This discussion is written in a descriptive manner, firstly because of the nature of the phenomenon investigated as the appropriate quantitative metric has yet to be invented, secondly because of the importance of the cybernetic-systems approach to some of the more critical questions facing man, the importance that the average layman understands this approach and the questions tackled in this investigation. These critical questions concern the converging trends in socio-economic evolution that mankind is facing. Some of these trends are physical, some are socio-mental. The physical trends are more obvious; the accelerating cost of raw materials, the rapid decline in available raw materials on a per capita basis, the exploding population, the increasing disparity in the ability to generate wealth both within developed and developing countries as well as between them, new attitudes towards consumption and work, the increasing integration of the world into one socio-economic system, increasing life span and population bulges, technological advance, environmental deterioration, morale and moral degeneration and regeneration, cultural and social decay and expansion, deforestation, ideological resolution and conflict, economic waste and efficiency, and information and noise explosion. This discussion focuses upon the flow of socio-economic systems as directed and influenced by information flows and communication channels and how in consequence these converging trends are and can be optimally dealt with. "Extensive, concious attempts to direct a complex society in a viable, adaptive manner have only just begun in modern history, and much remains to be learned to avoid the mistakes of the past. An intimate understanding of the workings of the sociocultural level of complex adaptive system is essential." Walter Buckley.

Le succès écologique de la souris domestique, Mus musculus domesticus, repose en partie par sa capacité à adapter son régime alimentaire aux ressources disponibles. La transmission sociale des préférences alimentaires (TSPA) est un apprentissage observé chez les rongeurs, leur permettant d’élargir leur répertoire alimentaire à moindre risque en obtenant des informations olfactives surde nouveaux aliments à partir des congénères. Cet apprentissage social s’observe directement,lors d’une rencontre avec un congénère ou indirectement, via des marques odorantes. Ce travail a pour but de déterminer comment les souris utilisent leur environnement socio-olfactif pour réaliser des choix alimentaires. Nos résultats ont révélé que l’absence du congénère lors de laTSPA indirecte réduit les contraintes sociales associées à une rencontre et permet l’acquisition de la TSPA entre femelles inconnues. Cependant, certaines contraintes physiques associées à la perception des informations dans les fèces peuvent réduire la disponibilité des informations alimentaires. Enfin, nous avons montré que les différentes préoccupations sexuelles des individus affectent la hiérarchisation des informations présentes dans les fèces et limitent, chez les mâles,l’acquisition de la TSPA. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’utilisation d’informations alimentaires chez les souris varie selon leur contexte social et écologique et implique différents processus tels que l’émotion et l’attention. En conditions naturelles, les voies directe et indirecte de la TSPA pourraient être complémentaires, chacune élargissant les conditions de transmission de l’information alimentaire chez les rongeurs. / The ecological success of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, implies a great capacity to adapt its diet to available food resources. The social transmission of food preference (STFP) is an adaptive type of learning observed in rodents allowing them to enlarge their food repertoire at lower risk by getting olfactory information on novel food sources from conspecifics. This social learning takes place directly, during an encounter with a conspecific or indirectly, via olfactory marks. The objective of this thesis work was to determine how mice use their socio-olfactory environment to make food choices. Our results revealed that the absence of the conspecific during the indirect STFP reduces the social constraints associated with an encounter and allows the acquisition of STFP between unfamiliar conspecifics. However, some physical constraints associated with the perception of information in feces may reduce the availability of food information. We also showed that different sex concerns of individuals may affect the prioritization of information present in feces and limit, in males, the acquisition of STFP. Our results suggest that the use of food information in mice varies according to their social and ecological context and involves different processes such as emotion and attention. Under natural conditions, the direct and indirect STFP could be complementary, each of them extending the conditions for the transmission of food information in rodents.

Modern civilizations have evolved to be highly dependent on electrical energy. The exponentially growing renewables market has signaled transitions in electricity sectors that have traditionally been dominated by fossil fuel electricity. Various theoretical debates have recently emerged surrounding the processes of socio-technical transition, focusing on the pathways of transition, the levers for radical change and path-dependencies within these systems. The Multi-Level Perspective on Socio-technical Transitions is one such theory. This perspective views socio-technical change as a factor of interdependent shifts between three analytical levels observed within the system: the socio-technical regime, the socio-technical niche and the landscape. In accordance with this theory, radical change is generally observed as originating at niche level. Irregularities within the dominant regime and landscape pressures allow for niche innovations to break through into the dominant regime in processes of socio-technical transition. Toward understanding actor influences on energy transitions, considerable attention has been paid to actor's impact on governance processes through: patterns of consumption, the shaping of legislation and technical innovations, by socio-technical transitions theories. However less attention has been paid to the ways in which actors in renewable electricity markets are: forming networks toward the establishment of new regimes and governing processes at niche level, and consequently how actor governance has impacted the established perceptions and available pathways for realizing electric security. This thesis, builds on the Multi-Level Perspective, through an exploration of how actors govern socio-technical systems at niche level, paying careful attention to the modalities of power giving and power taking that allow for the development of networks of people and things toward the stabilization of novel socio-technical practices, innovations and developmental trajectories. It does this through a networked analysis of how different actors with different interests cooperate to open up innovative social and technological pathways.

Over the years the coming together of Brazil, Russia, India and China into the BRIG forum has been treated as a moment in time when emerging economies started making their mark in the global arena. Similar patterns of extraordinary productivity and growth as well as tangible development have been the driving force that predicts these countries as being the world economic leaders of the future. South Africa has now come into BRIG, which necessitated the changes in the acronym to BRIGS, an alleged hegemon of Southern Africa and the continent's economic power house. This country joined BRIG group, adding to the world's emerging economies and as a representative of the African continent. When South Africa became a member, its main aim was to develop its economy and align itself socio-politically with the emerging economies of the world. These emerging economies have shown some positive growth. The emergence of BRICS has recently captured the commanding heights across all borders in the 'South' and the 'North'. It is evident that South Africa has striven to be recognised worldwide, by its foreign policy, stable politics and its sophisticated economic policy. South-South multilateral agreements have been widely discussed in International Political Economy, but little has been said about the impact they make in the socio-economic development of the emerging countries. The issue of multilateral agreements concerning BRIGS is still relatively unexplored in comparison to other multilateral agreements that South Africa has ventured into. Globally the BRIGS multilateral agreement has generated different views concerning its future expectations of promoting growth for its member states, particularly South Africa. The dissertation has discovered and highlighted the importance of South Africa as a member of BRIGS, and how its engagement in the multilateral agreement will benefit the country with opportunities that lie ahead. This paper also looked at the insinuation that South Africa may be used by its powerful BRIGS partners and thereby lose its continental dominance. The study scrutinises and allows open space for further investigation to be made about the BRIGS multilateral agreement and its impact on socio-economic development in the Republic of South Africa. Many argue that South Africa's entry in BRIGS is a dangerous and risky move while others prefer to say it is a wise decision taken by the country. However the action taken by South Africa is a fait accompli and the country should plan ahead and understand the needs of its national interests and foreign policy to achieve its goals. / Thesis (M. Soc Sc (International Relations) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2013

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