With the emegence of an empire, many of the devices and instruments adopted for the governance of England, were extended beyond the seas to the colonies. One such device was royal commissions of inquiry. Royal commissions, the origins of which in England have been traced as far back as the time of the Norman Conquest, were utilised by the administration in England from time to time to investigate particular problems in colonies, and suggest ways and means of solving them. In the first empire, the American settlements received bodies of somewhat similiar nature on some occasions, but their true value was displayed only when the second empire was being founded. During the turbulent years of the French and Napoleonic wars the empire was continuously extended, but only after peace was established did it become possible for the ministers in England to take stock of the empire which had been acquired. What were the purposes of the empire, what were the nature and the conditions of the colonies conquered, in what manner should this new empire of a diverse and amorphous character be governed, were some of the numerous questions which faced them through the following years. These clearly emphasised above all the need to obtain information about the colonies. The information provided by their Governors did not prove to be adequate, and there was no possibility of officials at home acquiring the much needed information. To resolve the problem, they fell back upon the age old method: royal commissions of inquiry.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This research study presents a community assessment to explore and construct an overview of the scope and nature of support organisations currently active in the marginalised community of Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. Support organisations play a pivotal role in the global attempt to eradicate poverty by assisting and empowering people to achieve sustained independence and dignified prosperity. In order for support efforts to be properly utilised, people have to be aware that these efforts exist. Residents need to know what services are available and where to find the services. In addition, support organisations providing the services need to be aware of other organisations that could complement their efforts to ensure optimal service delivery. To date, no reliable informative summary of support organisations involved in Kayamandi exists. Therefore the research objective for this study was two-fold: to ascertain which support organisations are currently available in the suburb of Kayamandi and to construct a typology of these organisations in terms of types of services rendered and recipients targeted. A combination of Bronfenbrenner‟s bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) and organisational theory (Jones, 2010) provided the framework within which support organisations could be qualitatively investigated, contextualised and analysed. To collect rich and relevant data, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants representing 19 support organisations in Kayamandi. The data were analysed by means of a thematic content analysis, using the ATLAS.ti computer software package. Findings revealed various aspects regarding support organisations, the services they deliver, the recipients they serve, the staff and volunteers delivering the services, the funding support as well as the links of cooperation that exist. The themes that emerged during the interviews include insights regarding self-evaluation, sustainability, benefits, constraints, the role of religion as well as values pertaining to service. The findings provide comprehensive and valuable insights which can inform existing as well as new support organisations alike. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie navorsing behels ‟n gemeenskapsassesering wat uitgevoer is om ‟n oorsig op te stel aangaande die omvang en aard van ondersteuningsorganisasies wat tans in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch werksaam is. Ondersteuningsorganisasies speel ‟n belangrike rol in die wereldwye poging om armoede uit te wis en om mense te bemagtig ten opsigte van onafhanklike en volhoubare voorspoed. Om voldoende gebruik te kan maak van ondersteuningsdienste moet mense van die dienste bewus wees. Inwoners moet weet watter dienste beskibaar is en waar om hulle te vind. Daarbenewens moet ondersteuningsorganisasies wat die dienste lewer ook bewus wees van ander organisasies wat hulle dienste kan aanvul om sodoende optimale dienslewering aan die lede van die gemeenskap te bied. Tans bestaan daar geen samevatting oor die ondersteuningsorganisasies in Kayamandi nie. Die navorsingsvraag in hierdie ondersoek was tweeledig: om vas te stel watter ondersteuningsorganisasies tans beskikbaar is in Kayamandi en om ‟n tipologie op te stel van die tipe dienste wat hulle lewer en die ontvangers van die dienste. Die navorsing is in ‟n kombinasie van die bio-ekologiese teorie van Bronfenbrenner (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) en ‟n organisasieteorie (Jones, 2010) veranker, om sodoende die organisasies in die konteks van hulle omgewing te kan ondersoek en ontleed. Altesaam 19 semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer met sleutelinformante wat 19 ondersteuningsorganisasies in Kayamandi verteenwoordig het om sodoende relevante data in te samel. Die data is deur middel van ‟n tematiese inhoudsontleding ontleed met behulp van die Atlas.ti-rekenaarprogram. Die bevindinge het verskillende aspekte in verband met ondersteuningsorganisasies uitgelig, naamlik die dienste wat hulle lewer, die ontvangers van die dienste, die personeel en vrywilligers wat die dienste lewer, die befondsing en die mate van samewerking tussen organisasies. Die temas wat geïdentifiseer is sluit self-evaluasie, volhoubaarheid, die voordele en beperkinge, die rol van godsdiens sowel as die waardes wat aan dienslewering geheg word in. Die bevindinge voorsien omvattende insigte wat bestaande en nuwe ondersteuningsdienste, kan toelig.

Whilst studies on capital punishment in Japan have been conducted by various scholars from various perspectives, empirical research on the de facto moratorium period is largely unavailable. This thesis aims to investigate how consistently the Japanese government justified capital punishment during the execution-free period from 1989 to 1993. Its primary goal is to throw light on the elite-driven nature of the capital punishment system where important decisions are made within the closed institutional dynamic, often irrespective of domestic or international factors. It will also highlight that capital punishment policy has been dealt with by the Japanese government as an issue of law and order, which does not necessarily invite criticism from human rights perspectives. The thesis then proceeds to empirically examine the governmental discourse on capital punishment from 1980 to 2002. It will contend that investigations from an appropriate approach can make clear the elite-driven nature of capital punishment policy in Japan. Finally, it will suggest implications for the international and domestic anti-death-penalty advocates regarding their campaigns over Japan, and reflect on how this thesis can help tackle future research.

The thesis examines Canadian and Japanese human security assemblages. It aims to delve below stereotypical imageries 'representing' these human security articulations. The concept of 'human security' is not a starting point, but a result of elements, processes, structures and mechanisms which need to be investigated in order to reveal insights about a given articulation of human security. Each human security assemblage is composed of messy discourses and practices which are loosely related and sometimes even disconnected. Academics have frequently avoided studying the messiness of political discourses and practices and their mutual dependencies or their lack thereof. By contrast, this thesis ascertains what has lain beneath Canadian and Japanese spatio-temporal articulation of human security and establishes the kinds of structural terrain which have enabled, shaped, or blocked the unfolding of certain versions of human security. The pivotal contention of the thesis is that Canadian and Japanese articulations of human security have been different because they have grown from completely different domestic economies of power governing the relationship between the state apparatus and the non-profit and voluntary sector. While the Canadian human security assemblage has been shaped by transformations in the country's advanced liberal model of government, the Japanese has been shaped by the continuities of Japan's bureaucratic authoritarianism. A novel approach is employed for the related process-tracing: a general series linking structural conditions with actual articulations of the human security projects, and their further development, including analysis of their unintended consequences.

Save the Children Fund (SCF) was at its foundation in 1919 a value-driven organization. The values, or guiding principles, of the founding generation are the lens through which I look at the history of SCF, and the associated histories of war and peace, human rights and NGO-state relations. These guiding principles are identified as universalism, utilitarianism and optimistic pacificism. They can be understood as a paradigm to which the social community which made up the founding generation of SCF gave their assent. The first chapter locates the founding generation within the political culture of the anti-war movement. Succeeding chapters detail the metamorphosis of SCIF from a'contentious social movement into a respectable national organization. As soon as the organization adopted a national rather than a universal orientation, the coordinates of all its guiding principles shifted. In particular the optimistic pacificism of the founding generation was replaced by pessimistic defencism. It was not until after the Cold War that SCIF began to realign itself with its original guiding principles. The three guiding principles are found to be of continuing relevance. Universalism has been reasserted as a positive creed leading SCF to seize political opportunities to reach out to children from all sides. The organization has adopted a utilitarian perspective that affirms the dynamic role of young people in generating their own futures. Lastly, the primacy attached to peace by war-affected people has underlined SCFs urgent mission to uphold an optimistic belief in the possibility of peace.

The Best PhD Dissertation Award of the Hong Kong Political Science Association (2004-05) / published_or_final_version / abstract / Politics and Public Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The author performed action research over the two years between March 2006 and February 2008 with the Instituto Dois Irmãos (i2i), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in a low-income area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil consisting of a group of approximately 3-5 locals and 2-30 foreigners at any one time that in March 2006 offered few services and lacked the expertise or confidence to offer more. Together, participants and the author improved and increased the NGO’s services and implemented a reading room – a place of information and literacy – for Portuguese-speaking students of English. This dissertation describes participants’, the organization’s, and the author’s journey to transform the i2i into a better functioning organization and to create the NGO’s reading room. The analysis focuses on the practical learning that took place within the i2i. Throughout the research process, the author both made use of and questioned the concepts of participation and development. In the text, she also draws on the experiences of the i2i’s leaders and volunteers to question the prevailing notion of information as a social good. A critical understanding of these three notions is essential for the work of librarians, development professionals, and policymakers alike. / text