The Reconstruction of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Prague constitutes a fundamental challenge for the Czech capital city of Prague. The existing wastewater treatment plant is obsolete and fails to comply with limits set forth by the Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste-water treatment. Thus, it is necessary to build a new waterline and reconstruct the old one. As such a project would be financially demanding, its implementation is dependent upon a subsidy from the EU Operational Programme "Environment". There are also more variants of the reconstruction of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Prague. In the thesis, the author compares the contemplated options of re-building and reconstruction of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Prague. He also examines the influence of negotiations with European Commission representatives and of the amount of the subsidy upon the choice of the final option. A hypothesis of the study is that due to the subsidy policy creates pressure on the final form of the reconstruction of the Prague Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, which directly interact its economic efficiency.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / In 1994 the South African democratically elected government inherited one of the most inequitable access to basic service between rural and urban communities. Rural people used to live without access to basic services such as water, electricity, roads and sanitation facilities. South African government established the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework as the national Strategic Plan to outline the extent of basic infrastructure backlogs and to come up with strategies to improve basic service provision to the poor citizens. The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is a municipal infrastructure funding which combines all the existing capital grants for municipal infrastructure into a single consolidated grant. MIG is aimed at assisting the poor to gain access to infrastructure. MIG funding can only be used for infrastructure for basic services. Polokwane local municipality and Blouberg local municipality are the beneficiaries of MIG. The purpose of the study was to investigate the causes of unspent Municipal Infrastructure Grants in Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities. An extensive literature review has been undertaken to gather information regarding unspent Municipal Infrastructure Grants in the two municipalities in the Capricorn District; Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities. The study provides an investigation on how Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities monitor the Municipal Infrastructure funding. The study further investigate the capacity of the municipalities to implement MIG, and whether these municipalities have the capacity to effectively utilise the MIG for efficient and effective service delivery. The researcher utilised a qualitative approach to collect data through interview schedule. A satisfactory response rate of 98% was obtained. The results indicated that Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities are capacitated to implement and to monitor MIG. However, the municipalities often spend less than the budgeted MIG, as a result progress in the access to basic services is hindered. The failure to adequately spend the MIG by these municipalities is due to the fact that there is poor planning and a lot of political interference in the Supply Chain Management processes. The study recommended that managers should do proper planning beforehand, avoid late appointment of service providers and make references on the service providers they appoint to avoid disputes from members of the community. The study further recommended that Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities should do proper consultation of the project, budget accordingly, and appoint companies that will produce positive end results with value for money. The study recommended that political office bearers should not interfere in the supply chain management processes

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / In 1994 the South African democratically elected government inherited one of the most inequitable access to basic service between rural and urban communities. Rural people used to live without access to basic services such as water, electricity, roads and sanitation facilities. South African government established the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework as the national Strategic Plan to outline the extent of basic infrastructure backlogs and to come up with strategies to improve basic service provision to the poor citizens. The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is a municipal infrastructure funding which combines all the existing capital grants for municipal infrastructure into a single consolidated grant. MIG is aimed at assisting the poor to gain access to infrastructure. MIG funding can only be used for infrastructure for basic services. Polokwane local municipality and Blouberg local municipality are the beneficiaries of MIG. The purpose of the study was to investigate the causes of unspent Municipal Infrastructure Grants in Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities. An extensive literature review has been undertaken to gather information regarding unspent Municipal Infrastructure Grants in the two municipalities in the Capricorn District; Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities. The study provides an investigation on how Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities monitor the Municipal Infrastructure funding. The study further investigate the capacity of the municipalities to implement MIG, and whether these municipalities have the capacity to effectively utilise the MIG for efficient and effective service delivery. The researcher utilised a qualitative approach to collect data through interview schedule. A satisfactory response rate of 98% was obtained. The results indicated that Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities are capacitated to implement and to monitor MIG. However, the municipalities often spend less than the budgeted MIG, as a result progress in the access to basic services is hindered. The failure to adequately spend the MIG by these municipalities is due to the fact that there is poor planning and a lot of political interference in the Supply Chain Management processes. The study recommended that managers should do proper planning beforehand, avoid late appointment of service providers and make references on the service providers they appoint to avoid disputes from members of the community. The study further recommended that Polokwane and Blouberg local municipalities should do proper consultation of the project, budget accordingly, and appoint companies that will produce positive end results with value for money. The study recommended that political office bearers should not interfere in the supply chain management processes.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / The study seek to analyze the role of the Local Government in distribution of equitable and basic needs to its community through efficient and effective service delivery through the utilization municipal infrastructure grant. Municipal service delivery is still a major concern in South Africa. In terms of the Constitution of South Africa (Act 106 of 1996), municipalities are the only spheres of government that are mandated for delivery of basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, refuse removal, development and maintenance of community infrastructure, storm water, primary health and provision of better housing to the poorest of the poor. The new dispensation in 1994, necessitated the transformation of the municipalities towards service delivery. The apartheid system was characterized by inequities in terms of provision of sustainable needs to its communities. The service delivery was fragmented along racial lines. Blacks were largely excluded from better services, while the minority enjoyed the services of municipalities around the country. Various laws, policies were enacted to find ways of ensuring that municipalities are responsive to community’s demands and needs in an equitable manner. The White Paper on Local Government in 1998, outlined some strategies that needs to be followed for the Local Government to achieve its objective. The background of the study, problem statements highlighted the historical imbalances in the system and how it can be redressed to provide good governance at the local government. The research questions form the basis of the study. The questionnaire for data gathering were formulated in line with the research questionnaire. Municipalities are characterized by service backlog, lack of skills (administratively and technically), lack of transparency and accountability that contribute to major challenges faced by municipalities in service provision. The research methodology used in this study focused more on the qualitative to allow participants to express their feelings in a descriptive manner and less on the iv quantitative approach wherein figures were reflected in a form of tables and graphs . The provision of service, as a social phenomena focused on human beings as object of study. Ethical considerations were taken into account. Questionnaires were distributed to executive directors and officials in strategic positions of service delivery of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and also to SALGA, CoGTA and National Treasury. The aim of the questionnaire was to find out and assess the challenges faced by municipal officials on their day to day activities regarding the management and utilization of MIG in a responsible and accountable manner. Extensive literature review covered a range of books, journals, African National Congress (ANC) Manifesto, Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), White Paper, Discussion Documents and City of Tshwane’s Annual Reports, Service Delivery Strategies Reports and other related documents that advocate for service delivery challenges and its impact. The findings revealed that municipalities faced common challenges that impede on the progress of service delivery. Some of the challenges are beyond their control like the non-availability of government owned land. Most of municipalities are characterized by lack of funding, under-spending or over-spending. Media news regularly covers negative aspects such as corruption that occurs in municipalities and not positive issues of delivery of service. In the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, housing is still a major challenge. The ever increasing demand from communities also impact on the budget of the municipality. Immigration in Tshwane area have negative effect on service delivery, particularly the housing backlog and proper sanitation.

鄉鎮市財政狀況不佳，多須仰賴上級政府補助的情形已存在許久，本研究的目的即以嘉義縣十八鄉鎮（市）為對象，探討縣政府對鄉鎮（市）公所的補助情形。影響一鄉鎮（市）補助收入的因素頗多，包括經濟性因素和政治性因素，本研究旨在探討政治性因素中地方派系、縣長選舉、各鄉鎮（市）對縣長的支持度及鄉鎮（市）長是否連任等對一鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入的影響。具體而言，本研究的研究問題如下： 　　一、除了經濟性的考量之外，縣府補助鄉鎮（市）公所時有無政治性因素介入？ 　　二、鄉鎮市長與縣長派系屑性的異同對補助款的多寡有無影響？亦即鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市）補助收入是否多於一些鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長派系屬性相異的鄉鎮（市）公所？ 　　三、縣長選舉年時，各鄉鎮（市）公所的補助收入有無增加？ 　　四、縣長選舉年時，鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市）公所的補助收入與一些鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長不同的鄉鎮（市）的補助收入有無差異？ 　　五、鄉鎮（市）長連任的鄉鎮（市）補助收入與鄉鎮（市）長首任時該鄉鎮（市）補助收入有無差異？ 　　六、對縣長支持度高的鄉鎮（市）補助收入是否多於對縣長支持度低的鄉鎮（市）？ 　　再依據本研究的研究問題發展出本五個研究假設，如下： 　　假設一：鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市），縣府補助收入多於不同派系屬性的鄉鎮（市）。 　　假設二：縣長選舉年時，各鄉鎮（市）的補助款收入會增加。 　　假設三：選舉時封縣長支持度愈高的鄉鎮（市），選舉後的補助款入愈多。 　　假設四：鄉鎮（市）長連任的鄉鎮（市）長，縣府補助收入少於鄉鎮（市）長首任的鄉鎮（市）。 　　假設五：縣長選舉年時，鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市）所獲補助款增加的額度多於鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長派系屆性不同的鄉鎮（市）。 　　本研究採用了補助款理論、地方派系理論及政治景氣循環理論來建構研究架構；而在研究方法的使用上，本研究採取三角定位法的觀點，兼採質的研究方法和量的研究方法，以期對政治性因素影響鄉鎮（市）公所補助款收入的情形作更深入的瞭解。 　　研究結果發現，現行嘉義縣政府對轄十八鄉鎮（市）公所的補助中，除財政局有固定的補助標準之外，縣府其它局室對鄉鎮（市）公所的補助皆無一定的標準，而相對地，鄉鎮（市）公所方面對於縣府財政局的補助標準亦所知不多，因此政治性因素得以介入補助過程中。而政治性介入的情形叉如何呢？本研究發現，一鄉鎮（市）對縣長的支持度高低是主要的政治性影響因素，支持度高低與一鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入間是呈負相關，即支持度愈低的鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入愈多，本研究的假設三無法成立。 　　之所以有此種情形，本研究基於公共選擇理論的論點認為是因現任縣長為求下次選舉再度執政，對於一些對其支持度較低的鄉鎮（市）會增加補助，藉著補助款的撥給以換取該鄉鎮（市）的選票。 　　除一鄉鎮（市）封縣長支持度高低之外，其它政治性因素對一鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入的影響情形，在本研究第六章中將有詳述，在此將本研究主要的研究發現摘要於下。 　　一、在地方派系屬性封鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入的影響上，本研究發現鄉鎮（市）長派系屈性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市），縣府補助收入多於鄉鎮（市）長派系屑性與縣長相異的鄉鎮（市），本研究假設一得以成立。 　　二、在縣長選舉年對鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入的影響上，本研究發現就十八鄉鎮（市）的總平均值而言，在第十、十一、十二屆縣長選舉年時各鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入多於選舉前一年。 　　以上是由鄉鎮（市）公所的收入面進行分析的結果，若由縣府補助支出面的情況來加以分析，結果發現縣長選舉年時縣府補助款支出的額度大於非縣長選舉年時。因此由全體鄉鎮（市）公所的縣府補助收入總平均值及由縣政府補助支出面來看，本研究的假設二得以成立。 　　除此之外，本研究亦發現在第九屆及第十一屆縣長選舉後一年，各鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入的平均值少於縣長選舉當年的平均值。如此的發現綜合上段所言就全體鄉鎮（市）公所總平均值來看，選舉年時鄉鎳（市）縣府補助收入會增加的情形，可證實除了第十屆縣長選舉年以外，整的而言嘉義縣各鄉鎮（市）在縣府補助收入層面「選舉景氣循環」的情形是存在的。 　　三、在鄉鎮（市）長連任與否對鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入的影響上，本研究發現連任的鄉鎮（市）長任內該鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入多於首任時期該鄉鎮（市）公所縣府補助收入，本研究假設四無法成立。之所以有此種情形，本研究認為是因在缺乏明確的補助標準的情形下，一鄉鎮（市）公所最常用以爭取補助的方法即為「透過地方人士及民意代表爭取」及「透過計畫申請」等二項方法〈見附錄四〉，連任的鄉鎮（市）長因已累積前任四年內的種種人脈及資源，較能拿捏有效的補助款爭取方法，因此在第二任任期內補助款收入會多於尚處於摸索階段的第一任任期內補助款的收入額。 　　四、在鄉鎮（市）長派系屆性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市）於縣長選舉年時補助款增加的情形上，本研究發現鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性與縣長相異的鄉鎮（市）公所在縣長選舉年時縣府補助收入並無增加，但此種結果是各瑯裝（市）平均值上的情形，本研究冉計算出各鄉鎮（市）於縣長選舉年時補助款增加的額度後再進行檢測，結果發現鄉鎮（市）長派系屑性與縣長相同的鄉鎮（市）在縣長選舉年時縣府補助收入增加的額度多於鄉鎮（市）派系屬性與縣長相異的鄉鎮（市）長主政的鄉鎮（市），本研究假設五得以成工。 　　至於各項政治性因素的重要性方面，依迴歸分析發現一鄉鎮（市）對縣長的支持度高低是主要決定因性，其次為鄉鎮（市）長派系屬性及鄉鎮（市）長是否連任，至於縣長選舉年對一鄉鎮（市）縣府補助收入的影響，則無如預期中地重要。 　　在研究建議方面，本研究分別提出近程建議、遠程建議及對後續研究的建議，在近程建議中，本研究建議宜訂定明確的補助標準，避免政治性因素太過介入補助過程，且根據嘉義縣各鄉鎮（市）公所財政狀況，分級要求鄉鎮（市）公所在爭取補助時提撥配合款；在遠程建議上，本研究認為鄉鎮（市）公所預算體系仍須保留，建議廢除省級機構，採行中央、縣、鄉鎮（市）三級制，並擴大縣及鄉鎮（市）的職權，切實落實地方自治乃為解決地方財政問題的根本辦法。

<p>Can a country function without a legislative framework able to inform decisionmaking processes taken at different spheres of government? To what extent would actions conducted at various&nbsp / spheres of government be efficiently coordinated and informed by appropriate channels of constitutional provisions and legislative amendments to consolidate financial and intergovernmental&nbsp / fiscal relations policy-making tools for the realization of an efficient local developmental state? Answers to the above mentioned two questions refer to normative fiscal policy principles and&nbsp / prescriptive instruments of intergovernmental fiscal transfer design, whose orientation suggests better ways of framing sound and coherent programs and interventions that strengthen&nbsp / cooperative synergy and transfer knowledge of experience gained in empirical investigations and various South African environments of higher academic learning. Growing evidence&nbsp / acknowledges South Africa as one of the young democratic countries that has been going through a period of transition over the past three years as it changes its system of public finance from&nbsp / a structure suited to the old apartheid system to one consistent with the new South African Constitutional dispensation. While the former system was highly centralized, the newconstitution makes a clear commitment to municipal governments as important providers of government services, with greater tax and spending powers. Even as local autonomy has been substantially increased,&nbsp / there remains uncertainty as to the most appropriate design of a system of intergovernmental fiscal grants to metropolitan areas and townships. This study analyses this situation and further&nbsp / develops a generic design for intergovernmental transfers and its suitability to the realities of South African municipalities on the ground within the framework of Cooperative Government. This&nbsp / study concludes that fiscal&nbsp / management, as a cross-cutting discipline, is a&nbsp / powerful instrument for government&rsquo / s revenue sources at the national, provincial and local government levels.&nbsp / Financial management should be regarded as a co-coordinating mechanism managing government&rsquo / s expenditure and catalyzing sound financial relationship for an efficient management in the&nbsp / country, thus allowing government to budget effectively for the delivery of goods and services in order to attain the constitutional mandate of a developmental state.</p>

This dissertation examines how contemporary Western ethical perspectives frame moral judgments about technologies intended to expand or enhance human abilities. Of particular interest are technological advances that involve nanotechnology, a realm of technoscience that seeks the precise control of matter through deliberately designing structures, devices, and processes with novel and useful properties at the molecular scale. In this thesis I analyze trends in the emerging dialogue about the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology. There is growing awareness that technological “progress” should not outpace critical reflection over the means and ends of those advances, but I argue that there is a tension between the role of ethics and the practice of technoscience. By ethics I mean ongoing public discussion that contemplates what it means to live a “good life” and that maintains limits to human actions. By contrast, the practice of technoscience appears to be guided by the “technological imperative” which holds that we can only know what is good by first figuring out what is possible. Despite concerted interdisciplinary efforts to address the broad range of ethical issues posed by nanotechnology’s proposed goals, the prevailing tone of the current discussion tends to reveal what I call a “technoprogressive” bias, or the belief that technological development is a primary way to improve the human estate and that it leads inevitably to cumulative progress. However, because technoprogressive commentary on nanotechnology focuses on concerns that are framed mainly in terms of risk assessment, cost-benefit analyses, and utilitarian principles, technoprogressive ethics overlooks crucial ethical questions of a different nature, questions that deal with the limits of human action, the nature of justice, and the meaning of being human. To analyze the implications of technoprogressive ethics, I employ the moral philosophy of Canadian thinker George Grant because he articulates an underrepresented yet valuable critique of Western society’s relationship with technology. Grant speaks for a type of transcendental moral realism that challenges the primacy of the technological imperative, insisting that justice ultimately must be grounded upon non-negotiable limits, and that there are objective norms to which human freedom and human self-assertion have to answer.

This dissertation examines how contemporary Western ethical perspectives frame moral judgments about technologies intended to expand or enhance human abilities. Of particular interest are technological advances that involve nanotechnology, a realm of technoscience that seeks the precise control of matter through deliberately designing structures, devices, and processes with novel and useful properties at the molecular scale. In this thesis I analyze trends in the emerging dialogue about the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology. There is growing awareness that technological “progress” should not outpace critical reflection over the means and ends of those advances, but I argue that there is a tension between the role of ethics and the practice of technoscience. By ethics I mean ongoing public discussion that contemplates what it means to live a “good life” and that maintains limits to human actions. By contrast, the practice of technoscience appears to be guided by the “technological imperative” which holds that we can only know what is good by first figuring out what is possible. Despite concerted interdisciplinary efforts to address the broad range of ethical issues posed by nanotechnology’s proposed goals, the prevailing tone of the current discussion tends to reveal what I call a “technoprogressive” bias, or the belief that technological development is a primary way to improve the human estate and that it leads inevitably to cumulative progress. However, because technoprogressive commentary on nanotechnology focuses on concerns that are framed mainly in terms of risk assessment, cost-benefit analyses, and utilitarian principles, technoprogressive ethics overlooks crucial ethical questions of a different nature, questions that deal with the limits of human action, the nature of justice, and the meaning of being human. To analyze the implications of technoprogressive ethics, I employ the moral philosophy of Canadian thinker George Grant because he articulates an underrepresented yet valuable critique of Western society’s relationship with technology. Grant speaks for a type of transcendental moral realism that challenges the primacy of the technological imperative, insisting that justice ultimately must be grounded upon non-negotiable limits, and that there are objective norms to which human freedom and human self-assertion have to answer.

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is a promising material for Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) offering potentially higher mobilities and improved stability over hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The slow growth rate of nc-Si:H can be overcome by using pulsed Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). Pulsed PECVD also reduces powder particle formation in the plasma and provides added degrees of freedom for process optimization. Unlike high frequency PECVD, pulsed PECVD can be scaled to deposit films over large areas with no reduction in performance. For this thesis, silicon thin films were deposited by the pulsed PECVD technique at a temperature of 150 °C and TFTs were made using this material. Radio Frequency (RF) power and silane (SiH₄) flow rate were varied in order to study the effect of different levels of crystallinity on the film. Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), electrical conductivity, Hall mobility, optical band gap, and stability under light-soaking were measured using films of two different thicknesses, 50 nm and 300 nm. From the Raman data we see that the 50 nm films deposited with high hydrogen dilution are mostly amorphous, indicating the presence of a thick incubation layer. The 300nm samples deposited with hydrogen dilution, on the other hand, showed very high crystallinity and conductivity, except for 300-2 which was surprisingly, mostly amorphous. AFM and XRD measurements were also performed to confirm the Raman data and get an estimate for the crystallite grain size in the 300 nm samples. The conductivity was measured for all films, and the Hall mobility and carrier concentration was measured for one of the 300 nm films. The thin samples which are mostly amorphous show low conductivity whereas the thick high crystallinity films show high conductivity, and n-type behaviour possibly due to oxygen doping. The optical gap was also measured using Ultra Violet (UV) light and results indicate the possible presence of small crystallites in the 50 nm films. The conductivity's stability under light-soaking was measured to observe the material's susceptibility to degradation, and the 300 nm with high crystallinity were much more stable than the a-Si:H films. All the results of these measurements varied depending on the film and these results are discussed. Bottom-gate TFTs were fabricated using a pulsed PECVD channel layer and an amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN:H) gate dielectric. The extracted parameters of one of the best TFTs are <i>&mu;_sat</i> &le; 0. 38 cm² V^-1 s^-1, <i>V_t,sat</i> &ge; 7. 3 V, <i>I_on/off</i> > 10⁶, and <i>S</i> < 1 V/decade. These parameters were extracted semi-automatically from the basic Field-Effect Transistor (FET) model using a computer program. Extraction using a more complicated model yielded similar results for mobility and threshold voltage but also gave a large power parameter <i>&alpha;</i> of 2. 31 and conduction band tail slope of 30 meV. The TFT performance and material properties are presented and discussed. On this first attempt at fabricating TFTs using a nc-Si:H channel layer deposited by pulsed PECVD, results were obtained which are consistent with results for low temperature a-Si:H TFTs and previous pulsed PECVD TFTs. The channel layer was mostly amorphous and non-crystalline, possibly due to the amorphous substrate or insufficient hydrogen dilution in the plasma. The 300 nm films showed, however, that high crystallinity material deposited directly on glass can easily be obtained, and this material showed less degradation under light-soaking than the purely amorphous counterpart. Pulsed PECVD is a promising technique for the growth of nc-Si:H and with further materials development and process optimization for TFTs, it may prove to be useful for the growth of high-quality nc-Si:H TFT channel layers.

Social protection has become an important tool in efforts to eradicate poverty in developing countries and also risen strongly on the global development agenda the last decade. This thesis will look at different approaches to social protection and their relation to the human right to social security with South Africa as a case study. In using different scholars in the field of social protection and social justice together with qualitative fieldwork, the thesis explores the importance of social protection and the politics underlying efforts to protect the right to social security of South Africans living in poverty. The thesis suggests that South Africa’s social protection system lies somewhere in between rights and relief and more universal systems comply better with a rights based approach to social protection. Although significant progress has been made to social protection in South Africa the last decade, more needs to be done for South Africa to reduce rampant inequalities and combat poverty in the future.