No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

Narrowing the gap in health inequality is vital not only from an equity point of view but also from an economic cost point of view. Small-area level investigations of health inequalities can play an important role in this effort. This research is an attempt to produce evidence of within-province social and health inequality. This cross-sectional, ecological study examines the geographical distribution of life expectancy at birth (LE) and its relationships with two domains of deprivation—material and social—at two time periods (1995-1999 and 2003-2007) across 182 ‘communities.’ The deprivation measures were derived from a set of indices now widely used in Quebec. Five community types assigned to the communities represented relative levels of rurality. A general pattern was observed that material deprivation became more prominent as ‘rurality’ increased. The pattern of social deprivation by rurality was more ‘flat’ where other levels of rurality than the most urban type had similar deprivation scores and rankings. LE was patterned by a relative degree of deprivation but not by rurality per se, though high socioeconomic deprivation tends to be observed in ‘rural areas.’ The gaps in LEs between the most and least deprived were wider for males than for females. Inequalities in LE by material deprivation of the communities appear to have widened over time. The regression models indicated the presence of an interaction effect—material and social deprivation together exacerbate the risk of low LE. The study also observed some regional clustering of unaccounted factors, which requires further investigation to determine what potential regional phenomena account for this effect. Lastly, the deprivation scores left more variations in LE in rural communities unexplained than variations in urban communities, leading us to suspect that the indices employed might be less sensitive for health inequalities in rural communities than in urban communities. Further research efforts are necessary to tackle many questions this research could not address, which would more fully inform policy related to the reduction of health and social inequality in Nova Scotia and elsewhere.

In looking at rural-urban linkages, this thesis addresses the extent to which social research may be generalized within development policy. Studies of Yoruba migrants in south-western Nigeria demonstrate that the ties between migrants and their hometowns can have a positive impact on local community development, an outcome which some researchers would suggest reflects a larger trend throughout the Third World. However, using information on the historical and cultural background of the Yoruba as well as a brief examination of Yoruba immigrants to North America, this study proposes that the utility of these ties in hometown development relates more to the past circumstances of Yoruba migration than the existence of 'structural regularities' in the migrant linkages of developing countries as a whole. These conclusions are then used to argue that one cannot generalize the results of migrant-hometown studies in policy formation without an understanding of the historic evolution of those ties.

Demographic and migration characteristics of riberenos , the largest population group in the Amazon Basin, have been neglected by scholars until recently. This thesis explores the determinants and consequences of migration in the Pacaya-Samina National Reserve (PSNR), northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Our findings suggest that migration reduces the rate of population growth and alters household composition. Logit and probit models show that migration in the area is determined by individual characteristics (i.e., education level of migrants and sibling structure), household factors (i.e., family age-sex composition, kingroup size, age of male head of household, education level of male and female heads of household, illness experience, initial extraction skills, initial non-land assets, and livelihood activity reliance), and community features (land endowments and the presence of a secondary school). Multiple regressions (OLS) further reveal that the household age-sex composition and migration characteristics influence resource use. Migration features seem to be more positively associated with agricultural production and resource extraction, and negatively related with fish production. This research improves our understanding of traditional people in the PSNR area.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

As urban areas continue to expand into rural areas the world is experiencing a loss of productive agricultural land and diminishing natural habitats and associated ecosystems. The space where urban meets rural is known as the rural-urban fringe and what happens in these areas ultimately determines urban development patterns. Despite being such an important area, the rural-urban fringe is poorly understood and is often described as a “blurry” space – blurry in land patterns because it is where multiple uses collide and in how individuals interact in this space (since actors with often diverse opinions on how land should be used coexist there). Furthermore, there is no single body of scholarly literature that explains why and how decisions get made in rural-urban fringe areas. This thesis contributes to filling this gap in literature by helping to (i) understand and explain decision-making processes at the rural-urban fringe; (ii) create an analytical framework for understanding decision-making dynamics at the rural-urban fringe within two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve, South Africa and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, Canada; and (iii) construct a theory of decision-making for better outcomes at the rural-urban fringe. The analytical framework is divided into two parts with components drawn from problem-solving (including governance and management) and critical (critical political economy and resilience) theories. The premise is that each part contributes to a holistic understanding that they cannot accomplish on their own. The analytical framework is used as the analytical platform for consideration of the research data and is the basis on which the thesis’ theoretical contribution is built. Specifically, each case study is first examined within the context of existing governance and management processes. This reveals the character of key issues and dynamics and the resulting policy responses. The cases are then located within the broader analytical contexts of critical political economy and resilience. This reveals the historical and structural dynamics often overlooked or neglected in problem-solving approaches. The thesis reveals that in both case studies, government policy notwithstanding, decision-making within the rural-urban fringe is primarily determined by neoliberal ideologies of economic development and ‘return on investment’. What emerges from the application of the analytical framework to the two case studies is a theory of decision-making for better outcomes at the rural-urban fringe wherein "better" means a process for achieving outcomes in line with the stated goals of policies and plans, generally framed by the idea of sustainable development. The theory asserts that effective decision-making for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable outcomes at the rural-urban fringe requires six conditions to be in place: (1) sufficient economic resources; (2) adequate knowledge; (3) forgiving time scale; (4) capable state; (5) robust legal structure; (6) favorable global context. All six are important though at this stage it cannot be said with absolute certainty whether better-for-all decisions may emerge in the absence of one or more of these conditions. This theory makes a meaningful contribution to the scholarship on the rural-urban fringe and advances knowledge by articulating a new integrated approach to better decision-making that addresses the explanatory weaknesses identified by this thesis for each of the five bodies of literature considered.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2004. / "July 24, 2004" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 297-319).

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-125). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-241).

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-154). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.