In recent decades tourism has asserted its importance as the biggest employer and foreign exchange earner in both the developing and developed countries. Consequently, there has been increasing attention to tourism development as a strategy to stimulate economic growth, local economic development and poverty alleviation, especially in the developing countries. This study was undertaken with the objective of determining the direct benefits of the growth in tourism to the local communities in the vicinity of protected areas in South Africa's Mpumalanga Province. The tourism sector is strategically located within the economic mainstream as it links easily with other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, hospitality, transport and entertainment. It has added advantages, including the fact that the tourist product is consumed at the destination. This offers local communities opportunities in job creation, skills development, economic empowerment and social development. The study found that meaningful involvement of local communities in the tourism industry through ownership of tourism-related enterprises was almost non-existent. There were no meaningful linkages between the industry and the local communities other than the communities' supply of unskilled labour. There were also no programmes aimed at harnessing the phenomenal growth in South Africa's tourism for the economic empowerment of local communities. The economic empowerment of local communities need not be achieved through the ownership of tourism-related enterprises only, but may also include shareholding, outsourcing, affirmative procurement and social responsibility programmes by the industry.The continued marginalisation of the local communities by the tourism industry was attributed to unsatisfactory progress with the industry's transformation. The launch of the Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter and Scorecard in 2005 provided impetus for the transformation of South Africa's tourism industry. However, more work still needs to be done in the identified areas of ownership and control of tourism-related businesses, distribution of tourism benefits and the development of tourism-related skills and entrepreneurial culture in local communities. The role of the private sector in stimulating community involvement in tourism is particularly important. The private sector is singled out because of government policy that tourism development would be regulated by government and be private-sector driven. Furthermore, the private sector has the capacity and the resources to mobilise, not only to improve the attractiveness and marketing of a destination and the overall management of the tourism industry, but also to build thriving local communities. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Since 1994, the newly elected democratic government of the Republic of South Africa, starting with the government of National Unity, has introduced various policies and legislation in an endeavour to place the country on a path to recovery after the demise of apartheid. The national government has placed this responsibility in the hands of municipalities, or local government as they are commonly referred to. As a result, municipalities have an active duty to create conducive environments to enable local communities to participate in the preparation, implementation and review of their Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The purpose of this study is to assess the public participation of Rosendal-Mautse, one area among the five towns that comprise Dihlabeng Municipality, in the IDP process of Dihlabeng Municipality. In view of the anthology of legislation governing “public participation” at local government level, the study poses two hypotheses, which were tested against the data collected. Furthermore, two additional research questions were formulated to guide the research process. Results of the research are provided in a way that will enable the reader to draw his or her own conclusions on the value of this study. The literature review on international understanding and practices of public participation suggest that participation has grown and that its role has extended in development. This has resulted in the birth of new approaches that cut across theory, policy and practice, with each approach in turn producing its own trajectory and contextual specificities that are characterised by unique debates and empirical evidence. Municipalities are currently burdened with the responsibility to achieve socio-economic goals associated with public participation. However, despite compliance with legal requirement for public participation, only an appropriate knowledge of the process leading to meaningful participation and the relevant skills hold the key to success in this quest to reconstruct and develop the country where all will live a better life.

Aquesta tesi vol respondre a dos preguntes fonamentals en l'àrea de recerca de la migració transnacional: s'impliquen els immigrants en el transnacionalisme polític? I, quins són els factors determinants del seu activisme polític transnacional ? Per respondre a la primera qüestió, comparo el nivell d'activisme polític transnacional d'una mostra d'associacions de diferents orígens immigrants a Barcelona. Per contestar a la segona, centro l'atenció en possibles factors determinants a dos nivells, meso i macro. La tesis demostra que l'activisme polític transnacional no està generalitzat entre totes les associacions a Barcelona, que presenta un nivell relativament baix de regularitat, i que generalment es desenvolupa al nivell nacional. També demostra que la necessitat d'examinar l'efecte del context de sortida i, més en concret, l'estructura d'oportunitats polítiques del país d'origen sobre el transnacionalisme polític de les associacions d'immigrants. Altres determinants a nivell meso, com les xarxes socials o les fonts de finançament semblen explicar la variació en l'activisme polític transnacional de les associacions d'immigrants. / This thesis addresses two fundamental questions in the transnational migration research field: whether or not all immigrants engage in political transnationalism? And which are the main determinants of their transnational political activism? To answer the first research question, I specifically compare different degrees of transnational political engagement of various national/ethnic origin immigrant associations in Barcelona. To answer the second research question, I focus on meso- and macro- levels determinants. The thesis demonstrates that transnational political engagement is not generalised among all immigrant associations in Barcelona, presents a relatively low level of regularity, and is generally nationally based. It also demonstrates the importance of studying the effect of the exit context and, in particular, of the political opportunity structure in home country on the political transnationalism of immigrant associations. Meso- level determinants like social networks and sources of funds also seem to explain the variance in immigrant associations' transnational political engagement.

In recent decades tourism has asserted its importance as the biggest employer and foreign exchange earner in both the developing and developed countries. Consequently, there has been increasing attention to tourism development as a strategy to stimulate economic growth, local economic development and poverty alleviation, especially in the developing countries. This study was undertaken with the objective of determining the direct benefits of the growth in tourism to the local communities in the vicinity of protected areas in South Africa's Mpumalanga Province. The tourism sector is strategically located within the economic mainstream as it links easily with other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, hospitality, transport and entertainment. It has added advantages, including the fact that the tourist product is consumed at the destination. This offers local communities opportunities in job creation, skills development, economic empowerment and social development. The study found that meaningful involvement of local communities in the tourism industry through ownership of tourism-related enterprises was almost non-existent. There were no meaningful linkages between the industry and the local communities other than the communities' supply of unskilled labour. There were also no programmes aimed at harnessing the phenomenal growth in South Africa's tourism for the economic empowerment of local communities. The economic empowerment of local communities need not be achieved through the ownership of tourism-related enterprises only, but may also include shareholding, outsourcing, affirmative procurement and social responsibility programmes by the industry.The continued marginalisation of the local communities by the tourism industry was attributed to unsatisfactory progress with the industry's transformation. The launch of the Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter and Scorecard in 2005 provided impetus for the transformation of South Africa's tourism industry. However, more work still needs to be done in the identified areas of ownership and control of tourism-related businesses, distribution of tourism benefits and the development of tourism-related skills and entrepreneurial culture in local communities. The role of the private sector in stimulating community involvement in tourism is particularly important. The private sector is singled out because of government policy that tourism development would be regulated by government and be private-sector driven. Furthermore, the private sector has the capacity and the resources to mobilise, not only to improve the attractiveness and marketing of a destination and the overall management of the tourism industry, but also to build thriving local communities. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

This thesis examines the historical introduction and spatial expansion of modern water supply infrastructure in Amhara region across the three successive regimes: imperial, military, and EPRDF. It attempts to explore the institutional setup of the three governments together with their policies and strategies. The study also aims at giving an idea about the socio-economic changes registered because of improved access to safe water. Furthermore, it assesses the water consumption and conservation pattern of the society and the environmental impact of the water infrastructure development. Modern infrastructure development in Ethiopia traced its beginning back to the late 19th century. Safe drinking water supply had been one of those modern infrastructures introduced in Addis Ababa. Not long afterwards, it proliferated to the provinces. In Amhara region, drinking water supply infrastructure construction began in the early 20th century. However, this thesis inquired whether there was a programmed water supply infrastructure development before the mid-1950s or not. The water supply work started gaining momentum and became a state program in the late imperial period. However, it was affected by financial, technological and trained human resource constraints, lack of appropriate institution, defective management systems, and improper implementation methods. The military government had strengthened water supply institutions and improved workers' expertise. These developments helped the water supply infrastructure work to be executed in a programmed manner. Yet, financial restraints, the incessant political chaos of the time and the accompanied disruptive working environment had greatly impacted the temporal and spatial coverage of the water supply infrastructure development. The promising start of the Derg period did not continue with similar pace during the early years of the EPRDF rule. Despite the efforts made to set up water institutions at Regional, Zonal and Woreda (district) levels, no significant achievement was recorded in the field. The aftermath of the civil war together with internal and external challenges epitomized the transition period had impinged on the water supply work. This thesis testifies to the emergence of some socio-economic changes in the region. Yet, the slow progress of the water supply infrastructure work had stalled the socio-economic change that should have been registered through improved access to safe water supply. Despite the observable environmental degradation, the thesis argues that the retarded water supply work had nothing to do with the dearth of fresh water. While the trend shows steady growth of water consumption level across the three regimes, the conservation habit of the population remained low. / D.Litt. et Phil. (History)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T16:15:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto revisado em 13 6 12 grf ok.pdf: 1663257 bytes, checksum: 468b205f99b5250ccb86de7c1a58c9d5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-29 / This study approaches a new and unexplored subject, the Brazilian Family Aid Program. Bibliography practically does not exist and academic entities seldom discuss the subject because it is still under development. References are found in lectures, newspapers and magazine articles. This is an exploratory and analytical search, approaching evidence basis and sources. The Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) is a Brazilian Family Aid Program granted under conditionality rules. It can be considered a unique tool for income distribution, working towards an effective solution for families surviving under extreme poverty. The program started by the merger of three other poverty aid programs of dubious effectiveness Scholarship Aid, Cooking Gas Aid and Food Card. The PBF benefits families surviving under poverty conditions, with R$ 70 to R$ 140 monthly of per capita income and under extreme poverty conditions, below R$ 70 monthly of per capita income. Also, the PBF establishes conditional participation rules associated to education and health prevention for children. Presently the PBF supports 13 million families that fit rules and are enrolled in the Cadastro Único (Central Control Registration Roll). That registration roll practically covers the totality of the population under poverty situation line as defined by PNAD - 2006 (National Household Survey - 2006).The PBF control methodology allows income transfer to regions left under poverty conditions in past history. The PBF formed a new consumer community, new entrepreneurs, moreover, attracted investors. In regard to education there is reduction in illiteracy. The Human Development Index (HDI) shows vegetative growth, Brazil is the 84th country ranked among the 187 nations controlled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2011. The dimensions that compose the index for Brazil had poor growth lately, in particular the expected years of schooling for children at school enrollment age (in Brazil, 6 years old) declined during the last decade (2000-2010). It is likely that there is a structural issue with the Brazilian education sector. There is a socio-economic growth in regions where poverty has been endemic, in particular Northeast Region. The findings also reveal migration reversal that in past were North/Northeast Regions to Southeast Region as well as fecundity rate reduction, which are remarkable advantages. Brazil entered into the demographic bonus , a situation when the economically active population exceeds the dependent population , this is also an advantage because attracts investments and is a push towards economic growth. Despite of positive improvements, they appear to be insufficient, the human development in Brazil is far from excellence, presently a HDI of 0,718, with a growth of 0,769% annually (2000-2010) it will take 35/36 years to meet the Australian HDI of 0,943%. Unless chances help us, dreams to join the winners are unlikely. The Programa Bolsa Família , however, proves to be a social front towards inequality; the participants of the plan, originally classified under poverty line were rescued. / Esta dissertação trata de um tema relativamente novo, com literatura escassa, praticamente sem estudos teóricos que o abordem. Referenciais são encontrados em publicações feitas em seminários e palestras bem como em artigos e notas jornalísticas. Esta dissertação se trata de trabalho exploratório, analítico descritivo com base documental. O Programa Bolsa Família, tema central deste trabalho, é uma ferramenta para distribuição de renda que funciona de forma simples e tem sido efetiva para o atendimento de famílias que vivem abaixo da linha de pobreza. Ele é resultado da fusão de vários outros programas dispersos e com efetividade questionável Bolsa Escola, Auxílio Gás e Cartão Alimentação. O Programa Bolsa Família beneficia famílias em situação de pobreza com renda mensal de R$ 70 a R$ 140 per capita e em extrema pobreza com renda mensal abaixo de R$ 70 reais per capita. Também estabelece condicionalidades de educação e saúde. Atualmente, há cerca de 13 milhões de famílias inscritas no Programa Bolsa Família que cumprem as condições do Cadastro Único esta é praticamente a totalidade das famílias pobres segundo critérios do PNAD 2006 (Pesquisa Nacional de Domicílios). Na realidade, houve substancial injeção de recursos em áreas outrora relegadas ao acaso, criando novos consumidores, bem como empreendedores, além de atrair investimentos. Quanto à educação, nota-se que há redução do analfabetismo. Há um crescimento vegetativo do Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) no qual o Brasil situa-se em 84⁰ lugar dentre as 187 nações controladas pelo PNUD (Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento) em 2011. As variáveis que compõem o índice crescem timidamente, destaca-se queda no item expectativa de escolaridade esperada das crianças em idade de ingresso na escola (no Brasil, aos seis anos), que caiu no período 2000-2011, esse fato pode indicar falha estrutural no ensino brasileiro. Esse estudo indica que há desenvolvimento socioeconômico em áreas carentes, particularmente na Região Nordeste. Observa-se também a reversão da migração que historicamente era de norte/nordeste a sudeste. Também nota-se redução da taxa de fecundidade das brasileiras, o que é vantajoso. O Brasil também está com a vantagem do Bônus demográfico , quando a população economicamente ativa supera a população dependente, o que é um excelente fator de crescimento por atrair investimentos. Apesar de melhorias observadas na década 2000-2010, elas ainda são insuficientes. Quanto ao desenvolvimento humano , o Brasil está muito distante das nações desenvolvidas, com IDH de 0,718, que cresceu na última década à taxa de 0,769% ao ano. Nesse ritmo, até alcançarmos o IDH norueguês -- primeiro colocado, ou o australiano -- segundo colocado, que é de 0,943 serão necessários 35/36 anos. Isso nos leva a pensar que, a não ser que o acaso nos ajude, o sonho de nos juntarmos aos primeiros é questionável. Com respeito ao Programa Bolsa Família, esse prova ser uma frente social para a eliminação da desigualdade, seus beneficiários eram classificados como pobres e extremamente pobres e foram resgatados.

Regional integration gained popularity and is prioritised globally, especially in developing economies, including those on the African continent. This is based on its potential to accelerate trade, stimulate economic growth, and increase access to basic necessities and to induce a sustainable increase in economic output and improved standards of living. Regional integration in the context of developing economies is entirely implicit. Modern literature observes it as a policy option for dealing with a wide variety of issues related to politics, economic factors, and societal welfare. The SACU, existing since 1910, made several trade agreements globally. The union aims at reducing inequalities, ensuring continuous improvement in the general welfare of the population, and sustainable economic growth. Research, though, indicates that the region persistently reflects poor socio-economic conditions. This is accompanied by limited development in infrastructure, lowly skilled and experienced workforce. Primary sector activities dominate their economies, such as mining and agriculture, high levels of inequalities and poverty. Regional integration was implemented differently in several countries globally, and Africa in particular. The research noted that literature on regional integration and its implications on socio-economic development lacks, especially in the context of SACU. A deficiency was also emphasised the universal measurement of regional integration, which is not standardised. Some research employed single variables as a proxy, whilst some composite indices were also compiled and implemented, suiting the diverse setups and environments. The development measurements, therefore, cannot universally be applied attributable to context-specific concerns, prevalent in regions or countries. This study developed the SACU Regional Integration Index (SRII) because the existing indices on regional integration are limited concerning applicability. Most of the indices established in the literature were developed for specific countries and regions with diverse characteristics from those of the SACU region. In addition to a detailed literature review and closing methodological divergencies, this study evaluated the effects of regional integration on socio-economic development in the SACU countries. The objectives of the study were first, to produce the SACU Regional Integration Index. Second, the study aimed at evaluating the effect of regional integration on various socio-economic development factors listed as economic growth, investments, and the Human Development Index (HDI), inequalities and poverty. Third, the study provided policy recommendations to the socio-economic problems encountered by the SACU countries; and lastly, to implement the proposed SRII as a way of providing policymakers with the actual impacts. The study employed the principal component analysis (PCA) to construct the SRII. The Ordinary Least Squares (LSDV), fixed effects and random effects were employed to ascertain the effect of regional integration on socio-economic development in the SACU countries. The constructed SACU index comprises four dimensions. These are trade integration; productive integration; infrastructure integration; and financial and macroeconomic policies integration. The index revealed that SACU countries are dominated by trade and productive integration. Further analysis of the results indicated that collaboration on the financial and macroeconomic policies is lacking and the infrastructure dimension is lagging in the SACU region. Based on the second objective, the results indicate that regional integration is critical in improving trade openness and HDI, especially in Lesotho, Botswana, and Namibia. The effect of regional integration on real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, inequalities, and poverty reduction was realised in the long run through the interaction of all variables under study. This supported the dynamic effects posited by the dynamic theory of regional integration. It was established that growth, though, in infrastructure is insignificant compared to other dimensions of regional integration. This explains why regional integration was unsupportive concerning stimulating investments in all the economies forming the SACU region. The third objective was to proffer policy recommendations. Several practical policy recommendations emerged from this study, based on the literature findings and review. These recommendations include implementing inclusive development programmes, promotion private sector participation in economic activities, and policies, to boost production capacity in the countries in this region. Based on the fourth objective, this study further recommends SACU as a region, to integrate into the global economy. This can be conducted by participating in global production networks for manufacturing and taking advantage of emerging economies. This would diversify their export markets and their sources of finance development. SACU countries should make regional integration and trade a part of their national and sectoral development plans, ensuring coherent trade and industrial policies. They should also improve their labour, education, social protection, and safety nets. With data availability, this research can be extended to incorporate quarterly data or more years of study. Time-series methods can be applied, such as the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) method. This will increase the sample size and the number of observations, which can improve the outcome from the statistical and econometric analysis. Future studies may also evaluate the applicability of the index constructed in this study. / Economics / D. Phil. (Economics)

This study was carried out to examine the significance of Coffee-based agriculture in the socio-economic development of rural livelihoods in Ethiopia, with particular emphasis on households in the Borecha District of the Illubabor Zone, Oromia Regional State. In this dissertation, three randomly selected study kebeles2 were considered. The primary data were collected using household questionnaires, observation and key informant interviews. The secondary data were acquired from a review of the diverse and extensive literature contained in journals, textbooks and published and unpublished documents. The target population encompasses 1,600 coffee-growing households in the Borecha District, although the sample included only 120 coffee-growing farmers. Sample selection was performed using a stratified sampling technique to select three kebeles. The data analysis was both qualitative and quantitative, which involved descriptive statistics and general linear model (UNIANOVA, MANOVA). The data are presented as tables, bar charts, and line graphs accompanied by correlations and multiple comparisons that help to interpret the findings and to generate conclusions that support solutions to the identified problems. The findings show that coffee growing has increased the income generated from direct sales and associated employment opportunities. The social contributions realised include that over the past two years, households trend in spending on education increased. Moreover, sampled households access to health facilities changed after they started growing coffee. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

В процессе исследования была проанализирована нормативная правовая база в сфере стратегического планирования на федеральном и региональном уровнях; были дифференцированы инструменты стратегического развития жилищно-коммунального комплекса; выявлены основные проблемы реализации инструментов стратегического развития в сфере жилищно-коммунального хозяйства; определены пути для преодоления выявленных проблем на примере зарубежного опыта. Результатом работы стала разработка ряда рекомендаций и мероприятий по совершенствованию инструментов стратегии развития жилищно-коммунального хозяйства Свердловской области. Также был разработан проект по развитию жилищного самоуправления, который является инструментом по привлечению граждан в управление жилым фондом. Предложенные рекомендации в дальнейшем могут быть реализованы органами государственной власти Свердловской области. / In the process of analysis of normative legal base in the sphere of strategic planning at Federal and regional levels; were differentiated tools of strategic development of housing and communal complex; the basic problems of the implementation of tools for strategic development in the sphere of housing and communal services; identify ways to overcome the identified problems on the example of foreign experience. The result of the work was the development of a number of recommendations and measures to improve the tools of the strategy for the development of housing and communal services in the Sverdlovsk region. A project for the development of housing self-government was also developed, which is a tool for attracting citizens to manage the housing stock. The proposed recommendations can be implemented by the state authorities of the Sverdlovsk region in the future.

Профессиональные сообщества, основанные с целью расширения коллегиального участия единомышленников для защиты своих профессиональных интересов, являются эффективным инструментом для достижения общественно-полезных целей. В процессе регулярного взаимодействия участников сообществ, их обмена знаниями, опытом, при решении сложных профессиональных задач происходит развитие трудовых ресурсов и профессионального информационного пространства, что способствует продвижению имиджа территории как площадки для инвестирования и развития бизнеса, как места для профессионального роста рабочей силы и как производителя надежной продукции для потребителей. В представленной работе отражены особенности влияния PR-мероприятий на формирование и развитие профессиональных сообществ, проанализирована роль профессиональных сообществ в контексте продвижения территорий среди целевой аудитории, определен функционал профессиональных сообществ, способствующий развитию социально-экономических показателей территории. Основываясь на результатах методологической и эмпирической базы исследований, разработана программа PR-мероприятий по формированию профессионального сообщества геотехников для продвижения Уральского региона. / Professional societies founded with the aim of expanding the collegial participation of like-minded people to protect their professional interests are an effective tool for achieving socially useful goals. In the process of regular participation of community members, their exchange of knowledge, experience, decisions complex professional tasks are developing labor resources and professional information space, which promotes the image of the territory as a platform for investment and business development, as a platform for professional growth of the workforce and as a manufacturer of reliable products for consumers. The presented work reflects the features of the influence of PR-events for the formation and development of professional societies, analyzes the role of professional societies in the context of the promotion of territories among the target audience, defines the functionality of professional societies that contribute to the development of socio-economic indicators of the territory. Based on the results of methodological and empirical research, a program of PR events was developed to form a professional society of geotechnical engineering to promote the Ural region.