF still needs full support not only from the residents but from the provincial and national government. However, beside the challenges, the community and the police still manage to work jointly to fight against crime in their area as it is mandated by the Interim Constitution of 1993 that CPF must be established in each and every police station so that together they can fight crime. KEYWORDS: Policing. Effectiveness. Crime Prevention. Community Policing Forum. Community

The rising support for right-wing populist parties and the subsequent anti-immigrant sentiment has become a focus of interest across academia, media, and public debates. In a similar vein, this thesis explores the portrayal of immigrants and citizens by the Swedish right-wing party Sweden Democrats leader and by the members of the Swedish online forum Flashback. The theoretical framework draws on the approaches- discourse theory and discursive psychology from discourse analysis that facilitated in examining the speeches and debates by the SD leader as well as the comments of the forum members. Whereas the results highlight the Sweden Democrats leader’s discourses constructing immigrants as a burden, the forum members are noted as constructing the immigrants as inherently flawed. Further, while the leader views the citizens as victims, who are denied their rights to resources and welfare, the forum members also describe themselves/citizens as victims, however, due to being denied a sense of belonging, autonomy, and prestige. The study also focused on identifying the strategies that both deploy to be persuasive. The results showed both using blame and victimization as strategies to be persuasive. The SD leader, by blaming the ruling party and victimizing the citizens is noted as aiming to create a grand discourse of- Country in Crisis, and thereby, comes across as seeking to instill fear, threat, and vulnerability among citizens. In contrast, the forum members are marked as blaming the immigrants, ruling elites as well as Swedish women, and victimizing themselves, and seem more focused on creating the discourse of People in Crisis. By doing so, they are noted as justifying their anger, disempowerment, and woundedness. Together, the leader and the forum-members discourses are viewed as creating a broader discourse that could benefit from further examination of the notions such as pessimistic persuasion, the powerlessness of us/we, and othering the insider.

The aim of this thesis is a CSR analysis in the scale of the Czech republic. It describes the application of the CSR in the focus of big multinational corporations, big companies and small and medium enterprises. It mentions the organizations that implement and develop the CSR and tackles/ deals with their methods and procedures. The thesis also evaluates the CSR and its aspects in a particular company (AVOS VYSKOV Measuring and Regulation Technology Ltd) and proposes concrete measures to clarify and improve the situation. Conclusions of this thesis will be used as a feedback for the company management and as a support for the annual report of the CSR.

Institutional regional integration has become the main focus of Brazil's foreign policy during the administration of the Workers' Party 2003-2016. Why has Brazil decided to involve itself so deeply into the process of Latin American integration? The main objective of this single case study is twofold. First, applying the theory of neoclassical realism, this thesis aims to discuss all the driving forces (variables) behind Brazil's decision to make regional integration its top foreign policy priority since 2003. Second, it attempts to clarify that the São Paulo Forum, a continental network of the leftist political parties, should also be included into the set of driving forces behind the foreign policy choices in Brazil from 2003 to 2016. The following research question is put forward: What role does the São Paulo Forum play in Brazil's intensified involvement into regional integration during the period of the Workers` Party in power? Assessed through the congruence procedure and process tracing technique, the influence of the Forum is placed under the intervening variables of the neoclassical realist theory. The results of the study demonstrate that since the Workers' Party coming to power, its leader, Lula da Silva has used the directives, elaborated at the São Paulo Forum, to restructure,...

The study will investigate a design intervention that attempts to respond to the condition of spatial indeterminacy in the Sammy Marks precinct of Pretoria, where this condition is heavily pronounced in the form of disused public squares, inactive edges and inner-block voids. The study suggests that developing these spaces as cultural interfaces can provide a foothold for emergent city life and cultural activities. The specific project intervention will take the form of a theatrical interface that will serve as a platform for public interactive theatre events and a theatre school. The client is the State Theatre, in collaboration with the Department of Public Works. The site of the intervention is located in close proximity to the State Theatre. An investigation of the site and its surrounding context will generate opportunities for specific intervention. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

Fiber deployment is becoming popular and is seen as a way to increase a community’s attractiveness to new inhabitants and companies. A new Open Access network is emerging, leading to a more horizontal network architecture. Combining this architecture with IMS enables developers to easily develop new and attractive services. To facilitate the development of new IMS services there needs to be an easy to use development environment and a reliable hardware/software platform upon which to deploy them. This thesis project will explore the design, development, and evaluation of new IMS applications targeted at municipal networks as well as the service platforms they are deployed on. The thesis will also examined what role IMS plays in Municipalities and why they may need a tailored IMS solution. During the thesis a reference network for Municipalities was put together and tested. Different service platforms were tested and evaluated. / Fiberutbyggnad har blivit mycket populärt och ses som ett sätt att öka en stads attraktivitet för nya invånare och företag. Ett nytt öppen nät håller på att växa fram, detta leder till en mer horisontell nätverksarkitektur. Kombinera denna arkitektur med IMS så kan utvecklare lättare utveckla nya och attraktiva tjänster. För att underlätta utvecklingen av nya IMS-tjänster måste det finnas ett lättanvänd utvecklingsmiljö och en pålitlig hårdvaru/mjukvaru plattform att installera dem på. Detta examensarbete kommer att undersöka design, utveckling och utvärdering av nya IMSlösningar riktade till standsnät samt de tjänsteplattformar de används på. Rapporten kommer även granska vilken roll IMS spelar i stadsnät och varför de kan behöva en skräddarsydd IMS-lösning. Under examensarbetet byggdes och testades ett referensnätverk. Olika tjänsteplatformar testades och utvärderades.

Diskussionsforum på internet har idag redan etablerat sig som ett verktyg som gemene man använder sig av vid informationssökning. Denna uppsats undersöker om vad yttrandefriheten på internetforum idag ger för implikationer på det offentliga rummet. För att undersöka och diskutera kring dessa frågor har därför litteraturstudier om det offentliga rummet genomförts. Uppsatsen jämför även rapporteringen från internetforumet Flashback Forum med traditionell massmedia i ett enskilt fall. / Discussion forums on the Internet have today already established itself as a tool that everyone can use in information retrieval. This paper examines what the implications of free speech on Internet forums have on the public sphere today. Literature studies on the public sphere have been carried out in order to examine and discuss these issues. The essay also compares, in a particular case, the reporting from the Internet forum Flashback Forum with traditional mass media.

De globala försörjningskedjorna för transnationella företag är komplexa och invol-verar ofta många produktionsnivåer som sträcker sig över flera jurisdiktioner. Flera av europeiska företag köper leveranser från entiteter baserade i tredje länder med svagare kapacitet att tillförsäkra de sociala, mänskliga rättigheterna eller miljönor-mer där identifiering och begränsning av relaterade risker och påverkan är svag. Därför blir det en viktig fråga om hur transnationella företag ska utöva ansvaret för och säkerställa att de mänskliga rättigheterna respekteras i deras globala värdeked-jor samt den roll som EU kan spela för att skydda mänskliga rättigheter utanför sina gränser. EU-rätten kan i vissa fall tillämpas extraterritoriellt i förhållande till tredje land d.v.s. utövande av extraterritoriell jurisdiktion kan utgöra ett motiverat undan-tag vid exceptionella omständigheter, vilket kan ge upphov till statlig jurisdiktion utanför medlemsstaternas territoriella gränser. För att ge mänskliga rättigheter ett starkare skydd kommer EU-kommissionen att presentera direktivet om hållbar bo-lagsstyrning vilket innebär att företagsledningar måste respektera mänskliga rättig-heter i hela globala värdekedjan. Numera finns det endast sektorsbundna skyldigheter att rapportera att företag an-vänder sig av tillbörlig aktsamhet i den gällande rätten men efterlevandet läggs på medlemsstaterna att sanktionera företag. Resultatet av ansvarsutkrävande beror i högsta grad på staternas rättskapacitet. Utifrån det presenterade materialet går det att dra slutsatsen att direktivet kan bidra till att täppa vissa rättighetsluckor och di-rektivet kan innebära en utökad möjlighet för det svenska rättssystemet att utöva extraterritoriell jurisdiktion, för att kunna avgöra i företagsrelaterade civilrättsliga mål mot EU-företag när kränkningar av de mänskliga rättigheterna begåtts av deras dotterbolag eller leverantörer i tredjeländer, med hänvisning till ”forum av nödvän-dighet”, artikel 6 EKMR och artikel 47 EU-stadgan d.v.s. rätten till rättslig pröv-ning. Däremot kan det komma att behövas ytterligare lagstiftning, utifrån det pre-senterade underlaget, eftersom detta direktiv ger endast möjlighet till utökning i staters dömande jurisdiktion men inte deras verkställande jurisdiktion.

This Master thesis deals with the phenomenon of political movements and their impact on the rising party systems in the Central and Eastern Europe countries. Movements were found in the context of social and geopolitical changes in this region and they represented the original type of political organization that was different from other political parties of Western type. The first part contains an analysis of the general theory of political parties and movements and their role in the process of democratic consolidation and stabilization of party systems. Part of the first ration that categorizes political movements in the context of theories of party families and the chapter containing the characteristics of political movements and rising party systems of selected countries in the region. In the next section follows a study of selected texts of Czech political scientists concerning issues of political movement called Civic Forum (OF), which is used as a theoretical introduction to the chapter analyzing OF. Similar target implements the part examining the ideological roots of the movement and specific anti-political politics in the Czech political system. The second part describes the effect of Civic Forum in the first two stages of the Czech party system development. In this part there is an...