[Partial abstract]: This study was carried out to determine the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to household total income, other livelihood sectors were also examined simultaneously. The contribution of agriculture involved livestock and crop production. Wages and government grants were other livelihood sectors that were looked into. This study was important in determining the change in livelihood strategies in the last decade and to quantify the NTFPs used at the two sites. It was carried out in Guquka and Koloni, both part of the central Eastern Cape. Information on direct use value of the NTFPs used, the quantities and local price; crop production outputs and inputs and the costs. Data were collected via a questionnaire.

The research undertaken represents an in-depth study of gender and economics from a multi-disciplinary perspective. By drawing on economic, social policy and political science literature it makes an original contribution to the disciplines of economics and feminist economics by advancing ideas on a feminist theory of policy change and institutional design. Equally, the study develops a framework for a multi-method approach to feminist research with applied policy focus by establishing a pragmatic feminist research paradigm. By espousing multiple research philosophies, it extends understanding of gender differences in policy outcomes by connecting theories from feminist economics, feminist historical institutionalism and ideational processes. Jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council UK and the Scottish Government, this project attempts to answer three key questions: What is the relative position of men and women in the Scottish economy and how do childcare responsibilities influence these? Which institutions, structures and processes have been instrumental in embedding gender in Scottish economic policy? To what extent and how is the Scottish Government’s approach to economic policy gendered? Quantitative analysis reveals persistently disproportionate differences in men and women’s position in the labour market. Women remain over-represented in part-time employment and in the public sector in the 10years under investigation. Using panel data, the multinomial logistic regression estimation of patterns in labour market transitions equally reveal disproportionate gendered patterns, with families with dependent children 0-4years at a disadvantage to those without. Qualitative analysis indicates that these differences are partly explained by the fact that the unpaid economy still remains invisible to policymakers despite changes in the institutional design, policy processes and the approach to equality policymaking undertaken in Scotland. Unpaid childcare work is not represented as policy relevant and the way gender, equality and gender equality are conceptualised within institutional sites and on political agendas pose various challenges for policy development on unpaid childcare work and gender equality in general. Additionally, policymakers in Scotland do not integrate both the paid and unpaid economies in economic policy formulation since social policy and economic policy are designed separately. The study also establishes that the range of institutions and actors that make-up the institutional setting for regulating and promoting equality, influence how equality issues are treated within a national context. In Scotland, equality regulating institutions such as parliament, the Scottish Government, equality commission and the law are instrumental variables in determining the range of equality issues that are embedded in an equality infrastructure and the extent to which equality issues, including gender, are consequently embedded in public policy and government budgets. Significantly despite meeting all the attributes of an equality issue, unpaid care is not classified as a protected characteristic in the Equality legislation. These institutions can ameliorate, sustain or perpetuate the delivery of unequitable policy outcomes for men and women in the mutually dependent paid and unpaid economy. Thus, economic, social and political institutions are not independent from one another but are interrelated in complex ways that subsequently have material consequences on men and women in society. In summary, there are interlinkages between the law, labour market, the unpaid economy, the welfare state and gendered political institutions such that policy or institutional change in one will be dependent on or trigger change in another. These institutions are gendered, but are also interlinked and underpin the gender structure of other institutions to the extent that the gendered norms and ideas embedded in one institution, for example legislation or political institutions, structure the gendered dimensions of the labour market, welfare state, and the unpaid economy. By shedding light on institutional and political forces that regulate equality in addition to macroeconomic forces, the analysis reveals the important role of institutions, policy actors and their ideas as instrumental forces which constantly define, redefine and reconstruct the labour market experiences of men and women with significant material consequences.

This is an exploratory study on “Evaluation of Pass-on the Gift Concept on the Socioeconomic Welfare of Rural Households: The Case of SACHZEP and ELITE Projects in Katete District, Zambia. The main research objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of the PoG concept on the socioeconomic welfare of rural households. A mixed methods approach was used involving 124 household in the survey interviews, 5 FGDs and 18 key informant interviews. Study findings showed relationships existing between type of livestock with compliance to pass on the gift (p-=0.001), food security (p=0.001), income security (p=0.007) and education at 9th grade level (p=0.002). No relationship exists between livestock type with shelter status of beneficiaries. Livestock type, water scarcity, IKS and practices, sharing of knowledge, skills and livestock affects PoG impact on socioeconomic welfare of rural households. PoG is compatible with indigenous knowledge systems and supports Human Centred Development approach. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The study was an exploration of how internal savings and lending (ISAL) influenced the way in which persons affected by HIV and AIDS earned and spent income. The researcher engaged with the life stories of participants belonging to HIV and AIDS support groups that practised ISAL in rural Bikita district in Zimbabwe. The negative changes brought about by HIV and AIDS were found to influence the way participants generated and spent their income. The initial illness of family members reduced the participation in productive activities of the ill and family members providing care. Compounding effects included reduced attention to and increasing abandonment of productive activities, reduction in the scale of production, the use of inappropriate inputs, forced disposal of assets, increased household debts, reliance on social networks, and dependence on begging and piecework for income. The low productivity from activities meant that households generated less produce and income. This triggered changes in the prioritisation of spending, with healthcare and associated transportation needs superseding all, followed by spending on food. Expenses that were not prioritised during the period of illness included the purchase of improved agricultural inputs, spending on education and clothing and, in some cases, food purchases. In the findings, ISAL is associated with restoring past and starting up new productive and income-generating activities. Regular access to loans allowed storytellers to invest in activities that improved the levels and frequency of income that they earned. Loans were used to directly cover daily family needs, reducing reliance on risky coping mechanisms. Lump sum payments and bulk grocery purchases helped storytellers to invest and manage their cashflow. Overall, households that practised ISAL improved and increased their incomes and ability to spend on healthcare and satisfy other daily needs to levels similar to and better than those experienced before they had to cope with the effects of HIV and AIDS. Recommendations from the study include enabling persons testing HIV positive to access social protection, adapted agriculture technologies and financial education tailored to those affected by HIV and AIDS. Areas for potential further research include a quantitative and qualitative analysis of income and expenditure changes for persons affected by HIV and AIDS and the effects on children of dropping out and being re-enrolled at school. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology) (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS)) / 1 online resource (ix, 153 pages)

This study was carried out to examine the significance of Coffee-based agriculture in the socio-economic development of rural livelihoods in Ethiopia, with particular emphasis on households in the Borecha District of the Illubabor Zone, Oromia Regional State. In this dissertation, three randomly selected study kebeles2 were considered. The primary data were collected using household questionnaires, observation and key informant interviews. The secondary data were acquired from a review of the diverse and extensive literature contained in journals, textbooks and published and unpublished documents. The target population encompasses 1,600 coffee-growing households in the Borecha District, although the sample included only 120 coffee-growing farmers. Sample selection was performed using a stratified sampling technique to select three kebeles. The data analysis was both qualitative and quantitative, which involved descriptive statistics and general linear model (UNIANOVA, MANOVA). The data are presented as tables, bar charts, and line graphs accompanied by correlations and multiple comparisons that help to interpret the findings and to generate conclusions that support solutions to the identified problems. The findings show that coffee growing has increased the income generated from direct sales and associated employment opportunities. The social contributions realised include that over the past two years, households trend in spending on education increased. Moreover, sampled households access to health facilities changed after they started growing coffee. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Existing zakat research reports little information about the living conditions of Indonesian zakat recipients. This study examined the perceptions of zakat recipients at Rumah Zakat, a charitable institution, in Yogyakarta. Semi-structured interviews solicited seven economic empowerment and seven socio-health program respondents’ narratives. This data collection method incorporating multiple approaches to data analysis, including phenomenology, revealed that economic empowerment respondents with more education and spousal support could better subsist after utilizing Rumah Zakat’s interest-free loans. And, compared to individual efforts or group support, spousal support helped significantly with business growth. These respondents typically earned incomes above the national standard of poverty. As their businesses grew, four respondents planned to employ the jobless. In the socio-health program, respondents had minimal education and incomes that fell below the national standard of poverty. A Rumah Zakat clinic gave these respondents four to five years of free health care services; it also facilitated collaborative learning. Although the services lowered their expenses, three respondents requested food distribution in addition to health care. Respondents benefiting from both programs reported a significant positive impact on their home economies, health, and social lives. Thus, an integrative program offering assistance with micro-credits, health care, food security, and education would better serve the poor.