Student Number : 0104363F - MSc research report - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / South Africa is a constitutional state. The constitution is the supreme law of the country (RSA, 1996). Any of the state laws, policies and programmes that are inconsistent with the constitution are invalid, thus they have no legitimate standing. In the preamble of its constitution, the post apartheid South Africa sworn itself as a country recognising the past injustices, hence planning for the society based on social justices, in order to improving the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person. The Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa, as it encompasses all human rights, especially socioeconomic rights, whose fulfilment will contribute towards realisation of equal and united society based on social justice. However, the post apartheid South African government adopted a Free Basic Water policy as a way of adhering to the constitutional requirements of ensuring that everyone has the right to sufficient water. Access to clean sufficient water has been identified as a crucial requirement for Care and Prevention to the HIV/AIDS affected households. In the midst of socioeconomic inequalities, scarce water resources and high HIV/AIDS prevalence confronting the post apartheid South Africa today, the Free Basic Water policy guarantees every household of eight; irrespective of its socioeconomic status and health concerns, 6kl/6000 litres of water every month free. The local government has been blamed for not being responsive these special water needs of the poor HIV/AIDS households, especially in townships areas, where water is mostly provided on cost-recovery. However, little attention has been paid on the difficulty faced by the local government authorities in this regard. The report argue for a need of collaboration between planners and others major stakeholders, to come up with group-conscious water policy that will guide for planning of a society based on social justice. However, the research recommends that this policy should not only be guided by / concerned with justice and fairness in the distribution of basic needs of the society with special needs. More important, this new policy should be fair, thus account for the sustainability of the water resources, since South Africa is regarded as water-scarce country.

De nombreuses communes françaises sont aujourd’hui ouvertes sur l’extérieur et engagées dans des relations avec d’autres localités françaises ou étrangères : les panneaux aux entrées des villes, les articles dans la presse locale et régionale, les pages sur les sites Internet, les divers documents conservés dans les archives municipales en témoignent. Les jumelages et les coopérations nous sont familiers et développer des relations et des actions bilatérales est une pratique municipale aujourd’hui habituelle.Partant de ce constat cette thèse propose d’en tracer l’histoire depuis la loi municipale de 1884 jusqu’en 2014 et de tenter de construire le concept de « bilatéralisme communal ». Par définition, le « bilatéralisme » correspond au sens strict à une politique d’accords, d’échanges entre des Etats pris deux à deux et ce terme n’a, semble-t-il, jamais été associé aux communes. Pourtant, cette expression « bilatéralisme communal » nous paraît pertinente pour désigner une pratique municipale courante.Afin de comprendre comment se sont développés et fonctionnent les rapports nationaux et transnationaux au niveau le plus simple et d’expliquer l’engagement des communes françaises dans des relations et des actions bilatérales, cette étude se décompose en trois axes complémentaires : le premier s’applique à expliquer les contextes dans lesquels les relations bilatérales s’inscrivent, le deuxième s’intéresse à la mise en place de la relation bilatérale, enfin le troisième a trait aux rapports entre les villes et entend porter un regard critique sur le bilatéralisme communal.L’histoire des relations et des actions bilatérales des communes françaises nous amène donc à nous intéresser aux rapprochements et aux échanges au niveau administratif le plus bas et nous conduit au cœur d’une forme élémentaire du jeu diplomatique aux origines relativement anciennes. / Many French municipalities are now open to the outside world and engaged in relations with other French or foreign localities : signs at the entrances to cities, articles in the local and regional press, pages on Internet sites, the various documents kept in the municipal archives testify to this. Twinning and cooperation are familiar to us and developing bilateral relations and actions is a usual municipal practice today.On the basis of this observation, this thesis proposes to trace its history from the municipal law of 1884 until 2014 and to attempt to construct the concept of "communal bilateralism". By definition, "bilateralism" corresponds in the strict sense to a policy of agreements, exchanges between States taken two by two, and this term has never been associated with municipalities. Yet this expression "communal bilateralism" seems to us to be relevant to common municipal practice.In order to understand how national and transnational reports have developed and function at the simplest level and to explain the involvement of French municipalities in bilateral relations and actions, this study is divided into three complementary axes : the first applies to explain the contexts in which bilateral relations take place, the second focuses on the establishment of the bilateral relationship, and finally the third deals with the relations between cities and intends to take a critical look at communal bilateralism.The history of the bilateral relations and actions of the French municipalities therefore leads us to focus on rapprochement and exchanges at the lowest administrative level and leads us to the heart of an elementary form of the diplomatic game with relatively old origins.

A tese tem como objetivo compreender o fenômeno da criação de municípios no planalto de São Paulo entre o início da colonização e 1765. Nessa data o Morgado de Mateus, governador da capitania, empreende uma política de defesa e desenvolvimento econômico através da criação de vilas nos sertões. Procuramos analisar como se deu a criação das vilas na ausência de uma política da Coroa ou do donatário e o papel que as elites políticas tiveram no processo. Buscamos também, em uma perspectiva que intenta ultrapassar as fronteiras dos Impérios, compreender as elites políticas locais dentro de um contexto espacial mais alargado. / The aim of this thesis is to understand the phenomenon regarding the foundation of towns in upland São Paulo between the beginning of colonization and 1765. In this year, Morgado de Mateus, governor of the Captaincy, establishes a policy for security and economic development through the foundation of villages in the wilderness of São Paulo. We mean to analyze how the creation of villages took place in the absence of a Crowns Policy or a governors purpose and the role the political elites played in this process. Adopting an approach that intends to surpass the Empires borders, we seek to comprehend the local political elites within a more extended geographical context.

Les finances locales sont actuellement au centre du débat. A cela il y a plusieurs raisons. La commande publique repose, à plus de 70%, sur les collectivités locales et leurs établissements publics. dans la période de récession économique actuelle, c'est un point essentiel qui mobilise tous, en premier le Président de la République, le Premier ministre et le gouvernement mais aussi tous les exécutifs locaux qu'ils soient de droite ou de gauche.au moment où les finances locales sont absorbées par des priorités, leur reste-t-il des moyens d'intervenir dans le développement durable ? le mille-feuille français, constitue aussi un dispersement de moyens qui coûte très cher. alors, quel constat ? quels moyens et quelle direction prendre ? dans une recherche de moyens, on peut également se trouver dans un partenariat public-privé, qu'il y a lieu d'approfondir. / The Grenelle on the environment modifies the actions and projects of the local authorities. They have to meet objectives, without having the necessary budgetary means. This thesis sets out the objectives imposed on the local authorities by the law. The previous long-term actions of sustainable development are recalled. Part one deals with sustainable development, the international recommendations and its local implementation, where the local authorities play a leading role. Examples of actions in favor of communities, prior to the Grenelle on the environment, are analyzed. Part two deals with how local finances have been affected by these sustainable development policies. The local authorities have a limited scope of action; between compulsory revenues and expenditures and the reduced State participation in co financing of the actions imposed on the communities. Tools at the disposai of local authorities can help. There are many partners. Finally, the State should not only create laws, it also needs to provide the financial support for the priority actions which are imposed.

Ligne continue, homogène et inhabitée, la représentation de l’autoroute se conçoit presque exclusivement comme un équipement fonctionnel du transport, traversant des territoires. Cependant, l’autoroute serait également traversée par ces mêmes territoires, donnant suite à l’émergence d’acteurs et d’une diversité de pratiques. Des problématiques locales, en apparence parfois anodines, finiraient par s’imposer et modifier la conception, la gestion et l’exploitation des infrastructures. Cette thèse s’interroge sur l’existence et la nature d’une dimension territoriale de l’autoroute, mais aussi infrastructurelle du territoire. Ce questionnement est supporté par deux ethnographies : l’une dans la société concessionnaire Vinci autoroutes, avec la Direction du patrimoine et de la construction de Cofiroute ; la seconde avec des acteurs, dont des habitants, des usagers et des élus locaux, situés autour d’autoroutes concédées par ce même gestionnaire privé, dans la région Centre-Val de Loire. Les ethnographies sont accompagnées d’un travail cartographique pour entrevoir les différentes articulations entre infrastructures et territoires. Finalement, la thèse montre la nécessité d’appréhender l’autoroute en tant que région autoroutière, comme un espace traversé par des questions territoriales faites de détails significatifs, au-delà de l’infrastructure elle-même, et d’une multitude d’objets, d’acteurs et de pratiques. Le réseau autoroutier est décomposé pour donner à voir un ensemble d’éléments, d’organisations et de codifications, en lien à des territoires. Ce changement de représentation met en perspective le positionnement des infrastructures autoroutières dans les collectivités locales, avec des formes d’appropriations, de coopérations, d’échanges ou de divergences. / A continuous line, homogeneous and uninhabited, the representation of the highway is often and almost exclusively conceived as a functional equipment of transport and engineering, crossing territories. However, the motorway would also be crossed by these same territories, following the emergence of actors and a variety of practices. Local issues, seemingly sometimes insignificants, would eventually impose and change the design, management and operation of infrastructure. This thesis questions the existence and the nature of a territorial dimension of the highway but also an infrastructural dimension of the territory. This questioning is supported and explored by two ethnographies: one within the private operator of highways, Vinci Autoroutes, with the Directorate of Heritage and Construction of Cofiroute; the second with actors, including inhabitants, users and local elected officials, located around motorways conceded by the same private concessionaire, in the Center-Val de Loire region. The ethnographies are accompanied by a cartographic work which allows to glimpse the different articulations between infrastructures and territories. Finally, the thesis shows the necessity to apprehend the highway as a highway region, that is to say, as a space crossed by territorial questions made of significant details, beyond the infrastructure itself; and a multitude of objects, actors and practices. To do this, the highway network is broken down to reveal a set of elements, organizations and codifications, related to territories. This change in representation puts into perspective the positioning of highway infrastructure in local communities, with forms of appropriation, cooperation, exchange or divergence.

<p>The question this paper seeks to answer is whether decentralization is helpful or harmful to Cameroon&rsquo / s national unity. This study traces the historical, constitutional and political development of the concepts of national unity and decentralization and critically examines their application in the Cameroonian context. It further tests the consolidation of national unity in Cameroon against a theoretical and empirical framework of decentralization. A one-dimensional view of the findings of this study is not very encouraging to regimes seeking to enhance national unity through the implementation of decentralization. However, the major conclusion of this study holds the position that the political outcome of decentralization on Cameroon&rsquo / s national unity is largely a product of the constitutional regulation of both concepts and the manner in which the theoretical dimensions of decentralization are transplanted onto Cameroon&rsquo / s political landscape. The paper recommends certain reforms to assist and guide Cameroon as it simultaneously implements decentralization and consolidates national unity.</p>

<p>Governing an ethnically diverse country constitutes a major challenge for state power and government in Cameroon. The call for national unity, championed by the regime in power has had to survive strong demands for greater autonomy and threats of secession by groups from within an English-speaking minority. In response to these demands and threats, and in conjunction with reforms to improve democratic governance and service delivery, Cameroon&rsquo / s state administration has in the last decade resorted to decentralization as a technique for promoting national unity. The question this paper seeks to answer is whether decentralization is helpful or harmful to Cameroon&rsquo / s national unity. This study traces the historical, constitutional and political development of the concepts of national unity and decentralization and critically examines their application in the Cameroonian context. It further tests the consolidation of national unity in Cameroon against a theoretical and empirical framework of decentralization. A one-dimensional view of the findings of this study is not very encouraging to regimes seeking to enhance national unity through the implementation of decentralization. However, the major conclusion of this study holds the position that the political outcome of decentralization on Cameroon&rsquo / s national unity is largely a product of the constitutional regulation of both concepts and the manner in which the theoretical dimensions of decentralization are transplanted onto Cameroon&rsquo / s political landscape. The paper recommends certain reforms to assist and guide Cameroon as it&nbsp / simultaneously implements decentralization and consolidates national unity.</p>

Environmental awareness among public authorities and governmental institutions has been a priority initiative for countries in the EU over the last years. The public sector is a major consumer of products and services, while their environmental policies are also at a top. Many EU Member Countries have already implemented EU legislation for greener purchasing in the public sector, while others are now preparing their National Action Plan. However, conscious acceptance of National Policy objectives and adoption of green environmental behavior in all scales of the public sector is a challenge. Researchers are concerned that public authorities and especially those of a small size are still focused on the lowest price as a leading factor in public tenders. Many studies have shown that lack of knowledge is a key determinant for the scarce environmental requirements in public procurements. Under this framework, this thesis explores the determinants that affect the implementation of environmental requirements in public procurements and consequently the environmental awareness of small sized public organizations. This thesis is based on a review of policy documents and a single case study investigation. The single case study was conducted on the Technical Department of a municipality in North Greece and the data sources were engineering projects’ public procurements and interviews from the local authority’s officers.

By-laws are considered to be one of the primary tools of local government to enable them to manage and regulate the affairs of their constituent jurisdictions. It is therefore of critical importance that bylaws are current, not in conflict with provincial and national legislation, efficient and in line with practical requirements, and empowers the local authority sufficiently to manage its own affairs. There are three major causes that require local authorities to change and update by-laws. The first major cause is the reorganisation of the pre-1994 municipal boundaries. The second is the change to a constitutional dispensation that created three distinct spheres of government with their defined areas of legislative and executive powers. The third is the new order environmental legislation and philosophy that is in line with internationally accepted principles of sustainable development and human rights, and differs from the pre- 1994 legislation. The principle of cooperative governance requires local authorities not to be in conflict with other organs of state or national and provincial legislation. The result is that many local authorities require new by-laws, including waste management by-laws. Many such projects were undertaken by local authorities, one by the City of Johannesburg as part of the iGoli 2000 project. The by-laws also have to adequately capacitate the local authority to regulate all aspects of waste management in a practical and functional manner. These practical and functional requirements must be considered and included in the waste management by-laws where relevant. A guideline should as a minimum cover the following elements: -ensuring cooperative governance, -ensuring compliance with specific requirements set by the Constitution and other legislation such as the Municipal Systems Act, -alignment of by-laws with the legal mechanisms available for service delivery, and -ensuring it provides guidance on what elements should be considered to meet the practical and functional requirements of local authorities. This dissertation provides a guideline that meets criteria set out in legislation, policies and strategies. The discussion encompasses a vast field of the law and waste management practice, and attempts to provide local authorities with an introduction and references to the most salient aspects that has to be considered when drafting and implementing waste management by-laws. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Darbo tikslas yra išanalizuoti ir įvertinti savivaldos institucijų teikiamų socialinių paslaugų šeimai efektyvumą ir kokybę, išryškinti socialinių paslaugų teikimo problemas praktiniu aspektu ir pateikti siūlymus šioms problemoms spręsti. Darbe keliama hipotezė, jog savivaldos institucijos neužtikrina aukšto teikiamų socialinių paslaugų šeimai kokybės ir efektyvumo lygio dėl nepakankamo socialinių paslaugų prieinamumo ir individualizavimo bei orientacijos į finansinę paramą, per mažai dėmesio skiriant alternatyvių paslaugų teikimui. Atlikus Lietuvos teisės aktų socialinių paslaugų srityje analizę ir išsiaiškinus bei įvertinus socialinės paramos šeimai sistemą Vilniaus ir Kauno miestų savivaldybėse, iškelta hipotezė pasitvirtino tik nevienodu mastu. Vertinant socialinių paslaugų sistemą nustatyta, kad Lietuvoje sukurtas nemažas socialinių paslaugų tinklas, tačiau kol kas šio tinklo aprėptumas, paslaugų įvairovė bei kokybė nėra pakankami. Socialinės apsaugos išlaidų struktūroje didelė dalis tenka piniginėms išmokos ir per maža socialinėms paslaugoms, konsultacijoms, užimtumo skatinimo priemonėms. Nėra pakankamas socialinių paslaugų individualizavimas, pastebimas socialinių darbuotojų trūkumas. Šiose srityse labiausiai pasigendama atitikimo teisės aktų keliamiems reikalavimams lygio augimo. / The aim of the work is to analyze and assess the effectiveness and quality of social services provided for families by local authorities, to demonstrate the practical aspect of problems of the provision of social services and to give suggestions concerning solutions to these problems. The work formulates a hypothesis that local authorities do not ensure high quality and effectiveness of social services provided for families due to limited availability and individualization of social services as well as orientation towards financial support, and due to insufficient attention to the provision of alternative services. The analysis of Lithuania’s legislation in the field of social services and the examination as well as evaluation of the system of social assistance for families in Vilnius and Kaunas City Municipalities have proved the hypothesis made, just to a differing extent. The assessment of the system of social services has shown that Lithuania has quite a large network of social services, however, the coverage of the network, and a variety and quality of services are not yet sufficient. Cash benefits make up a considerable portion of social security costs, whereas social services, consultations and measures promoting employment take up a too small portion. Individualization of social services is not adequate and a shortage of social workers can be observed. These fields mostly lack growth in the level of fulfilment of requirements set by legislation.