Many billions of dollars each year are spent in pursuit of economic and social development goals. The field of program evaluation aims to measure the efficacy of these programs and allocate funds to achieve optimal results. However, current research on program design and evaluation tends to focus on determining causality through complex statistical methods, neglecting intermediate measures of data, such as network metrics. Similarly, research in computational social science has focused on generating hypotheses and validating theory rather than economic development applications. This thesis develops a novel technique for using computational social science to design and evaluate social and economic programs. A framework for program design and evaluation using network metrics is presented, along with two case studies that illustrate the use of this technique. In the first, we consider Start-Up Chile, an economic development program whose goal is to foster networks between Chileans and international entrepreneurs, using network metrics to evaluate its ability to facilitate connection between Chilean and non- Chilean entrepreneurs. Second, an agent-based model for designing entrepreneurial incubators is developed, with novel conclusions for more efficient design of economic development programs.

A crise financeira mundial de 2008 associada a fatores intrínsecos adversos afetou fortemente o setor sucroalcooleiro nacional, até então em franca expansão. Ainda que em um momento desfavorável, prevê-se, para um futuro próximo, a retomada dos investimentos no setor, em virtude do aumento da demanda, tanto interna quanto externa, de açúcar e etanol. Nesse contexto, o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar o valor da opção de adiamento, através da análise de opções reais, em projetos de produção de cana-de-açúcar em regiões de grande aptidão à expansão da cultura canavieira: Goiatuba/GO, Maracaju/MS e Uberaba/MG. Os resultados indicam que, sob a ótica da avaliação tradicional de projetos, os três projetos de produção de cana-de-açúcar mostram-se inviáveis, com VPLs de -R$ 4.726.546,86 em Goiatuba/GO, -R$ 3.251.006,50 em Maracaju/MS, enquanto em Uberaba/MG o resultado foi negativo em R$ 3.918.210,03. Através de uma análise de sensibilidade, detecta-se que, para as três regiões, as principais variáveis sujeitas a risco, consideradas no estudo, a afetar o resultado dos projetos são: produtividade, quantidade de ATR e preço de ATR. Essas variáveis são utilizadas para, através da Simulação de Monte Carlo, auferir os desvios-padrão dos retornos dos VPLs de cada projeto, a partir dos quais são calculados os parâmetros para construção de modelo binomial utilizado para valorar a opção de adiamento. Os valores apurados da opção de adiamento para cada região são de R$ 12.774.411,36 para Goiatuba/GO, R$ 2.514.292,71 para Maracaju/MS e R$ 76.086,52 para Uberaba/MG. Quando somados os valores da opção para cada região aos seus respectivos VPLs são apurados os VPLs expandidos: R$ 8.047.864,50 para Goiatuba/GO, R$ -736.713,79 para Maracaju/MS e R$ -3.842.123,50 em Uberaba/MG. Ademais, são definidos os pontos de inflexão das variáveis sujeitas a risco consideradas no trabalho para critério de rejeição dos projetos, tanto na avaliação tradicional de projetos quanto na avaliação a partir das opções reais. Os resultados indicam que a análise de opções reais como critério para rejeição de projetos tende a ser mais maleável em relação às variáveis sujeitas a risco quando comparada à avaliação tradicional de projetos, admitindo menores valores de produtividade, quantidade de ATR e preço do ATR, bem como suportando maiores preços de terra e de custos com corte, carregamento e transporte (CCT) de cana. Não obstante, os VPLs expandidos apontam que o projeto de Goiatuba/GO não deve ser rejeitado, mantendo-se como uma opção de investimento futuro; quanto a Maracaju/MS, a consideração da opção de adiamento na avaliação de projetos não foi suficiente, por si só, para reverter o resultado negativo do VPL tradicional; contudo, pequenos incrementos em variáveis de risco intrínsecas à atividade poderiam tornar o VPL expandido superior a zero, viabilizando o projeto como opção futura de investimento. No caso de Uberaba/MG, o baixo valor da opção de adiamento associado ao já deprimido VPL tradicional leva à rejeição do projeto como opção de investimento futuro. / The global financial crisis in 2008 associated to adverse intrinsic aspects affected significantly the sugarcane sector in Brazil, which was expanding notably until that time. Even though it is in an unfavorable moment, it is forecasted, in a near future, the rebound of investments in the sector, due to the increase of both domestic and international demands for sugar and ethanol. In this scenario, the objective of this study is to evaluate the value of the deferred option, through the analysis of real options, in projects of sugarcane production in regions that have great ability to expand the sugarcane production in Brazil: Goiatuba (Goiás), Maracaju (Mato Grosso do Sul) and Uberaba (Minas Gerais). The results indicate that, regarding the perspective of the traditional evaluation of projects, the three projects of sugarcane production are not viable, with NPVs of -4,726,546.86 reais (Brazilian currency) in Goiatuba (Goiás State), -3,251,006.50 reais in Maracaju (Mato Grosso do Sul State) and - 3,918,210.03 reais in Uberaba (Minas Gerais State). Through a sensitivity analysis, it was discovered that, for the three regions, the major variables subject to risk considered in the study that can affect the results of the projects are: productivity, quantity of TRS (Total Recoverable Sugar) and TRS price. These variables are used to, through the Monte Carlo Simulation, detect the standard deviations of the NPVs\' returns of each project, from which the parameters to construct a binomial model used to value the deferred option are calculated. The values for the deferral option in each region are 12,774,411.36 reais in Goiatuba, 2,514,292.71 reais in Maracaju and 76,086.52 reais in Uberaba. When the option values in each region are added to their respective NPVs, the result is the expanded NPVs: 8,047,864.50 reais in Goiatuba, 736,713.79 reais in Maracaju and -3,842,123.50 reais in Uberaba. Moreover, the inflection points of variables subject to risk considered in the study are defined for both the traditional projects\' evaluation and the evaluation from real options. The results indicate that the analysis of real options as a standard to reject projects tends to be more flexible regarding variables subject to risk when compared to the traditional evaluation of projects, admitting lower values of productivity, TRS amount and TRS price, and accepting higher land prices and costs with cutting, loading and transportation of sugarcane. Nevertheless, expanded NPVs indicate that the project in Goiatuba must not be rejected, continuing as an option of future investment; as for Maracaju, considering the deferred option in the project\'s evaluation was not enough, on its own, to revert the negative result of the traditional NPV; however, slight increases in risk variables intrinsic to the activity could make the expanded NPV higher than zero, enabling the project as a future investment option. Concerning Uberaba, the low value of the deferred option associated to the already reduced traditional NPV takes to the rejection of the project as a future investment option.

This study identifies intra- and inter-organisational barriers to commercialisation 0f rural weavers in KwaZulu-Natal and evaluate the role of local networks in procurement, processing and marketing activities in order to reduce transaction costs. The study specifically investigates the way local networks a san alternative organisational mode can become a solution to minimise transaction costs of rural weavers. The expectation is that weaving groups incur less transaction costs during commercialisation when they have well established local networks. This follows as transaction costs give a reflection of the market given the operating environment. The access to market information, assets, extension services and remunerative markets is of commercial importance. An exploratory analysis suggests that existing networks in craft businesses in northern KwaZulu-Natal have an impact in reducing some of the transaction costs of weavers, thereby improving weavers' economic performance and commercialisation process. Local networks have therefore shown to be not only a pre-condition for non-local networks, but an important vehicle for information exchange, co-ordination of fragmented activities, conducting training services, and guarding against market failures for weavers. However, the two fundamental questions to be asked for future research are how to create local networks to improve supply chain functions in similar or different socio-economic settings to this study's cases and how to assure the sustainability of networks. / Dissertation (Magister Institutionis Agrariae)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Esta pesquisa tem como objeto de estudo a expressão projeto social. A investigação partiu da identificação, delimitação e análise de imagens, pensamentos, sentidos e significações do termo, manifestados por agentes sociais envolvidos em sua prática. Estes agentes constituíram-se em sujeitos da investigação, tendo sido organizados em grupos segundo os papéis exercidos no campo prático-institucional dos projetos sociais. São eles: beneficiários, técnicos e decisores de investimentos. Utilizando-se do método ALCESTE (análise dos lexemas co-ocorrentes num conjunto de segmentos de texto) para análise das falas e do desempenho dos Grupos Operativos, no que se refere à dinâmica das interações entre os participantes em tarefa de investigação, julgamos ter identificado thematas comuns aos diferentes grupos. Estes thematas, representados pelos termos: cuidar e felicidade, emergiram como imagens e atravessaram todos os grupos, associando projeto social a noções de prover que orientam condutas de pessoas e/ou instituições para autosatisfação e/ou bem comum. Tais ideias subjazem em configurações vinculares, subjetivas e objetivas, polarizadas e hierarquizadas entre provedores e desprovidos, fortes e frágeis, habilitados e desabilitados, empreendedores e dependentes, as quais condicionam posições de incluídos ou aspirantes à inclusão social. Em função do pertencimento dos participantes da pesquisa a diferentes coletivos sociais, as sociedades são vistas como comunidades em que se vive ou como conexões entre localidades e planeta sob uma ótica geopolítica globalizada de enfoque econômico. Com base no desenvolvimento da pesquisa e da análise das representações sociais do objeto projeto social sob a inspiração da teoria crítica de Adorno, aponta-se para abertura de uma reflexão crítica. Do conjunto das representações depreendem-se dois aspectos a serem dialetizados: (1) o lado conhecido construções racionais de planos de intervenções sobre necessidades/problemas sociais, visando soluções ou transformações em direção a realidades desejadas e (2) o lado obscuro núcleos de interações sociais dinamizados por projetos nos quais se entrevê três âmbitos imbricados: o psicossocial, estruturado por relações entre desiguais e de forma hierarquizada; o epistemológico, em que vigoram formas de pensamento naturalizado e cisões entre pensamento concreto e abstrato; e o político, circunscrito ao jogo de forças que podem viabilizar, dificultar, reduzir ou inviabilizar projetos. Na semântica subjacente denota-se ausência de conotações referentes à Justiça Social nas dimensões psicossocial, epistemológica e política, o que causa perplexidade. Isso porque a ideia de Justiça poderia e deveria fundamentar construções racionais e condutas direcionadas à realização dos Direitos Humanos como paradigmas para imaginar realidades ideais, orientadoras da ação nos projetos investigados. / This research aims to study the expression social project. The investigation originated in the identification, delimitation and analysis of images, thoughts, feelings and meanings of this term, as they were expressed by social agents directly involved in such practice. These agents were the subjects in our investigation and were organized in groups according to their roles in the institutional and practical realm of social projects, namely: beneficiaries, technicians and investment decision-makers. Using the ALCESTE method (lexical analysis of co-occurring words within a setting of text segments) for analyzing speeches and the performance of Operative Groups in so far as the dynamics of interactions between participants was concerned, we consider that common thematas have been identified in different groups. Such thematas, as manifested by the following expressions: caring for and happiness, emerged as images and could be found in all groups, thus associating social project to notions around providing, which orient behaviors of people and/or institutions towards self-satisfaction and/or general welfare. These ideas underlie link configurations that are subjective and objective, polarized and hierarchical between providers and destitute, strong and frail, capacitated and incapacitated, enterprisers and dependent, and these shall condition positions of either included or aspiring to social inclusion. Due to research participants belonging to different social groups, societies are seen as communities where either one lives in, or as connections between specific places and the planet, under an economic point of view of globalized geopolitics. Based on the development of this research and on the social representations analysis of the object social project, along with Adornos critical theory perspective, we come to an opening towards a critical reflection. From the whole of these representations, two aspects are gathered in order to go under dialectic scrutiny: (1) the known side rational constructions over intervention plans on social needs/issues aiming to solutions or transformations towards desired realities and (2) the dark side nuclei of social interactions turned dynamic on account of projects where three intertwined realms can be seen: psycho-social, structured over relations between the unequal under a hierarchical form; epistemological, where naturalized forms of thinking predominate and where concrete and abstract thinking are split; political, bounded to a interplay of forces that may give feasibility to, turn difficult, reduce or even render projects impossible. In the underlying semantics an absence of connotations referring to Social Justice can be found in the psycho-social, epistemological and political dimensions, which brings in some perplexity. This can be accounted for because the idea of Justice could and should base rational constructions and behaviors towards the actualization of Human Rights as paradigms used to imagine ideal realities that would orient action within the investigated projects.

Esta pesquisa tem como objeto de estudo a expressão projeto social. A investigação partiu da identificação, delimitação e análise de imagens, pensamentos, sentidos e significações do termo, manifestados por agentes sociais envolvidos em sua prática. Estes agentes constituíram-se em sujeitos da investigação, tendo sido organizados em grupos segundo os papéis exercidos no campo prático-institucional dos projetos sociais. São eles: beneficiários, técnicos e decisores de investimentos. Utilizando-se do método ALCESTE (análise dos lexemas co-ocorrentes num conjunto de segmentos de texto) para análise das falas e do desempenho dos Grupos Operativos, no que se refere à dinâmica das interações entre os participantes em tarefa de investigação, julgamos ter identificado thematas comuns aos diferentes grupos. Estes thematas, representados pelos termos: cuidar e felicidade, emergiram como imagens e atravessaram todos os grupos, associando projeto social a noções de prover que orientam condutas de pessoas e/ou instituições para autosatisfação e/ou bem comum. Tais ideias subjazem em configurações vinculares, subjetivas e objetivas, polarizadas e hierarquizadas entre provedores e desprovidos, fortes e frágeis, habilitados e desabilitados, empreendedores e dependentes, as quais condicionam posições de incluídos ou aspirantes à inclusão social. Em função do pertencimento dos participantes da pesquisa a diferentes coletivos sociais, as sociedades são vistas como comunidades em que se vive ou como conexões entre localidades e planeta sob uma ótica geopolítica globalizada de enfoque econômico. Com base no desenvolvimento da pesquisa e da análise das representações sociais do objeto projeto social sob a inspiração da teoria crítica de Adorno, aponta-se para abertura de uma reflexão crítica. Do conjunto das representações depreendem-se dois aspectos a serem dialetizados: (1) o lado conhecido construções racionais de planos de intervenções sobre necessidades/problemas sociais, visando soluções ou transformações em direção a realidades desejadas e (2) o lado obscuro núcleos de interações sociais dinamizados por projetos nos quais se entrevê três âmbitos imbricados: o psicossocial, estruturado por relações entre desiguais e de forma hierarquizada; o epistemológico, em que vigoram formas de pensamento naturalizado e cisões entre pensamento concreto e abstrato; e o político, circunscrito ao jogo de forças que podem viabilizar, dificultar, reduzir ou inviabilizar projetos. Na semântica subjacente denota-se ausência de conotações referentes à Justiça Social nas dimensões psicossocial, epistemológica e política, o que causa perplexidade. Isso porque a ideia de Justiça poderia e deveria fundamentar construções racionais e condutas direcionadas à realização dos Direitos Humanos como paradigmas para imaginar realidades ideais, orientadoras da ação nos projetos investigados. / This research aims to study the expression social project. The investigation originated in the identification, delimitation and analysis of images, thoughts, feelings and meanings of this term, as they were expressed by social agents directly involved in such practice. These agents were the subjects in our investigation and were organized in groups according to their roles in the institutional and practical realm of social projects, namely: beneficiaries, technicians and investment decision-makers. Using the ALCESTE method (lexical analysis of co-occurring words within a setting of text segments) for analyzing speeches and the performance of Operative Groups in so far as the dynamics of interactions between participants was concerned, we consider that common thematas have been identified in different groups. Such thematas, as manifested by the following expressions: caring for and happiness, emerged as images and could be found in all groups, thus associating social project to notions around providing, which orient behaviors of people and/or institutions towards self-satisfaction and/or general welfare. These ideas underlie link configurations that are subjective and objective, polarized and hierarchical between providers and destitute, strong and frail, capacitated and incapacitated, enterprisers and dependent, and these shall condition positions of either included or aspiring to social inclusion. Due to research participants belonging to different social groups, societies are seen as communities where either one lives in, or as connections between specific places and the planet, under an economic point of view of globalized geopolitics. Based on the development of this research and on the social representations analysis of the object social project, along with Adornos critical theory perspective, we come to an opening towards a critical reflection. From the whole of these representations, two aspects are gathered in order to go under dialectic scrutiny: (1) the known side rational constructions over intervention plans on social needs/issues aiming to solutions or transformations towards desired realities and (2) the dark side nuclei of social interactions turned dynamic on account of projects where three intertwined realms can be seen: psycho-social, structured over relations between the unequal under a hierarchical form; epistemological, where naturalized forms of thinking predominate and where concrete and abstract thinking are split; political, bounded to a interplay of forces that may give feasibility to, turn difficult, reduce or even render projects impossible. In the underlying semantics an absence of connotations referring to Social Justice can be found in the psycho-social, epistemological and political dimensions, which brings in some perplexity. This can be accounted for because the idea of Justice could and should base rational constructions and behaviors towards the actualization of Human Rights as paradigms used to imagine ideal realities that would orient action within the investigated projects.

There are three lines of poverty in South Africa, the first line is that of people living at less than R271 per month and constitute one third of the population (about 33 percent), second being those people living at less than R422 per month (50 percent of the population) and the last group being people living at less than R1 230 per month, constituting 79.1 percent of the population (Oosthuizen. 2008: 7 – 9). The poorest provinces are Eastern Cape and Limpopo with a poverty rate of 68.3 percent and 60.7 percent respectively, Western Cape and Gauteng the poverty rates are 20 percent and 28.8 percent respectively (United Nations Development Programme. 2003) To respond to the poverty challenges the government has come up with poverty alleviation strategies which were later translated into anti-poverty programmes. The Anti-poverty programmes undertaken by Government since 1994 can be grouped into various categories of public expenditure such as (Friedman and Bhengu, 2008:14), Social assistance and grants, Employment generating programmes, enterprise development and income support, Basic household security, Social services, Disaster relief and Employment related social insurance. This study assessed Mogabane Community Project to find out reasons why the project did not reach its objective of poverty reduction in the community. Qualitative Research methodology was used to arrive at the findings.

The study was undertaken to satisfy the following objectives of the research study: To determine the livelihoods of residents of a low income housing development;  To assess the role played by the local economic development initiatives in the Kuyga community; and  To make recommendations regarding policies and actions that could reduce the unemployment rate and create sustainable and viable livelihoods for the Kuyga community in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. To note, what triggered the researcher to undertake the study, are the high levels of unemployment, poverty and poor monitoring of the local economic initiatives within the area. In this study, the researcher explores the livelihoods of the Kuyga community and the opportunities for creating more sustainable and viable livelihoods. Attention is drawn to Government policies, Local economic Development as well as Integrated Development Plans of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, simultaneously realising that the South African government cannot work in isolation to deliver all the community needs effectively as expected.

The diploma thesis focuses on complex economic evaluation of the investment project regarding the purchase of machining centre. Based on the elaborated literature review are those findings applied to the real investment project. Economic efficiency is calculated using the identified cash flows, discount rate and static and dynamic methods. Subsequently are identified project risks and their significance. In conclusion, the results are summarized and is reported recommendation whether or not to implement the project.

CIDA, the leading Canadian agency in the area of international assistance, is responsible for approximately 78% of the country's aid budget. The Agency's mandate to "support sustainable development in developing countries, in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world" indicates that the Agency is concerned with social and cultural factors. However, CIDA does not have any specific mechanisms or tools such as SIA to help achieve its social and cultural sustainability goals. The objectives of this thesis were: a) to develop an analytical framework for undertaking and analysing SIA, and b) to compare CIDA's SIA-related strategies, procedures and mechanisms as they stand now to what is stated in the literature, so as to indicate how and when the Agency uses them, and also to assess their quality and effectiveness. The overarching question that constituted the pillar of this thesis was a two-pronged question: Do CIDA's strategies, procedures and mechanisms equal SIA without being SIA? And are those strategies, procedures and mechanisms adequate to cover issues that are normally dealt with through traditional SIA? This question was answered through 1) the application of the analytical framework on two proposals submitted to CIDA, and 2) an analysis of CIDA's SIA-related procedures based on the framework, key informant interviews, and a review of the literature on the Agency's policies, guidelines, and practices. Based on the literature review, the application of the analytical framework, and on the comments of the informants, the need for an SIA-type procedure for assessing social and cultural effects and impacts for CIDA funding is suggested. Such a practice might very well clarify the Agency's requirements in relation to the consideration of social and cultural factors in the development of projects. Also, it is important to stress that the process should not be reduced to a bureaucratic procedure blindly applied. CIDA could go without formulating a distinct protocol for SIA, as it already has several project planning tools and procedures that could lend themselves very well to the purpose of SIA. Indeed, the Agency's results-based management (RBM) framework could be altered so as to make it more holistic in that it would take into consideration both intended and unintended effects and impacts, and would better take into account social and cultural factors. The application of the logical framework analysis (LFA) can also be expanded to achieve similar goals. Further, the Agency could focus on developing a more integrated and comprehensive type of impact assessment that would touch on all the required types of assessments.

Rural development can be supported by information and knowledge which are key strategic resources for socio economic development. ICTs enable the facilitation and communication of information between remotely dispersed individuals or groups and more developed regions. While it has become common place that ICTs possess capabilities to potentially support rural development, the concept of ICT for development (ICT4D) is still fraught with challenges and barriers, which impede the success and sustainability of ICT4D projects. It is therefore essential to evaluate rural ICT projects, as such an analysis may aid in revealing information related to the need, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of these projects. This research seeks to further the implementation and exploration of the Rural ICT Comprehensive Evaluation Framework (RICT-CEF), through the application of the Process Assessment domain in a real life rural ICT project environment. The RICT-CEF framework consisting of 7 evaluation domains has the primary objective of evaluating rural ICT projects from their inception stages to post implementation. A process assessment seeks to determine whether or not a rural ICT project is operating to implement its intended functions in the intended way specified in the projects plan. Such an assessment is invaluable to a comprehensive evaluation. Evaluation questions for a process assessment are centred around critical themes of project performance. Critical themes are aspects of a programme or projects implementation which must be enacted in order to achieve desired project outcomes. This research study is aimed at identifying critical themes of process assessment relevant to rural ICT4D projects. To identify critical themes, assessment approaches on social programme process assessments, evaluation of information systems in use, and rural ICT4D project evaluation case studies are comparatively analysed. Fourteen assessment approaches from these three categories are selected based on criteria. To analyse selected assessment approaches, a template is created based on the research questions, foundational literature on process assessment and identified challenges applicable to process assessments of rural ICT4D projects. Comparing and contrasting critical themes from these assessment approaches highlight critical themes essential to assess in the iterative implementation phase of rural ICT projects. Accentuated critical themes include, service utilization, organizational function and external project factors. These themes, along with suggested guiding principles from literature for conducting process assessments enable the creation of a framework for conducting process assessments of rural ICT projects. The framework is labelled "the Rural ICT Project Process Assessment Framework (RICTP-PAF)". The application of the RICTP-PAF in a real life rural ICT project through a design science case study provides lessons learned (suitability and shortcomings) from applying the framework. This essentially demonstrates the sensitivity of the RICTP-PAF to rural contexts in which it is implemented in. For instance, the implemented prototype of the RICTP-PAF reveals that the framework places a great deal of emphasis on rural beneficiary perspectives. A practice which has been lacking in such evaluation exercises. Furthermore, the guiding principles elucidated, bring to mind best practices to deal with issues such as stakeholder conflict, unreliable data elicitation and unethical assessment practices. The RICTP-PAF represents a fundamental tool for process assessments of rural ICT projects, and may be adopted and customized to various rural ICT project contexts in developing countries.