This thesis examines the impacts of adult HIV/AIDS related mortality on elderly women and their households in Agincourt, a rural area in the north-eastern part of South Africa. It focuses specifically on demographic, socio-economic and socio-cultural impacts of adult AIDS and non-AIDS illness/death on near-old women aged 50-59 and older women aged 60 and above. The study uses the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS) 2004 census data which contains some history about individuals and their households (e.g. household mortality experience between 1992 and 2004). The AHDSS dataset is used to examine elderly female household headship and its relationship with, firstly, pension status and secondly, adult AIDS/non-AIDS mortality, through statistical analyses. Also, the AHDSS census data is utilised as a sampling frame to select a random sample of 60 households in which 30 women aged 50-59 and 30 women aged 60-75 lived, for the qualitative part of this study. The sample was made up of 20 women who lived in households that had experienced an HIV/AIDS death between 2001 and 2003, 20 women that lived in households where another type of adult death had occurred, and 30 women in households with no adult death during the period. The findings from the quantitative analyses of the AHDSS dataset reveal that there is no significant relationship between adult AIDS/non-AIDS death and elderly female household headship. Further findings, however, show that elderly female household headship is strongly associated with pension status, thereby suggesting that pension grant is a determining factor in the household headship status of elderly women. One implication of this is that elderly female household heads who are pensioners may be able to cope better with HIV/AIDS impacts as findings from the qualitative data demonstrate that pensioners (older women) are more likely, than non-pensioners (near-old women), to have access to coping strategies, which enable them to deal with the financial crises of adult illness/death in their households. There is, therefore, the need for programmes to target near-old women, who experience the financial impact of adult morbidity/mortality like their older peers. iii Further findings from the qualitative data explicate secondary stigma as a socio-cultural impact of adult HIV/AIDS on elderly women who are caregivers to infected children. Findings also highlight different types of secondary stigma such as physical stigma in the form of separation from family members and social stigma in the form of social isolation. The study suggests that there is need for intervention programmes that address the issue of secondary stigma as it makes caregiving responsibilities more burdensome for elderly women.

O vírus de influenza aviária H5N1 tem se disseminado rapidamente por diversos países e continentes nos últimos anos, gerando grandes perdas econômicas e de vidas humanas. Existe a possibilidade de a doença chegar ao Brasil, o que provocaria elevado impacto sobre a economia, especialmente sobre o setor avícola. A ausência e a necessidade de estimativas de impacto econômico no país, derivadas de surtos de gripe aviária em território brasileiro, motivaram a presente pesquisa. Visando gerar tais estimativas e analisá-las, foram simulados três cenários utilizando-se de um modelo aplicado de equilíbrio geral inter-regional, denominado TERM-BR. O primeiro cenário (Cenário I) contempla um foco da doença no Rio Grande do Norte, região Nordeste do país. O segundo (Cenário II) simula a presença de diversos focos da doença no estado de São Paulo. O terceiro (Cenário III) considera o surgimento de diversos focos presentes nos estados Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, São Paulo e Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados sinalizam impactos de maior dimensão na medida em que os focos da doença surgem próximos aos mercados produtores, exportadores e consumidores, como é o caso da região Sul e Sudeste. Na região Sul, em função da dimensão da avicultura na economia local, a crise do setor avícola acaba refletindo negativamente e acentuadamente sobre o conjunto da economia local. Nas regiões Norte e Nordeste, as restrições sobre a aquisição de aves vivas pelas famílias têm grande peso na retração da atividade econômica do setor avícola, já que a atividade de abate é pouco representativa e parcela importante das aves é adquirida diretamente pelas famílias, o que não acontece na mesma dimensão nas demais regiões do país. Observa-se também que o aumento do consumo de carne bovina e suína contribui para reduzir a crise na economia estadual nos estados produtores, e é também a fonte de crescimento para os estados em que a bovinocultura se destaca. O choque de demanda doméstica de produtos avícolas, comparado com os demais choques, revela-se como o principal responsável pelo comportamento na produção em quase todos os estados. Já a redução das exportações tem grande peso sobre o comportamento da produção avícola quando o foco da doença é na região exportadora ou próxima a ela. No estado de Santa Catarina, o choque de exportações prepondera sobre a queda do consumo doméstico quando do fechamento quase total dos mercados externos para carne de aves. Por último, o choque de oferta, via mortalidade das aves e destruição de ovos, pouco influencia a magnitude da queda na produção dos produtos da avicultura. / In the past few years, the bird flue virus H5N1 spread rapidly through various countries and continents, causing great economic and human losses. There is also the possibility of the disease arriving in Brazil, which would have a substantial impact on the country\'s economy, particularly on its poultry sector. The present study addresses the lack of estimates of the potential economic consequences of a bird flu outbreak on commercial poultry production in Brazil. The analysis consists of three simulations using a interregional general equilibrium model called TERM-BR. The first scenario focuses on an outbreak in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeastern part of the country. The second scenario simulates an outbreak at various places in the State of Sao Paulo, and the third scenario assesses the consequences of a bird flue outbreak in various states simultaneously, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. The results indicate greater economic impact when the outbreak occurs close to points of production and consumption, which is the case in the Southern and Southeastern regions of Brazil. In the South, where the poultry sector constitutes a larger share of the local economy, a potential avian flu outbreak will also have a greater negative economic impact. In the Northern and Northeastern region, live birds are generally purchased and slaughtered directly by individual families living in suburban and small town settings rather then by large scale processors and packinghouses. This characteristic explains why potential restrictions on these small purchases of live birds will have a very large negative economic impact on the poultry sector in the affected states. A possible reduction in poultry supply could however be offset by an increase in beef and pork consumption, thereby softening the economic affect of a bird flue outbreak by promoting growth of the beef and pork industry. In most states, this fall of domestic poultry demand is the primary cause for a shift in production. In contrast, the fall in export demand only weighs heavily on the local economy when the outbreak occurs close to exporting regions. In the state of Santa Catarina, for example, the effect of a fall in export demand dominates the effect of a fall in domestic demand, as export markets are almost completely shutdown. Finally, the reduction in poultry supply through death of infected birds and destruction of eggs, has little affect on the decrease of poultry production.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / The focus of the study was on the socio-economic impact of illegal Zimbabwean migration in South Africa and the measures taken by the South African government to deal with illegal migration. The study was qualitative in nature and concentrated on illegal Zimbabwean immigrants and government officials from the departments of Health and Social Development, Home Affairs and the South African Police Service as subjects. The area of study was Polokwane City under the Capricorn District. According to the research findings, the majority of Zimbabwean illegal immigrants chose to migrate illegally because they do not have passports to enable them to apply for visas, those who have visas cannot afford to pay the R2000 needed for a visa and also because South African due to the porous nature of South African borders, it is easier to migrate illegally than legally. Illegal immigrants have a serious impact on housing in terms of illegal squatting and the health sector. A positive impact has also been identified through the research findings in terms of cheap labour and on the formal and informal business sectors through the purchasing of goods and commodities for use and resale back in Zimbabwe.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / The study deals with the socio-economic impact of land restoration on the Masha Community. Members of Masha Community opted to relocate to their ancestral land, Kalkfontein, which they successfully reclaimed in the year 2000. The study interrogates if the restoration of land to the Community has made any positive impact on their social and economic well being. It focuses on the key challenges posed by land restoration to both the Community and the different spheres of government. It also deals with the challenges of leadership among the Masha Community which are threatening the attainment of developmental goals at Kalkfontion. The study concludes by making some concrete proposals and recommendations on how the State, the Community and various developmental agencies could resolve the problems faced by Communities such as the Masha after their land has been restored. / the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and the University of Limpopo.

This thesis involves construction of input-output models measuring the economic impact of a farming innovation organisation (The Birchip Cropping Group) on the Victorian regional economy of Buloke Shire. The input-output modeling undertaken is of two forms; the first being a simple naïve top-down model, and the second a more sophisticated hybrid model. The naïve top-down model is based on input-output coefficients drawn from the Australian national input-output tables, and is regarded as naïve because these input-output coefficients are not adjusted to take account of local economic factors. The hybrid model uses the same national input-output coefficients as a base, and then modifies these coefficients to better reflect industrial conditions in the Shire using a location quotients-adjustment technique, as well as using original survey data collected from entities operating in Buloke Shire. One of the aims of the thesis is to determine whether the simpler naïve top-down approach produces results consistent with the theoretically more accurate hybrid methodology, and thus whether the naïve top-down approach represents a reliable method of conducting regional economic impact analysis. That is, can such studies be undertaken accurately using a naïve top down approach, or is it necessary to adopt the more resource intensive methodology of a hybrid model. The results of the analysis suggest construction of a hybrid model is advisable, as generally the naïve top-down approach produces over-estimates of the economic effects of the Birchip Cropping Group. That is, it appears the economic impact multipliers estimated with the naïve top-down model are too large, suggesting the time and effort involved in constructing the hybrid model was worthwhile. Using the hybrid model, the conclusion is that the Birchip Cropping Group has a significant affect on the regional economy of Buloke Shire, with the economic impact being estimated at close to $600,000 in additional output, $61,000 in additional income, and 3.5 additional jobs per year.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore disruptions Swedish wind turbines onshore are exposed to, and to estimate their economic impacts on the operators. We want to investigate whether there is a need for a more developed service and maintenance market within the Swedish wind power market. This study focuses on wind power, a renewable energy source in an emerging market, which experiences exponential growth. Sweden is a minor actor in the wind power market with a production of around 2 TWh yearly. The government aims at a total production of 10TWh in 2015 and 20TWh in 2020, which equals an annual growth of 24%. However, we hypothesize that the Swedish wind power market is negatively affected by a service and maintenance market which is underdeveloped due to a lack of competition. This results in lengthy repair times and disproportionate costs for wind power operators. The study was carried out by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews and by sending out a survey to approximately 300 wind power operators. Six interviewees were wind power operators and one interviewee was a representative from an independent service supplier. We have also analysed the current cost situation of operators with theories about maintenance costs and we have also carried out an industry analysis on the service and maintenance market, which was based on Porter’s structural industry analysis. After conducting a structural analysis of the service and maintenance market, we can conclude a lack of competition today as there is a dominance of the wind turbine manufacturers as the service supplier. Furthermore we can see that this lack of competition has negative effects on the efficiency of the service and maintenance provided. The results also stress a need for a more developed service and maintenance market. We have found that the profitability for the Swedish wind power operators is challenged if the service and maintenance market is not keeping pace and meeting the demands of the rapidly growing Swedish wind power market as a whole.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to explore disruptions Swedish wind turbines onshore are exposed to, and to estimate their economic impacts on the operators. We want to investigate whether there is a need for a more developed service and maintenance market within the Swedish wind power market.</p><p>This study focuses on wind power, a renewable energy source in an emerging market, which experiences exponential growth. Sweden is a minor actor in the wind power market with a production of around 2 TWh yearly. The government aims at a total production of 10TWh in 2015 and 20TWh in 2020, which equals an annual growth of 24%. However, we hypothesize that the Swedish wind power market is negatively affected by a service and maintenance market which is underdeveloped due to a lack of competition. This results in lengthy repair times and disproportionate costs for wind power operators.</p><p>The study was carried out by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews and by sending out a survey to approximately 300 wind power operators. Six interviewees were wind power operators and one interviewee was a representative from an independent service supplier. We have also analysed the current cost situation of operators with theories about maintenance costs and we have also carried out an industry analysis on the service and maintenance market, which was based on Porter’s structural industry analysis.</p><p>After conducting a structural analysis of the service and maintenance market, we can conclude a lack of competition today as there is a dominance of the wind turbine manufacturers as the service supplier. Furthermore we can see that this lack of competition has negative effects on the efficiency of the service and maintenance provided. The results also stress a need for a more developed service and maintenance market. We have found that the profitability for the Swedish wind power operators is challenged if the service and maintenance market is not keeping pace and meeting the demands of the rapidly growing Swedish wind power market as a whole.</p>

In recent years, madrassahs and their education systems in many developing countries - and specifically in Pakistan - have attracted much attention from researchers and policymakers at the local and international level. The main focus has been on the reform of madrassahs, their political activism and, more specifically, studies which attempted to investigate their alleged links with militancy. Moreover, madrassah education has been questioned for its relevance to the contemporary needs of individuals and societies. However, despite focusing on many dimensions of madrassahs, few studies have tried to understand madrassah education within the economic, socio-religious and cultural context of Pakistan. A number of publications have reached generalised conclusions about the madrassah education system in Pakistan. Inspired by this, and by adopting qualitative research methods, this study focused on two main research questions:(a) Why do people prefer a madrassah education and what type of factors shape their preference? (b) What are the socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level? Researcher conducted a field study of more than six months in the Chach (Attock) region of Pakistan. Different students, parents, madrassah teachers and key informants were interviewed to collect required informations. The findings of the study revealed that different economic backgrounds, parental religious interests, individuals' personal religious interests, and social norms and cultural values shape preferences for a madrassah education. Moreover, this study also revealed that there exist various socio-economic impacts of a madrassah education on individuals and at community level. However, a madrassah education has often caused conflict in communities. The study shows that while a madrassah education creates barriers to achieving modern skills and incomes, its social benefits are valuable for those living within socio-cultural constraints in rural areas. Specifically, it enhances the social status and agency of women. The study also shows that madrassah education is an opportunity for those who otherwise would have no other option to study. This study concludes that there is a need to re-think madrassah education within the economic, social, cultural and religious context of Pakistan. This study has practical implications for practitioners, madrassahs and researchers, and it also suggests further research related to madrassah education.

SUMMARY Key words: sporting event, economic impact and evaluation methods. The object of the work: sporting event’s economic impact’s evaluation methods analysis. Problem (research) question: Is cost – benefit analysis more effective than economic impact analysis evaluating event’s economic impact? Research hypothesis: cost – benefit analysis is more effective than economic impact analysis evaluating event’s economic impact. The purpose of the work: To evaluate sporting event’s economic impact by accomplishing sporting event’s economic impact’s evaluation methods analysis. Tasks of the work: a. To analyze the theoretical aspects of the sporting event’s economic impact’s evaluation. b. To educe sporting event’s economic impact’s evaluation methods. c. To define factors influencing the sporting event’s input and benefit. d. To substantiate sporting event’s economic impact’s evaluation methodology analyzing the European junior track-and-field athletics championship. Conclusions: 1. Sporting event’s economic impact is evaluated by its benefit. According to scientific literature there can be tangible (in terms of money) and intangible benefit. The tangible benefit of sporting event’s economic impact is evaluated using mathematical methods. Intangible benefit isn’t included as denominate in terms of money. 2. There are various economic impact evaluation methods presented in scientific literature. The economic impact analysis methods or cost – benefit analysis is mostly used for... [to full text]

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