The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.

South Africa is characterised by inequitable growth and development, a high degree of poverty, increasing demands and limited resources and the challenge of integration. The need for improved standards of living and access to better infrastructure which are seen as crucial issues in addressing poverty have necessitated the introduction of Integrated Development Planning (IDP). The IDP looks at the economic and social development of the area as a whole. It aims to coordinate the work of the local government in a coherent plan to improve the quality of life for all the people living in an area. In view of the above there is a need for proper planning and implementation of projects, as well as monitoring and assessment of success on the part of local government in order to help to eliminate poverty in the community. In this study I investigated the implementation of IDP as a mechanism to alleviate poverty in Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. Due to the vastness of the problem and the extensive nature of the geographical area of Port Elizabeth, this study focused exclusively on Motherwell and KwaZakhele. For the purposes of this study, a mixed methods research approach was employed. This means that the study followed both the qualitative and quantitative approaches for in-depth understanding and verification. The data collection tools/techniques and instruments used in this study were mainly closed-ended questionnaire and structured interview questions. Data was collected from residents by conducting surveys, making use of questionnaires. Structured interviews were conducted with municipality officials and councillors in order to understand the situation better. The findings of the study revealed that there is a lack of adequate public consultation. It is indicated that people are left in the dark and projects are implemented without proper consultation with the community.

This paper deals with selected conditions of good practice of the Department of Social-legal Protection of Children (OSPOD) in the current system of care for children at risk and their families. Currently, this system finds itself in the early stage of transformation. Its starting point is the trans-sectoral "National action plan for the transformation and unification of the system of care for children at risk for the period 2009-2011" (NAP). NAP is a set of key measures in the form of visions, among which an idea of OSPOD as a core body of multidisciplinary cooperation stands out. This thesis addresses the cooperation of OSPOD with other subjects in practice. The first chapter identifies key concepts; other chapters analyze specific areas of cooperation of OSPOD (multidisciplinary cooperation, social planning, cooperation with clients) and highlight the potential risks and opportunities. The thesis closes with a research, which aims to find examples of good practice in OSPOD in the Central Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic.

No abstract available / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

The study focused on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality situated in Gauteng Province. The study aims to explore the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters in relation to social development. A qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews, focus groups, observations and public documents was used to explore the process of legalising of squatters in relation to social development. The researcher, based on the evidence from the respondents, public documents and the discussion of findings, concludes that there is a positive relationship between the process of legalising of squatters in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and social development as an approach. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters is in line with the South African legislations and social policies. The finding will add value to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Human Settlements, Non –governmental and Faith Based Organisations and other sector stakeholders working with informal settlement dwellers in the following ways: a) Helping the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the implementation of informal settlement policies and processes; b) Recommendations to policy issues; c) Advancement of knowledge. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

This thesis is concerned with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the challenges of facilitating sustainable societal transformation in Africa, focusing on the case of Ethiopia. The thesis underlines the fact that the conceptualisation of civil society is controversial. Some western scholars argue that the Enlightenment period in Europe provided the bedrock for the foundation of „modern‟ CSOs. As a result, they believed that the life patterns and „traditional‟ social organising practices of Africans, Asians and other societies of the world are incompatible with the civilised world. This outlook constitutes the mainstream view that has played an uncontested role in the decades of development in Africa. Proponents of African and „traditional‟ perspectives of civil society, however, argue that many nations in Africa have centuries-old humanism and a history of volunteerism and civic institutions, which form the backbone of their social fabric. They argue that Africa has its own rich culture and civilisation which is the bedrock for generating and developing healthy human societies and effectively functioning CSOs on the continent. These African civic cultures nurture character and intellect within communities and social spaces despite the challenges of colonialism, globalisation and other external pressures. For this reason, they challenge western-based perspectives on „modern‟ CSOs. Given the predominance of and the tension in these two perspectives, this thesis calls for a re-examination of the concepts, meanings and practices of CSOs and the exploration of the role of „traditional‟ CSOs in facilitating societal transformation in contemporary Ethiopia, Africa. In so doing, it critically examines how the tensions in various international development agendas have led to the legitimisation and proliferation of „modern‟ and western-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) interventions in Africa, and then discusses the way the civil society sector, particularly „traditional‟ CSOs, is side-lined owing to the funding formulas that regard western-based NGOs as preferred development partners. For this, the thesis takes a case-based approach to the study of „traditional‟ CSOs in Ethiopia, and examines their goals and practices leading to social transformation experiences by reviewing the political history, genesis and civic functions of CSOs and the social changes at grassroots levels. The thesis also analyses the ways in which local communities organise their „traditional‟ associations and collectively engage in social action to transform their communities. It also highlights the negative implications of the neoliberal theoretical discourses and the developmental state approaches in relation to „traditional‟ African CSOs. In conclusion, the thesis suggests critical pathways for harnessing the role of „traditional‟ African CSOs in the future societal transformation process in Africa. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

The study focused on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality situated in Gauteng Province. The study aims to explore the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters in relation to social development. A qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews, focus groups, observations and public documents was used to explore the process of legalising of squatters in relation to social development. The researcher, based on the evidence from the respondents, public documents and the discussion of findings, concludes that there is a positive relationship between the process of legalising of squatters in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and social development as an approach. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters is in line with the South African legislations and social policies. The finding will add value to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Human Settlements, Non –governmental and Faith Based Organisations and other sector stakeholders working with informal settlement dwellers in the following ways: a) Helping the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the implementation of informal settlement policies and processes; b) Recommendations to policy issues; c) Advancement of knowledge. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

No abstract available / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

This thesis is concerned with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the challenges of facilitating sustainable societal transformation in Africa, focusing on the case of Ethiopia. The thesis underlines the fact that the conceptualisation of civil society is controversial. Some western scholars argue that the Enlightenment period in Europe provided the bedrock for the foundation of „modern‟ CSOs. As a result, they believed that the life patterns and „traditional‟ social organising practices of Africans, Asians and other societies of the world are incompatible with the civilised world. This outlook constitutes the mainstream view that has played an uncontested role in the decades of development in Africa. Proponents of African and „traditional‟ perspectives of civil society, however, argue that many nations in Africa have centuries-old humanism and a history of volunteerism and civic institutions, which form the backbone of their social fabric. They argue that Africa has its own rich culture and civilisation which is the bedrock for generating and developing healthy human societies and effectively functioning CSOs on the continent. These African civic cultures nurture character and intellect within communities and social spaces despite the challenges of colonialism, globalisation and other external pressures. For this reason, they challenge western-based perspectives on „modern‟ CSOs. Given the predominance of and the tension in these two perspectives, this thesis calls for a re-examination of the concepts, meanings and practices of CSOs and the exploration of the role of „traditional‟ CSOs in facilitating societal transformation in contemporary Ethiopia, Africa. In so doing, it critically examines how the tensions in various international development agendas have led to the legitimisation and proliferation of „modern‟ and western-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) interventions in Africa, and then discusses the way the civil society sector, particularly „traditional‟ CSOs, is side-lined owing to the funding formulas that regard western-based NGOs as preferred development partners. For this, the thesis takes a case-based approach to the study of „traditional‟ CSOs in Ethiopia, and examines their goals and practices leading to social transformation experiences by reviewing the political history, genesis and civic functions of CSOs and the social changes at grassroots levels. The thesis also analyses the ways in which local communities organise their „traditional‟ associations and collectively engage in social action to transform their communities. It also highlights the negative implications of the neoliberal theoretical discourses and the developmental state approaches in relation to „traditional‟ African CSOs. In conclusion, the thesis suggests critical pathways for harnessing the role of „traditional‟ African CSOs in the future societal transformation process in Africa. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Depuis le milieu des années quatre-vingts-dix, Bruxelles comme enjeu d’actions collectives, apparaît sous des formes inédites. Ce sont des lieux dés-affectés, des friches ou des lieux discontinus qui font, avant la constitution d’un quelconque programme politique, l’objet de mises en scène artistiques ou culturelles. Depuis celles-ci se nouent des alliances plutôt que des fédérations représentatives, se produisent des groupes et émergent des énoncés, bref se tisse un milieu culturel d’intervention urbaine au contact des hésitations d’autres milieux urbains plus institutionnalisés. Une Bruxelles rugueuse et fissurée tant d’un point de vue physique, social qu’institutionnel et politique y devient ressource de sens et d’action contre une ville dès lors qualifiée de lisse. Ces constructions de possibles s’appuient sur des figures d’Usager, de Créativité voire de Métropole, et se distancie ainsi d’une ville héritée des premières luttes urbaines, que des urbanistes-artisans auraient à rapiécer autour des Quartiers et des Besoins d’Habitants.<p>Cette thèse propose une description de l’émergence, de la constitution, des modes de stabilisation, de rigidification, de fermeture et de solidification de ce milieu à partir des situations hétérocilites qui le font autant diverger que tenir. Ces situations sont autant des actions culturelles, des actions de dénonciation, des plate-formes émergentes visant à peser sur le développement urbain, que des projets urbanistiques et architecturaux. Elle décrit les capacités dont se dotent des collectifs – parfois qualifiés d'alternatifs – à mettre la ville en problèmes ainsi que les effets de la capture de ces expériences sur la production de nouveaux dispositifs publics d'action urbaine. <p>C’est alors qu’est interrogée la constitution, à partir de nouvelles zones d’interventions publiques à Bruxelles, d’un nouveau pli institutionnel au sein de couches préexistantes héritières des premières luttes urbaines. Ce pli s’appuie sur une requalification des rapports entre créativité, attractivité urbaine, participation et action politique. Architectes et urbanistes jouent alors un rôle central dans la constitution d’un urbanisme par projet qui suppose à la fois une planification plus procédurale sensible à la spécificité des nouveaux pôles de développement et une nouvelle échelle de référence visant à situer Bruxelles comme métropole internationale. <p>Le milieu décrit oscille – et parfois se fragmente – entre des expérimentations de villes des possibles et constitution d’une ville par projet. Entre les deux, ce sont les effets de ce milieu qui font enjeu. Les frictions urbaines, les formes de créativité, les usagers, les interstices que ces deux acceptions partagent peuvent constituer de nouveaux mots d’ordre, des présupposés destinés à être digérés dans de nouvelles généralisations utopiques – une ville créative à appliquer sur des espaces pour des publics cibles à éduquer – ou alors devenir l’occasion de cultures interstitielles favorisant des reprises usagères de co-constructions de localités. L’engagement propositionnel de cette thèse consiste, à partir des réussites et des échecs partiels du terrain, à rechercher certaines des conditions de possibilité de cette dernière acception.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished