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Masters in Public Administration - MPA / There is a major urban housing crisis in South Africa expressing itself in the failure of the government to provide low-income housing to urban residents. Considering this crisis, the specific purpose of this study was to examine the challenges to effective distribution of low-income housing with specific reference to the Delft Symphony community, focussing on the epoch from the years 2000-2015. The study was motivated by the fact that while there is an abundance of research conducted in the Cape flats, research focusing on the Delft Symphony community (DS community) is scanty especially on low-income housing distribution. This research gap became the focus of this thesis. To understand the challenges to effective distribution of low-income housing, this study was grounded in two theories namely the theory of justice and the self-help housing theory.

This research explores the potential role of intermediaries in the implementation of socioeconomic development (SED) benefits through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPPP) in low-income communities. SED benefits are a procurement requirement that forms part of REIPPPP's Economic Development scorecard and are required to be implemented in identified beneficiary communities, with the aim of improving livelihoods in such communities. Literature points to the fact that, community development is not a function of the private sector and that intermediaries can have success in partnering with communities in their quest for development. This research is approached through a qualitative inductive study of a case study. The case study is Project90by2030, a not-for-profit organisation (NPO) and public benefit organisation (PBO) that is focused on the mobilisation of and advocacy for clean energy in energy poor lowincome communities. The research pays attention to the organisation's community development approach and what possible learning benefits there could be for the REIPPPP. Interviews were held with community participants and facilitators of the Community Partnership Programme of the organisation. The research finds that low-income communities experience exclusion and inequality and identifies the agents of the said exclusion and inequality. This thesis argues that intermediaries can play an important role to bridge inequality of agency and other power dynamics that work to the detriment of the empowerment of low-income communities. It concludes that socio-economic community development is a contribution to society that business should pursue, with the support of intermediaries and with local government as a key strategic partner.

<p>  </p> <p>The field of psychology is working to rectify decades of silence on issues of economic marginalization in psychotherapy research, practice, and training. Increasing attention to economic marginalization led the APA to publish the first <em>Guidelines for Psychological Practice for People with Low-Income and Economic Marginalization</em> in 2019. The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of two studies that developed and validated the Clinical Practice Competencies for LIEM (CPC-LIEM), a scale based on these guidelines that measures psychologists’ clinical competence working with low-income and economically marginalized communities. In Study 1, I developed the initial scale through expert review and identified the scale factor structure using exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, I gathered a second sample of psychologists to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis and validate the CPC-LIEM. The CPC-LIEM was associated with general multicultural counseling competence and clinician self-report of therapy processes with clients from low-income economically marginalized backgrounds, but not with class-related attitudes or general multicultural awareness. The final 14-item five-factor CPC-LIEM represents a novel way to measure and increase attention to LIEM-related clinical competencies for clinicians, supervisors, and researchers. </p>

This study focuses on understanding supervisors' and managers' experiences of supporting breastfeeding support at work in the context of clothing factories in the Western Cape, South Africa. Return to full-time employment after maternity leave is the leading cause affecting mothers' breastfeeding decisions. A qualitative, exploratory research design was used. Secondary qualitative data from 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews with supervisors and managers were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Three major themes emerged: Influence of supervisors' socio- cultural beliefs and personal experiences on support orientation; Navigating productivity, mothers' breastfeeding needs, and co-worker emotions; and the nature of maternity and breastfeeding conversations. Drawing from the study findings, implications for managerial practices and policy recommendations are proposed to advance managerial and supervisory support for breastfeeding at work in low-income workplaces.

Bakgrund: Vid litteraturgenomgång kunde tre kunskapsområden relaterade till barns undernäring i ett globalt perspektiv identifieras. Omfattning och åtgärder är väl utforskade ämnen, medan det finns mindre forskning gällande hälso- och sjukvårdens roll och framförallt saknas sammanställd forskning om omvårdnaden av undernärda barn i låginkomstländer. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att belysa omvårdnaden av undernärda barn i ett globalt perspektiv. Metod: Arbetet genomfördes som empirisk studie med kvalitativ ansats. Analysen av data, bestående av texter från bloggar och reseberättelser skrivna av sjuksköterskor på fältuppdrag, genomfördes stegvis, inspirerat av metoden för berättelseanalys enligt Friberg (2006) samt med stöd av omvårdnadens fyra metabegrepp (Fawcett, 2005). Resultat: Analysen resulterade i 12 teman: det sårbara barnet, kulturell trygghet som hinder, lokalsamhället som resurs, fattigdom samhällsuppbyggnad och yttre hot, möten mot alla odds, det omänskliga valet, föräldrars frustration, sjuksköterskans existentiella tankar, den enkla lösningen, vikten av ett gott råd, sjuksköterskans upplevda utmaningar, att finna ett barn att vårda. Slutsats: Studien visar att sjuksköterskans förmåga att anpassa sig och sina omvårdnadshandlingar till de förutsättningar som den utmanande miljön och åtskillnaden i människosyn skapar är avgörande för hur resten av omvårdnaden blir. Klinisk betydelse: Genom att belysa problemen som kan uppstå då miljön skapar hinder för god omvårdnad kan förutsättningar skapas för att hitta lösningar och vägar runt dessa problem. / Background: In the literature review, three areas of knowledge related to child malnutrition in a global perspective were identified. Scope and actions are well researched topics, while there is less research on the health care role and above all lack of consolidated research on the care of malnourished children in low-income countries. Objective: The aim of the study was to illuminate the nursing care of malnourished children in a global perspective. Method: The work was conducted as an empirical study with qualitative approach. The analysis of data, consisting of texts from blogs and travel stories written by nurses on field mission, was carried out in stages, inspired by the method of narrative analysis as described by Friberg (2006) and with the support of four nursing meta-concepts (Fawcett, 2005). Results: The analysis resulted in 12 themes: the vulnerable child, cultural security barriers, the local community as a resource, poverty, community building and external threats, meetings against all odds, the inhuman choice, parental frustration, nurse's existential thoughts, the simple solution, the importance of good advice, nurses perceived challenges and finding a child to care for. Conclusion: The study shows that the nurse’s ability to adapt herself and her nursing actions to circumstances set by environmental challenges and differences in views on humanity are crucial for the nursing outcome. Clinical outcome: By highlighting problems raised from the environment conditions can be created to find solutions and ways around these problems.

In South Africa, the penetration rate of Cellphones is greater than 100 percent. South African banks are leveraging off this technology by providing a bouquet of financial services via the Cellphone – Cellphone banking. However, the adoption of Cellphone banking has been much slower when compared to other electronic banking channels, such as internet banking. The objective of this research was to compare factors that inhibit adoption of Cellphone banking between the low and high income groups. Based on existing innovation adoption theory, there were five factors of adoption identified: Trialability, Perceived Complexity, Perceived Value, Perceived Credibility and Perceived Risk. A telephonic survey was administered. The survey questionnaire contained a series of closed-ended questions relating to the five factors of adoption and a single open-ended question to identify factors not being researched. The results of the survey found that the greatest inhibitor to Cellphone banking was Trialability, followed by Perceived Complexity and Perceived Risk (regardless of income levels). The results of the open-ended questions were grouped in two themes; Personal Preference and Banking Perception. The comparison of results between the open-ended themes found that personal preferences have a significant impact between the low and high income groups. The majority of the high income respondents preferred Internet banking to Cellphone banking. However, banking perceptions had a higher impact on the low income respondents when comparing the two themes. The study establishes that financial institutions should provide a demonstration and give the customers the opportunity to test Cellphone banking in an effort to increase adoption; as this should reduce the perceived complexity and risk associated with this service. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study examined teachers' perceptions and attitudes of Title I students at an urban elementary school in which over 90% of the student population receives free or reduced-priced lunch. Using participant observation and in-depth interviews, this research analyzed three avenues for Title I students to acquire cultural and social capital at school: material and non-material resources, language acquisition, and the building of positive teacher-student relationships. In order to analyze these avenues, this study explored the following questions: How do teachers talk about and perceive Title I students? Do their attitudes and the images constructed from these perceptions impact students' ability to build positive teacher-student relationships? Do these perceptions and attitudes impact students' opportunities to build social and cultural capital? Do the resources afforded to students aide the acquisition of cultural capital? What expectations do teachers have for students' language usage and do these expectations hinder the acquisition of cultural capital? These questions guided my data collection process and analysis on how social and cultural capital operates within a Title I school. This study found that students attending Sherwood did not have access to quality material resources such as books and computers. However, they did have exposure to non-material resources such as nutritional programs that provided students' avenues to acquire cultural capital through dominant cultural experiences. Students' acquisition of Standard English was another avenue for students to acquire cultural capital. Teachers at Sherwood held different expectations for African American students and Spanish speaking students. African American students were constantly corrected when they did not speak Standard English by white teachers. In contrast, Spanish-speaking students were not corrected because teachers did not view their language as a disruption to the class. My findings suggest that African American students did not know why Standard English was important. Thus, it is likely that they did not learn how to activate this form of capital to their social benefit. In contrast, the cultural codes Spanish-speaking students were perceived as of higher value and incorporated in the school. Last, this study found teachers' perceptions of Title I students did not always hinder their ability to form positive teacher-student relationships, but may have helped these relationships to form because of teachers' perceptions of students' home life. Throughout this study, I explored the strategies and obstacles faced by Title I teachers and students as well as how these affect the acquisition of cultural and social capital.

Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting more than 30 million adults living in the United States. Diabetes self-management (DSM) can prevent or delay the complications of diabetes and improve clinical outcomes; however, data show that low-income, food insecurity, female gender, and race contribute to challenges performing effective DSM. The health belief model was the theoretical framework for this cross-sectional study, which examined how food insecurity, low-income, and race affect DSM activities in women with diabetes. The sample population from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey consisted of 1,842 women with diabetes who were 18 years of age or older, had an annual income of less than $50,000, and were food insecure. Results of the chi square analyses indicated a significant association between food insecurity and DSM activities (χ2 = 48.99, p < 0.0001); however, results showed no significant association between low-income or race (p > 0.05). Results of a binary logistic regression model revealed that food secure and younger women had 1.618 and .584 times the odds of having effective DSM activities than food-insecure and older women (OR=1.618, 95% CI=1.282 - 2.041, p < 0.001; OR=.584, 95% CI=.465 - .733, p < 0.001, respectively). These results might provide researchers with guidance regarding food insecure and younger women with diabetes who might require additional support for their diabetes management. Tailored public health interventions might lead to positive social change by increasing food stability and nutrition knowledge, potentiating improvements in hemoglobin A1C, a 90-day measure of glucose control, which could reduce risk of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality.

This study examined an after-school tutoring and mentoring program that was implemented to help low-income students in the K-12 local district who were struggling with reading and mathematics. To date, the program has not been successful in improving student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to provide administrators and teachers with insights into parents' and teachers' perceptions of the program, with an emphasis on parental involvement (PI). Vygotsky's theory of social constructivism focused this study on the tenet that social interactions between parents, students, and teachers all impact the program students' construction of knowledge. The research questions focused on the teachers' and parents' perceptions of the effectiveness of the tutoring program, parental involvement, and suggestions to improve the program. Detailed qualitative data was collected through seven parents and three teachers structured interviews that were transcribed, open-coded, and analyzed across participants to identify recurrent themes. There were 5 themes: PI is crucial, behavior problems, improving parent-teacher communication, inadequate PI, and improving PI. Participants had mixed opinions of the effectiveness of the tutoring program, emphasized the importance of PI, and had many suggestions to improve the program. The project white paper includes 6 detailed recommendations supported by data, a timeline for implementation and materials for a teacher training component and a teacher-parent collaboration component. Positive social change may result if the study helps increase the amount of interaction between teachers and parents, increases attendance at parent meetings, and these changes help increase student test scores.