The recent reform of potable water service provisioning by means of the promulgation of the Water Services Act 108 of 1997 and the National Water Act 36 of 1998 in South Africa has started a process of addressing the imbalance that existed in regard to how the national resource was being distributed. Water is now recognised as a scarce resource that belongs to all the people of the country. Consequently, it should be managed in an integrated way for social and economic development – including future growth (Fuggle & Rabie, 2005:293; Reimann, Chimboza & Fubesi, 2012:446). What is required is an attitude that incorporates a sensitivity in the careful cognisance and management of ―the aggregate of surrounding objects, conditions, and influences that impact on the life and habits of man, or any other organism or collection of organisms (South Africa, 1989). The provision of potable water by water services authorities (WSAs) is an important basic service that faces a number of challenges, such as the use of an outdated infrastructure, the lack of skilled and knowledgeable people, improper planning, and the booming population that places overt pressure on the demand for service delivery. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate how a municipality – which is forced to obtain its potable water supply from nearby surface and groundwater catchments, could manage this supply in a more effective, efficient, equitable, economic and sustainable manner by means of improved co-operative governance and intergovernmental relations. The key motivation was thus to develop a plan that would manage water resources more effectively on strategic, tactical and operational levels within government structures and to assist in realising integrated water resources management (IWRM). The proposed plan could be used to develop a shared vision for the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality (Dr KKDM) municipal area of responsibility; and to provide an overview of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the management of water resources. A qualitative research design was used to conduct the study, which included a literature review, semi-structured interviews, data sampling and scientific analysis of responses. Furthermore, a case-study approach was followed by the researcher, with Dr KKDM as the unit of analysis (the locus). / Thesis (Ph.D. (Public Management and Governance))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The purpose of this research is to determine the extent of public participation in waste management, willingness of the community to assist the municipality in waste management and how the officials involve the community as partners in waste management. Waste management has become a big environmental challenge in Sedibeng District Municipality due to rural- urban drift leading to population increase in the region. In cities and towns where there is population increase there is excessive generation of waste which demands new methods of waste management including public engagement and participation. This can be achieved through education and awareness campaigns in all municipality Wards to capacitate residents to minimize waste at household level. Community participation in waste collection, prevention of waste generation, recycling methods and assistance of waste management departments is one of the recommended methods and solution to waste collection challenges. The challenge in waste management is how to identify the informal sector stakeholders that can be involved in sorting of recyclable waste material that has been separated at source. Another challenge is how private sector can be approached to participate in household refuse collection to reduce backlog of un-serviced areas in the three local municipalities of Sedibeng District Municipality. The objectives of the research are: firstly, to determine the status quo of the household waste collection in the three local municipalities comprising Sedibeng District Municipality. Secondly, it is to determine the extent of backlogs emanating from the un-serviced households in Emfuleni; Midvaal and Lesedi local municipalities. Thirdly, it is to determine how local communities, informal sector and private sector can be involved in waste solutions. Fourthly, it is aimed to identify limitations; constraints and challenges that confront municipalities in engaging stakeholders in waste management solutions. The responses were from the officials of the three local municipalities, relevant supporting departments and stakeholders. Qualitative research and data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Findings of the research indicated, among others, that: *Though sustainable household collection services are rendered in the three local municipalities, there is a backlog of 10 000 houses at Emfuleni, 270 at Midvaal and 6 000 at Lesedi local municipalities *There are no other stakeholders rendering waste management services in the region except for the operations of the landfill sites *Only 35% of householders recycle at source. The residents are prepared to participate but lack knowledge *The study revealed that in public participation, the community, Office of the Speaker, officials and Executive Mayor are the most important stakeholders to promote sustainable waste management services. They should ensure that public participation policies and strategies are implemented in the region. The study recommends, among others, that municipalities must support the community in the form of education and awareness campaigns, recycling at source, establish infrastructure for recyclable and separated goods, how to establish co-operatives and public-private-partnerships in waste management. New approaches such as composting of organic waste, proper disposal of electronic, medical and hazardous waste need to be communicated to the public. The study ends with recommendations for further research to be pursued in the following fields of study: *The role of the private sector in a municipality. *Integrated Waste Management Plans as tools to promote public participation in the Sedibeng District Municipality *Education and awareness to the public as a strategy to promote sustainable development in waste management in the Sedibeng District Municipality *The impact of waste storage containers in the prevention of illegal dumping in local municipalities *The role of environmental committees within a municipality in waste management and public participation / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The recent reform of potable water service provisioning by means of the promulgation of the Water Services Act 108 of 1997 and the National Water Act 36 of 1998 in South Africa has started a process of addressing the imbalance that existed in regard to how the national resource was being distributed. Water is now recognised as a scarce resource that belongs to all the people of the country. Consequently, it should be managed in an integrated way for social and economic development – including future growth (Fuggle & Rabie, 2005:293; Reimann, Chimboza & Fubesi, 2012:446). What is required is an attitude that incorporates a sensitivity in the careful cognisance and management of ―the aggregate of surrounding objects, conditions, and influences that impact on the life and habits of man, or any other organism or collection of organisms (South Africa, 1989). The provision of potable water by water services authorities (WSAs) is an important basic service that faces a number of challenges, such as the use of an outdated infrastructure, the lack of skilled and knowledgeable people, improper planning, and the booming population that places overt pressure on the demand for service delivery. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate how a municipality – which is forced to obtain its potable water supply from nearby surface and groundwater catchments, could manage this supply in a more effective, efficient, equitable, economic and sustainable manner by means of improved co-operative governance and intergovernmental relations. The key motivation was thus to develop a plan that would manage water resources more effectively on strategic, tactical and operational levels within government structures and to assist in realising integrated water resources management (IWRM). The proposed plan could be used to develop a shared vision for the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality (Dr KKDM) municipal area of responsibility; and to provide an overview of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the management of water resources. A qualitative research design was used to conduct the study, which included a literature review, semi-structured interviews, data sampling and scientific analysis of responses. Furthermore, a case-study approach was followed by the researcher, with Dr KKDM as the unit of analysis (the locus). / Thesis (Ph.D. (Public Management and Governance))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This thesis seeks to trace the process of Germany&rsquo / becoming a multicultural society through the politico-historical analysis of the matter of immigration to Germany. The working assumption while projecting this study is as follows / there is a close relation between the policies and implementations of Germany in practice and becoming a multicultural society during the process in question. Germany became a multinational society with its composition of different ethnic, religious and cultural groups / but it is clearly seen that Germany is not moving toward becoming a multicultural society, at least in the near future, considering its policies and implementations in practice. At the same time, considering the main arguments and effects of these new immigration and citizenship laws concerning immigrants will provide an essential ground for recognizing whether Germany is a multicultural society or not.

驅逐黑暗、迎來光明，是變電所最重要的任務，但它往往被歸類為鄰避設施，不為使用者所接受。變電所引發的風險疑慮，無論是環境、健康等，儘管尚無法以科學實證其因果關係，卻深深烙印人心；加上不甚透明且缺乏參與機制的規劃方式，致使變電所選址過程抗爭不斷。 現代社會可說是充滿風險的社會，也就是德國學者貝克所謂的「風險社會」。風險不分階級、貧富，充斥在我們身旁，引發無聲且無形的恐懼。高科技雖然帶來生活便利，但也帶來前所未有的新風險—科技風險。既然風險是現代社會非常重要且切身的課題，如何以風險的視角來解構變電所選址過程，便成為本文的論述主軸。 現行變電所用地之規劃方式，主要是依據都市計畫(土地使用管制)及電力負載預測結果來選擇變電所設置地點；變電所用地的使用項目與內容，則取決於是否辦理多目標使用。然而，土地使用管制之僵固性及電力負載預測結果的不確定性卻造成變電所選址過程必須面臨規劃方式、民眾抗爭、風險分配等三方面困境，使得變電所選址困難重重。 規劃部門、電力公司與民眾能否「共同面對」變電所選址在規劃方式、民眾抗爭、風險分配等三方面的困境，尋求變電所土地使用管制內容再定位並融合民眾參與機制（儘管民眾參與並非萬能），使變電所選址過程掙脫規劃方式的枷鎖，將是降低變電所選址抗爭且形成風險分配共識的必要方向，也才是風險社會中變電所選址的最佳出路。 / The primary function of a substation is to expel the darkness and usher in light. However, it is usually classified as NIMBY facilities and not welcomed by public. People are constantly worried and even feared by nearby substations, although there is neither scientific evidence to prove that substations are harmful nor directly caused any disease. Moreover, substation siting procedure is less transparent and lack of participatory mechanisms during the planning stage, resulting in protests against substation during the siting process. Modern society is full of risks as described by German sociologist Dr. Ulrich Beck in “Risk society.” Risks are around us all the times, regardless of class or wealth. It creates silent and invisible fears. Modern high-tech life style provides convenience but technology also brings unprecedented new risks - technological risks. Since technological risk is an important issue and it can affect anyone in modern society, this article will discuss the risks involved by deconstructing the substation siting procedure. The existing substation siting models are based on the designation of urban plan and the results of power load forecast; the land-use projects of substation are depended on the content of multi-objective land-use. The rigidity of zoning and the uncertainty of power load forecast results plight in substation siting procedure at three situations: approach to planning, public protests and risk allocation, also makes substation siting much difficult. Although public participation is not the magic bullet, substation siting zoning restriction can be unlocked by combining public participation with land use re-position. The best approach to prevent protest against substation siting process and reach consensus in risk distribution is to have planning departments, power companies and the community seeking solution together.

隨著環保運動的推展，環境影響評估制度也應運而生。然而長期以來，環評制度的發展多著重在開發行為的環境影響評估，其進行的時間點太晚、無法整體考量社經環境、缺乏累積性影響評估，也使環評制度難以發揮保護環境的效果。近年來受到重視的政策環評，則是將環評層次提升到政府的政策、計畫與方案，其評估的重點，在於整合的角度、多面向的關心並評估策略對整體國家發展的影響，過程中廣納各種意見，與公共政策緊密相關，以達到環境、經濟及社會永續發展的目標。相較於開發環評，政策環評過程中的民眾參與更加重要。然而，過去國內在政策環評的相關研究中，鮮少針對民眾參與進行研究。 本文以民眾參與為基礎，從規劃理論及審議式民主觀點中所重視的「溝通」為出發，探討各理論的理念，期望能以其為借鏡，爲我國政策環評民眾參與途徑尋得新的啟發。同時，全面檢視我國政策環評制度及實施個案，檢討制度缺失及民眾參與情形，以對我國制度提出建言。 經過檢討後發現，我國政策環評發展已超過十年，相關法令規則雖經過多次檢討修正並與世界先進國家發展趨勢相近，但實務執行案例有限，在民眾參與及社會反應情形上的評估，亦未落實，尚難見民眾參與在政策環評過程中的效果；而政策環評不論在評估時點、範疇、適用範圍或細節程度等，均與開發環評有所差異，兩者適用之民眾參與程序亦不應等同視之。本文借鏡審議式民主的落實方式，及行政程序法所賦予民眾表示意見的權利，嘗試將公民會議及聽證制度與政策環評流程結合，透過制度設計，讓一般民眾也能參與環評程序並實質對環評結果產生影響。實際作法為： 一、在政策、計畫或方案構想提出之際，即舉辦公民會議，提供公眾議題的相關資訊及討論場域。 二、結合行政程序法中「計畫確定程序之聽證」的舉行，使民眾意見透過政策環評程序納於決策之中。 最後，本文建議，未來在制度修正方面，應要能突破政策環評適用的侷限性，擴大其適用範圍，提早其進行的時間點；並且強化民眾參與機制，使其意見能在各階段發聲，納入決策，同時加強重視價值思考及追蹤管理，以使政策環評機制能更加完備。 / With the promotion of the environmental movement, environmental impact assessment (EIA) system also began to develop. However, the EIA system primarily emphasized the development process, and because the EIA was often conducted too late in the project cycle for the socio-economic environment to be considered on a larger scale, the lack of cumulative impact assessment makes it difficult for the EIA system to be effective for environmental protection. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA), which has received much attention in recent years, applies the EIA process to government policies, plans and programs. The focus of its evaluation is integrated perspectives, multi-oriented care, and the impacts of SEA on the overall national development. Integrated consideration of opinions and close association with public policies in the SEA process contribute to continuing environmental, economic, and social sustainable development. Therefore, public participation in SEA is more important than which in EIA. However, few domestic researches on public participation in SEA have been done in the past. This paper is based on public participation and written from the perspective of communication which is valued by planning theories and deliberative democracy. Through exploring the various theories, this paper intends to find a new way for which the public in Taiwan can opt to participate in the SEA. At the same time, the paper does a comprehensive review of the domestic SEA system and the implemented cases and evaluates the shortcomings of the system and the public participation in the cases to offer suggestions for the improvement of the system. Following the review, this paper finds that while the domestic SEA system has been developed for more than a decade and the related laws and regulations have been reviewed and revised numerous times to catch up with the world trend, cases of implementation of the SEA are few, and public participation and assessment of social responses have not yet been fully carried out. Moreover, since the EIA and SEA are different in terms of assessment timing, scope, or detail level, the EIA and the SEA should adopt different procedures of public participation. Referring to the practice of deliberative democracy and the Administrative Procedure Act which gives people the right to express their views, this paper attempts to combine a consensus conference, the hearing policy, and the SEA process to allow the general public to participate in the SEA process and influence decision-making. The implementations are described as the following: First, when a concept of a policy, plan or program is proposed, a consensus conference should be held promptly to provide the public with information and a forum. Second, combine the SEA and hearing with planned procedures to include the public’s feedback in decision-making. Finally, this paper suggests that when the government amends the system in the future, it should break the limitations of the SEA, expand its scope of application, conduct the SEA early in project planning, and strengthen the public participation mechanisms to include the public’s opinions at each stage of the process and in decision-making. Meanwhile, consideration of values and monitoring are strengthened to make the mechanisms more complete.

This study looks at the National Citizens' Technology Forum (NCTF), a modified version of the consensus conference, which took place in March, 2008 in six cities across the U.S. to understand how inclusive these methods of public participation are in practice. The research focused on two of these sites. Inclusion of participants was defined in terms of presence, voice and being heard. Transcripts of the audio-visual recordings of the proceedings were the main data of analysis. By focusing on the talk within these deliberative forums, the study looked at how the rules of engagement and status (ascribed and achieved) differences between participants can affect inclusion. The analysis did not reveal any substantial effects of ascribed characteristics on deliberation. Facilitation and the presence of expertise among the participants were found to influence inclusion and equality among participants. These findings suggest that organizers and facilitators of deliberative exercises have to be reflexive of their role as well as aware of the group dynamics. The results also address the larger questions within science and technology policy like the role of expertise and the public in decision making, the institutional design of participatory exercises, and their relation to the political culture and the policy process.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Resiliens är ett begrepp som används i allt större utsträckning inom risk och katastrofforskningen för att beskriva samhällets motståndskraft mot, förmåga att återhämta sig från samt utvecklas positivt efter större naturhändelser. Forskning visar på vikten av att involvera alla nivåer i samhället för att skapa resiliens vilket även uttrycks i internationella ramverk för katastrofriskreducering, klimatanpassning och hållbar utveckling. Det är framförallt på den lokala nivån som konsekvenserna av extrema naturhändelser manifestera och måste hanteras vilket innebär att allmänheten anses vara viktig att involvera i det katastrofriskreducerande arbetet för en ökad resiliens. Detta innebär ett så kallat ”bottom-up” sätt att arbeta. En faktor som enligt forskningen påverkar risken för katastrofer är olika sårbarheter i samhället. Hur sårbart ett samhälle är påverkas bland annat av ekonomiska, ekologiska och sociala faktorer och hur resurser är fördelade. Vissa grupper i samhället pekas ofta ut som mer sårbara, och ett led i att skapa resiliens är att tillgodose dessa gruppers specifika behov i relation till katastrofrisker. Teorier och modeller gällande samhällets resiliens mot katastrofer är ofta framtagna med fokus på miljöer med mer frekventa och dramatiska naturhändelser, och samhällen som präglas av en högre grad av socioekonomiska skillnader än vi har i dagens Sverige. Ett förändrat klimat och andra globala processer påverkar även det svenska samhället. Svenska staten och dess myndigheter påtalar allt mer vikten av att arbeta utifrån ett resiliensperspektiv i samhällsbyggandet. I den svenska kontexten ligger ett stort ansvar gällande risk och krishantering på den kommunala nivån, samt även på den enskilda individen, vilket kan tänkas borga för att involvera allmänheten i katastrofriskreduceringen och tillika skapa ett resilient lokalsamhälle. Syfte: Syftet med studien är trefaldig. Primärt syftar den till att få en övergripande förståelse för hur personer som är verksamma inom risk och krishantering på lokal nivå i en svensk kommun ser på att involvera allmänheten i det katastrofriskreducerande arbetet utifrån ett resiliensperspektiv. Sekundärt syftar studien till att undersöka hur man förhåller sig till olika gruppers behov i arbetet utifrån ett sårbarhetsperspektiv samt att undersöka relevansen av ett befintligt teoretiskt ramverk för community resilience i en svensk kontext. Metod: Studien är en kvalitativ explorativ fallstudie av Örebro kommun med en abduktiv ansats. Genom en kombination av strategiskt urval och snöbollsurval har nyckelpersoner som är verksamma inom kommunal verksamhet samt frivilligorganisationer inkluderats i studien. Datainsamlingen bestod av semistrukturerade intervjuer som transkriberats och vidare analyserats genom kvalitativ textanalys. För att stärka studiens validitet har även kommundokument studerats för att möjliggöra en triangulering. Resultatet diskuteras utifrån teorier om resiliens, risk-governance och sårbarhet för katastrofer samt ett teoretiskt ramverk för community resilience. Resultat: Resultatet visar på: 1) en positiv syn hos respondenterna på att involvera allmänheten, framförallt som en resurs i den akuta krishanteringen genom att nyttja frivilliga, 2) möjligheter med att involvera allmänheten genom relationsbyggande nätverk och ökad samverkan med civilsamhället för att få information om hur människor upplever sin verklighet och vilka behov allmänheten har gällande information och stöttning, 3) hinder avseende kommunikation och samverkan mellan kommun och allmänhet vilket delvis kopplades till att det saknas användbara verktyg och att ny teknik inte nyttjas fullt ut, 4) brist på kontinuitet i samverkan mellan civilsamhället och kommunen och låg frekvens av större händelser, 5) ett bristande engagemang från allmänhetens sida. Resultatet pekar även på att resiliensramverket är relevant i den svenska kontexten. / Summary Background: Resiliens is a concept that is increasingly used in risk- and disaster research to describe society's resistance to, ability to recover from and to develop positively after major natural events. Research shows the importance of involving all levels of society in order to create resilience against disasters and is expressed in international frameworks for disaster risk reduction, climate change and sustainable development. Since the consequences of extreme natural events primarily manifests at the local level, they need to be locally managed. The importance of involving the public in disaster risk reduction, also called the “bottom-up approach” with the aim of building resilience is thus highlighted. One factor affecting societal disaster risk is vulnerability. How vulnerable a society is to disasters is influenced by economic, ecological and social factors and the distribution of resources. Certain groups in society are often referred to as more vulnerable and one part of building resilience against disasters is to cater to the specific needs of these groups in relation to disaster risks. Theories and models of societal resilience against disasters are often developed with focus on environments with more frequent and dramatic natural events and societies that are characterized by a greater degree of socio-economic differences than that of today's Sweden. But a changing climate and other global processes also affect the Swedish society. The Swedish state and its authorities increasingly emphasize the importance of taking a resilience perspective on societal development. The responsibility for risk and crisis management in Sweden is primarily focused at the municipal level, as well as on the individual, which could warrant the involvement of the public in disaster reduction in order to build a resilient local community. Purpose: The purpose of the study is threefold. It primarily aims at gaining an overall understanding of the views of individuals, involved in risk and crisis management at local level in Sweden, upon involving the public in disaster risk reduction from a resilience perspective. Secondarily, the study aims at investigating how the needs of different groups in the community is incorporated into the work, based on a vulnerability perspective, and thirdly to investigate the relevance of an existing theoretical framework for community resilience in a Swedish context. Method: The study was designed as a qualitative exploratory case study of Örebro municipality with an abductive approach. Through a combination of strategic selection and snowballing, key people working in the local council and non-governmental organizations have been included in the study. The data collection consisted of semistructured interviews that were transcribed and further analyzed through qualitative text analysis. In order to strengthen the validity of the study, municipal documents were studied to enable triangulation. The results were discussed through theories of resilience, risk governance and disaster vulnerability as well as a theoretical framework for community resilience by Norris et al. (2008). Results: The results show: 1) a positive view upon involving the public, primarily as a resource in emergency crisis management by using volunteers, 2) opportunities for involving the public through relational networking and enhanced cooperation with civil society, in order to gain information and knowledge on how people perceive their reality and the needs of the public regarding information and support, 3) communication and cooperation barriers between the municipality and the public are linked to the lack of useful tools and that new technologies are not fully utilized, 4) a lack of continuity in civil society and municipality collaboration, low frequency of major events, and lack of widespread commitment among the public. The result indicates that the resilience framework is also relevant in the Swedish context.

Magister Administrationis - Madmin / The Batho Pele principles can be seen as a tool to help transform the South African public sector by making it more responsive to the needs of its citizens. The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service strives to enhance service delivery to all South Africans (Taylor,2007).The role of the Batho Pele principles is to improve service delivery within the public sector and to assist with the transformation of a public sector that is more effective and people centred. However, if these principles are ignored, it will lead to a public sector that only caters to the needs of the middle class and higher-income groups, thus leaving the lowerincome citizens with a substandard of service delivery. Batho Pele means to put the people first; however, that can only take place if these principles are implemented correctly and continuously and their successes and challenges monitored and addressed (RSA, 1997b). If the people are not valued, it will lead to a scenario where citizens lose trust in government. This in turn, could lead to a decrease in active public participation. By not engaging and consulting with the people, government will not adhere to the very first of the Batho Pele principles. Service delivery to all citizens and a responsive public sector are yet to be achieved (Taylor, 2007. Matas argues that the South African public sector lacks effectiveness and efficiency and as a result of this, unequal service delivery is experienced by millions of South Africans (Matas, 1994. The main research objective of this study is to examine the implementation process of the Batho Pele principles through the case of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and how it influences its interactions with relevant clients/citizens. The reason why this department was selected was due to the fact that this department within the Western Cape was solely responsible for assisting wine farm owners across the country with the necessary submissions of wine samples and scientific laboratory reports. This process facilitates the testing, approval and marketing of the wines produced.

Magister Legum - LLM / While the Constitutional Court has repeatedly enforced a duty to meaningfully engage with communities where the provision of basic social services and goods is at stake, uncertainty about the form, extent and quality of community engagement continues to negatively impact on development projects. The much publicised "toilet saga" in the Makhaza informal settlement in the Western Cape is a telling example. This problem is partly attributable to a lack of clarity about the legal foundations and basis of this duty. The research project explores such an approach by clarifying the proper legal and constitutional basis of the right to meaningfully participate in development projects and the delivery of basic social goods, and in so-doing, to place public participation in socio-economic rights on a sound legal and constitutional foundation. The project further seeks to develop a framework or best practice for the practical implementation of this right in the context of urban development projects.