Orientador: Simone Silva de Deos / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T00:30:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dorley_BoakaiMurphy_M.pdf: 2078275 bytes, checksum: 9e62e72389ce4b168088d4c4a068aa77 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Microfinanças constituem a prestação de uma vasta gama de serviços financeiros que incluem depósitos, empréstimos, poupanças, transferências de dinheiro e seguro para as famílias pobres e de baixa renda e seus microempreendimentos. No paradigma do desenvolvimento, as microfinanças têm se mostrado cada vez mais necessárias ¿ estratégia utilizada para atender aos grupos negligenciados da sociedade, especialmente mulheres, pessoas de baixa renda, comunidades rurais e a população carente. O objetivo dessa pesquisa é contribuir para a compreensão do impacto das microfinanças no alívio da pobreza em Montserrado County, usando o Access Bank Liberia Limited para o estudo de caso. Essa pesquisa cobriu o período de 2009 a 2012. Os resultados indicaram que as microfinanças tiveram um impacto positivo no alívio da pobreza dos destituídos de Montserrado County, particularmente liberianos sem acesso às instituições financeiras formais. Os resultados revelaram que as microoperações financeiras do Access Bank Liberia tiveram um impacto positivo na criação de empregos, renda dos clientes e poupanças. Além disso, as evidências sugerem que o acesso à assistência financeira como o crédito para pessoas de baixa renda é capaz de estimular a geração de microempreendimentos que permitem a essa parcela da população sair da armadilha da pobreza. Portanto, microfinanças são uma das mais eficientes intervenções para melhorar as condições econômicas dos destituídos, além de ser um instrumento de proteção social, principalmente para mulheres / Abstract: Microfinance is the delivery of a broad range of financial services which includes deposits, loans, payment services, savings, money transfer, and insurance to the poor and low-income households and their micro-enterprises. In the development paradigm, microfinance has evolved as a need ¿based strategy and program to cater to the neglected groups of society particularly women, poor, rural, deprived population. The objective of this research is to contribute to the understanding of the Microfinance impact on poverty alleviation in Montserrado County, using Access Bank Liberia Limited as a case study. This research covered the period 2009-2012. The researcher¿s findings indicated that microfinance has a positive impact on poverty alleviation on the destitute poor of Montserrado County, particularly Liberian who lacks access to formal financial institutions. The findings revealed that Access Bank Liberia microfinance operations have a positive impact on job creation, clients¿ income and savings. Moreover, the evidence suggests that if the poor or low income earners are provided access to financial assistance, such as credit, they are capable to start a micro-enterprise that will allow them to break out of the poverty trap. Therefore, microfinance has become one of the most effective interventions for economic empowerment tool for the destitute poor as well as social protection mainly for women / Mestrado / Economia Social e do Trabalho / Mestre em Desenvolvimento Econômico

The purpose of this study is to analyse Gweru City Council`s spending pattern and behaviour and to determine if this spending pattern is directed towards poverty reduction and economic development or not. Furthermore, to fit a log-differenced regression model to a historical financial dataset obtained from Gweru City Council Finance Department for the time period July 2009 to September 2012. Regression techniques were used to determine how Gweru City Council`s total income (dependent variable) is affected by its expenditure (independent variables). Econometric modeling techniques were employed for the evaluation of estimate tests, conducted to determine the reliability of the estimated model. The study concludes by providing some recommendations for possible financial plans which could be adopted by Gweru City Council and other local authorities in Zimbabwe for the well-being of Zimbabweans and economic development.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The high unemployment and poverty rate in post-apartheid South Africa has necessitated the need to identify policies and programmes to provide economic and employment opportunities. This included a review of the practice of local economic development (LED), guided by the recognition that local government had a developmental role to play. Local government exercises a role in promoting LED initiatives such as enterprise development, locality development, community development and governance. The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) states that more than 1 billion people benefit from co-operative enterprises, that co-operative enterprises are found in all sectors of the economy, and that co-operatives provide employment to more than 100 million people. By co-operating, people are able to gain economic and social advantages, such as employment, support for their businesses and access to social programmes being offered. In South Africa, co-operatives were identified as a vehicle through which economically active people could be absorbed into the economic mainstream. The idea in getting groups of people to work together is seen as an opportunity to fast-track development. Co-operatives have the potential to promote and support local economic development. Government has created an environment conducive for co-operatives through its policies and programmes. Much of the literature focuses on the failure of co-operatives in South Africa. This research, while acknowledging the many difficulties/challenges confronting co-operatives, investigates three relatively successful co-operatives in the City of Tshwane. In doing so, this research highlights the processes that make these co-operatives successful, and assesses what lessons, if any, these might hold for other co-operatives in South Africa. The research investigated the reasons behind their success and this information was used to analyse how co-operatives might contribute to LED. The key objectives of the study was to assess the economic and social impact of co-operatives on the livelihoods of the members, evaluate the economic impact of these co-operatives on LED in CoT, and formulate a set of recommendations that could be used to guide the implementation of the National Co-operative Strategy and provide lessons for other co-operatives.

The organisation of this thesis is thematic, in order to disentangle the complexity and significance of the poor laws in a local area. It is a local study of poverty and the operation of the poor laws. The aim of this detailed survey is to consider the role of poor law administration in Surrey within the national context, and by examining the operation of the poor law at the parish level, to understand the experiences of real people, both ratepayer and the poor. The thesis also considers whether the old poor law was fundamentally defective or whether it can be viewed as a valid response to increasing poverty. It stresses, the relationship between the central and local authorities and the administration of poor relief in rural Surrey outside the Metropolitan area and the hundred of Brixton, Wallington and Kingston for the period 1815–1834 (see Map 1.0). It recognises that before 1834, variety rather than uniformity characterised the administration of poor relief in England and Wales. It also argues, that power and authority, within the English state was the product of negotiation between the centre and the localities. Chapter One deals with the historiography of the old poor law and chapter Two considers the decline of rural industry in Surrey, coupled with continuing economic problems in agriculture and falling demand for labour, which had a devastating effect in rural parishes. Chapter Three details the administrative system of poor relief during a period that saw costs of relief rise, while Chapter Four examines the operation of the relief system at parish level outside the workhouse. Chapter Five examines the provision of indoor relief in Surrey, and Chapter Six considers the position of the ratepayers and their ability and willingness to pay increased poor rates, at a time of agricultural depression combined with rising unemployment. Chapter Seven considers the position of the labourer, when endemic poverty meant that a labourer’s ability to provide for his family without asking the parish for assistance was more a matter of luck than personal industry. Seasonal unemployment exacerbated the situation, forcing farm workers on to the parish for assistance, especially in winter months. Chapter Eight considers the unrest of 1830–32, the so-called Swing Riots. Many studies of poor law only make fleeting reference to the riots. This study sees the disturbances as an integral part of the work and includes a detailed investigation into the riots within the social and cultural context. In Surrey, as in other parts of rural southern England, they took place against the background of the progressive pauperisation of labourers, when parishes were finding it more difficult to provide relief for the growing numbers of unemployed, able-bodied agricultural labourers. Labourers saw the riots as a rising against unemployment and the abuses of the poor law system that seemed unable to provide sufficient relief for their needs. The thesis ends by examining the reaction of the parishes immediately after the riots before the introduction of the 1834 poor law, when attempts were made at parish level to alleviate the situation and to stop further unrest.

According to comparable statistics, South Africa has one of the highest per capita prison populations in the world. Improvement of the capacity of the Department of Correctional Services to provide prisoners with effective development opportunities is identified as a key objective. This implicate that development needs of prisoners, governmental directives on development as well as the availability of resources must be the guiding principles. Policy-makers in South Africa during the apartheid years associated themselves with the values and norms of the Western world, resulting in the prison system to predominantly operate from a First World perspective. Realities of the so-called “Third World”, from which the majority of the prisoners originated, were seemingly ignored. Indications are that theoretical models for the development of South African prisoners were repeatedly based on a Euro-centric approach that proved itself ineffective to offer need based development opportunities, or to be applied within the realities of available resources. It appears that the real obstacle that prevented the availing of applicable development opportunities to the broad prison population was not insufficient resources, but the lack of an applicable paradigm for the planning and rendering of such programmes. It should be recognized that the development programmes (mostly based on a therapeutic approach) had generally failed to address the need directed development of South African prisoners, and that a radical re-direction towards a paradigm that can generate need based and accessible development opportunities for the broad prisoners population, mostly from poverty stricken circumstances, is indicated. Poverty is seen as the single greatest burden of South Africa's people and is believed to be a precursor to becoming a criminal. It also seems that the majority of South African prisoners are from previously disadvantaged population groups, where poverty was a daily reality. Contributing to poverty alleviation by creating opportunities for the empowerment of those prisoners who are not able to provide independently in their own basic needs, and to provide them with opportunities to compensate for inadequate development opportunities due to poverty or other aggravating circumstances, are some of the challenges that face the Department of Correctional Services. Community development offers applicable parameters to meet the development needs of South African prisoners, in line with governmental directives and international trends in development. It can contribute to the government's aim to eradicate poverty and inequality by generating opportunities for the actualisation of the potential of prisoners and also include them as participants in their own development. Programme delivery can be re-directed from a therapeutic (Eurocentric) to a developmental approach to provide development opportunities applicable to the specific needs of the prisoners. As community development is not the domain of a single profession both professional and custodial personnel can become development facilitators. The task of the psychosocial personnel needs to be expanded beyond the therapeutic model to a social development model to be able to facilitate the development of the broad prison population within the realities of available resources. The acceptance of community development as model for the development of South African prisoners will position the Department of Correctional Services in line with government's directives on development. It will promote cost effective service delivery as simple solutions can be put into practice at low cost rather than expensive and sophisticated ideas. Equity will be promoted, as development programmes according to the community development model will focus on poverty alleviation elimination of inequality. Ultimately it can be expected that the development of the inherent potential of South African prisoners will contribute to combat crime, and to the reconstruction of the Country. / Prof. Hennie Swanepoel

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In this thesis the author undertook a poverty and policy analysis. It is argued that it is important to understand the nature, magnitude and context of poverty before one can undertake an informed policy prescription. Existing theories of poverty, welfare regimes and social policies offer a lot of useful lessons for policy, but have limitations in offering a single model for Rwanda. The thesis demonstrated that, not only is Rwandan poverty multifaceted and deep, but it is characterized by a poverty conflict trap that can be traced back to the entire post colonial period. The author argued however that the current policy is not only inefficient in targeting poverty, but it may be unable to meet the challenges of growth, redistribution and conflict mitigation. The thesis, after further analyzing policy options, puts forward a package that is needed to reduce poverty in Rwanda in the long term and to break the poverty conflict trap. The prescribed package is put forward as a comprehensive and institutionalized social policy, which Rwanda so far does not have. / South Africa

Magister Legum - LLM / Sub-Saharan Africa is a region where extreme poverty is prevalent in spite of the regions apparent commitment to the philosophy of human rights, in that all fifty-three countries in the region ratified the African Charter in addition to several international human rights instruments ratified by countries in the region. This state of affairs is traceable to the lack of or ineffective enforcement mechanism of the human rights obligations of countries in the region. Too much attention had been given to post facto intervention of human rights in form of judicial enforcement of these rights to the neglect of other effective methods of enforcement which can be employed in addition to curial enforcement of the rights for a more effective result. This neglect and the ensuing increase in poverty level prompted this research which was aimed at identifying additional methods of pro-active rights enforcement mechanism and the roles of human rights lawyers in their utilisation to reduce poverty in the region. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This study explores the informal saving institutions, with a particular focus on the Kobuakisa Carte practice, which is an informal financial institution that mobilizes savings for poverty reduction among low-income people in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The research investigates the extent to which the Kobuakisa Carte serves the purpose of mobilizing savings for poverty alleviation. It is hypothesized that Kobuakisa Carte influences informal savings, enables the poor to satisfy their basic material needs, reduces poverty and consequently leads to individual empowerment and development. This study integrated the case study methodology in its research design. It applied both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative research data comprised document analysis, interviews with Kobuakisa Carte’s clients and officers. In addition, a questionnaire was utilized to gather quantitative research information from 50 informal traders. The findings of the study reveals that Kobuakisa Carte has not have a positive impact towards poverty reduction. Informal savings were incapable of helping the poor to increase their income because they were small in amount and were mainly used for fulfilling basic needs rather than financing income-generating activities. Savings from Kobuakisa Carte were used for survival rather than for poverty reduction. The majority of the poor favor Kobuakisa Carte due to its flexibility and adaptation to local culture and values. The study finds that the most positive impact of the scheme on the welfare of the poor was in the areas of education, health, food and housing. The scheme has the potential to empower the poor and to develop local finance system in following bottom up approach. This study recommends the partial integration of Kobuakisa Carte into formal financing channels and should be given proper recognition and adequate consideration in the nation’s financial system. The study concludes that Kobuakisa Carte is an active and dynamic saving scheme. It has demonstrated the potential to alleviate poverty. It needs to be studied and requires support in order to make it more effective.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis examines livelihoods in the wake of agricultural commercialization under the Revitalization of Smallholder Irrigation Schemes (RESIS) Programme and similar revitalization initiatives within the Olifants River Basin in Limpopo Province. The focus is on contractual joint ventures and strategic partnerships implemented within selected smallholder irrigation schemes. The thesis is based primarily on in-depth empirical studies conducted between October 2003 and March 2009 in three sites located in two Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP) poverty nodes namely, Greater Sekhukhune and Vhembe Districts. To a lesser extent, the thesis draws on findings from rapid appraisals of five additional study sites in Greater Sekhukhune District. Research findings showed that the performance of joint ventures and strategic partnerships had so far largely fallen short of expectations. With the exception of a minority of small holders involved in RESIS-Recharge strategic partnerships, the promise of higher incomes and improved livelihoods had often remained elusive, while debts and potential losses of often meagre household assets loomed large, threatening to erode existing livelihoods and undermine government interventions. This was mainly because ‘viability’ in both the RESIS and RESIS-Recharge phases was narrowly seen in economic and technical terms, such that reduction of transaction costs often entailed the divesting of responsibilities to address issues of rural poverty and inequality. Subsistence production had largely given way to commercially-orientated farming, and weak monitoring of contract formulation and implementation meant that voices of marginalized poor and vulnerable people, particularly women and the elderly, were not being heard. Research findings further revealed that while RESIS-Recharge strategic partnerships increased incomes for a minority of smallholders, such arrangements did not meaningfully improve the productive, managerial and marketing skills of smallholders to ensure their effective participation in agriculture. Rather, strategic partnerships were creating a small class of black ‘arm-chair’ farmers, who played little or no active role and obtained few or no skills in commercial farming but perpetually depended upon and drew incomes from agribusiness initiatives run by externally-based agents. Adjunct to questions of sustainability for these farmers’ ability to participate in commercial farming, the thesis raises the question: What is the rationale for joint ventures and strategic partnerships in the context of South Africa’s Agricultural Sector Strategy objectives for support to black farmers? Contracts lacked mechanisms for equitable distribution of costs and benefits between contracted private partners and targeted smallholders, on the one hand, and the rest of members of local communities, on the other hand. Contracts also lacked provisions for post project recapitalization of infrastructure and rehabilitation of degraded land. This raised questions about the longer term sustainability of productivity, natural resource base and livelihood security in smallholder irrigation schemes. The conclusion of this thesis is that the challenge of reducing rural poverty and inequality in smallholder irrigation schemes might not be resolved through existing institutional approaches to agricultural commercialization.

The dawn of democracy in 1994 brought hope to South Africans particularly those who had been previously disadvantaged as a result of apartheid policies. This new hope was premised on a vision of creating a people-centred society and a better life for all expressed in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) whose goals were to eliminate poverty and inequalities of the decades of apartheid. In order to meet this vision the RDP made explicit reference to building the capacity of civil society through extensive development of human resource. It provided a central role for nonprofit organizations. A vibrant and diverse civil society is important in consolidating and sustaining democracy as well as in holding government accountable. Since 1994 government has involved civil society in various stages of policy development aimed at alleviating poverty. This study therefore evaluates the extent to which programmes implemented by civil society, particularly in partnership with Social Development, are participative, empowering, effective and sustainable. This research indicates that civil society, have succeeded in mobilizing communities to take charge of their own development. This has been achieved through activities like needs and beneficiary identification, project implementation and fund raising. Despite this success the study shows that civil society experience challenges in ensuring that their programmes are effective and sustainable. These challenges include limited funding, lack of various skills including management skills, organizational skills, resource mobilization and accountability. The study contends that civil society has a critical role in implementing poverty alleviation programmes and in occupying space between the state and the community. In order to ensure long lasting impact of programmes, there is a great need for strengthening the organizational, management and administrative capacity of civil society. It is generally accepted that local organization capacity is recognized as key for development effectiveness and empowerment of the poor. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted