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This study empirically examines the determinants of government expenditure in South Africa using annual data for the period from 1970 to 2014; and provides an overview of the South African government expenditure. The Johansen-Juselius co-integration test established that there is a long-run relationship between government expenditure and its determinants. The error correction model was used to examine the key determinants. The results of this study show that urbanisation rate, national income, poverty reduction; trade openness lagged one period and the wage rate significantly influence the size of government expenditure. Therefore, the study recommend that government create job opportunities; increase its expenditure in developing rural areas; and find ways to manage the public sector wage bill. The study concludes that population growth, inflation and trade openness in current period are not important in determining government expenditure in South Africa / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

The plight faced by unemployed rural communities in South Africa and particularly the women folks of Winterveldt does not differ much from other rural areas globally in terms of poverty and the need for development. In the light of this problem, the study attempted to answer the main research question guiding it, namely, what is the role of Vocational Education and Training programmes for unemployed women in Winterveldt? Few, if any, studies in South Africa have investigated how unemployed women with little formal education engage in Vocational Education and Training programmes for purposes of employment creation, environmental awareness and cultural preservation. This thesis presents three streams of Vocational Education and Training programmes that were introduced in Winterveldt, Pretoria, namely, the embroidery, vegetable gardens and beadwork. Using a multi-focal theoretical framework consisting of empowerment, human capital, feminism, and critical pedagogy theories, the study investigates whether the programmes reduced women’s vulnerability to poverty in post-apartheid South Africa. To carry out the investigation, the study employed a multiple case study research design based on an interpretive paradigm. In addition, the researcher using individual and focus group interviews, observations and document analysis was able to acquire qualitative data. The data were collected from 17 unemployed women, seven from embroidery stream, five from vegetable garden section and five from beadwork division as well as three coordinators. All the interviewees were selected purposively because they were deemed information rich with regard to the programmes of their studies. Data were analysed manually through hand coding that led to the emergence of the research findings. The research findings were categorised into various ideas that were eventually used to form the themes to this study. The research findings revealed the followings:  That all human beings have the capacity to realise their potential in their own way;  That women with little or no formal learning, usually go unnoticed in any systematic way;  That despite being unnoticed, women have achieved success by using their own hands and available resources to create artefacts or produce crops to turn their impoverished situation around; and  That Vocational Education and Training programmes serve as a primary livelihood strategy for unemployed women who had no alternative means of employment. In conclusion, the research findings are a reminder of the true African spirit that says; Rutang bana ditaola, le se ye natšo badimong, broadly translated as teach insights into the secrets of life to the young ones; you are not to take them with you when you depart to the land of ancestors. Finally, this study proposes a partnership framework as a formation that could enhance the performance of the women participants in the area of Winterveldt. The idea is that by sharing their knowledge and expertise the unemployed women who participate in the various community-based Vocational Education and Training programmes can achieve far better results than when they work in silos. / Educational Studies / Ph. D. (Education)

Thesis (MS en S)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) have been identified as the primary approach for the implementation of development communication and information as they potentially offer a wide range of services that communities can utilise for their own empowerment. This affords the community an opportunity to become more self-reliant. The new Local Economic Development (LED) policy paper (2002) highlights the mobilisation of internal resources, capacities and skills consistent with the sustainable development objectives that government is now more aggressively pursuing. Community participation and empowerment play a significant role in any community, therefore, municipalities need to create the conditions for greater public participation and empowerment. It should be done with regards to the disadvantaged or marginalised groups in accordance with the conditions and capacities in a municipality. In the Dwars River region, various services are being planned ranging from skills development to tourism, but these depend on sufficient financial aid. The nature and location of the MPCCs in South Africa makes financial sustainability difficult because the majority of them largely serve historically disadvantaged communities with limited financial resources to pay for services. It is also important to note that economic growth does not necessarily imply poverty alleviation and/or skills development as components of the government's communication and information approach. MPCCs can transform communities but will be time consuming and requires participation from all spheres of government and civil society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid Afrika was Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums geidentifiseer as die primêre benadering vir die implementering van informasie en kommunikasie programme, veral omdat hierdie progamme 'n reeks dienste aanbied, wat die gemeenskap kan benut vir hul eie bemagtiging. Dit gee aan die gemeenskap die geleentheid om meer onafhanklik te word. Die nuwe Plaaslike Ekonomiese Ontwikkelings beleidsdokument (2002) beklemtoon die mobilisering van interne hulpbronne, kapasiteit en vaardighede konstant met die volhoubare ontwikkelings objektiewe wat die regering meer aggresief nastreef. Publieke deelname en bemagtiging speel 'n kenmerkende rol in die lewens van die gemeenskap. Verder blyk dit duidelik dat munisipaliteite, publieke deelname en bemagtiging moet bevorder. Munisipaliteite moet ook kondisies vir publieke deelname en bemagtiging skep. Hierdie twee strategieë moet veral toegepas word op vorig benadeelde en gemarginaliseerde groepe en gemeenskappe in lyn met die kondisies en kapasiteit van die betrokke munisipaliteit. Die Dwarsrivier Vallei bied verskeie dienste aan wat vaardigheidsontwikkeling en toerisme insluit. Dit sal grootliks afhang van die streek se finansiële kapasiteit. Die aard en ligging van Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums in Suid-Afrika maak finansiële volhoubaarheid Gemeenskap Sentrums moeilik, bedien want die meerderheid Veeldoenige grootliks die historiese benadeelde gemeenskappe met hul beperkte finansiële hulpbronne. Dit is ook belangrik om te beklemtoon dat ekonomiese groei nie noodwendig armoede uitwissing impliseer nie, maar so eerder vaardigheidsontwikkeling (bv. Informasie Tegnologie). Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums kan gemeenskappe transformeer, maar sal baie tydrowend wees en benodig gemeenskap deelname in alle sfere van regering en plaaslike gemeenskap.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Socio-economic transformation has been a central point on the agenda of the South African government since 1994. The deeply embedded inequality that is portrayed by socio-economic statistics of the time, justifies this mandate. The Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) strategy is meant to play a key role as an integrated legislative approach towards transformation. However, BEE is an emotionally laden subject that, as a strategy for transformation, attracts criticism from many different sources. The complexities surrounding BEE warrant us to ask whether the current approach towards socio-economic transformation (through BEE) is a legitimate way to address the problems of inequality, unemployment and poverty that the country face. Jürgen Habermas’s theory of democratic law provides us with a theoretical framework that we can use to understand the dynamics of BEE as instrument for transformation. According to Habermas, law can work as a mechanism of social integration in a democratic country like South Africa. Habermas argues that social integration can only take place through law if it is factual and normative at the same time. This also applies to BEE as a law in South Africa. For a law to be accepted as normative, it needs to be seen as legitimate, thus morally and ethically acceptable. These are all prerequisites for the legislated BEE strategy in order to enable social integration. The linkage of Habermas’s theory of democratic law and the practical example of BEE legislation in South Africa, leads to a better understanding of the complexities that surrounds the issue of institutionalised and legislated socio-economic transformation. It does not necessarily provide infallible solutions, but important insight into the current problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert 1994 is sosio-ekonomiese transformasie ‘n sentrale punt op die agenda van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering. Hierdie mandaat word geregverdig deur die diepliggende ongelykheid wat sigbaar is in die ontwikkelingstatistiek van die tyd. Die Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging (SEB) –strategie is veronderstel om ‘n sleutelrol te speel as ‘n geïntegreerde wetlike benadering tot transformasie. SEB is egter ‘n emosioneel-belaaide onderwerp wat as strategie vir transformasie kritiek ontlok van baie verskillende oorde. Die kompleksiteite rondom SEB regverdig ons om te vra of die huidige benadering tot sosio-ekonomiese transformasie (deur SEB) die mees legitieme manier is om die probleme van ongelykheid, werkloosheid en armoede aan te spreek wat die land in die gesig staar. Jürgen Habermas se teorie vir demokratiese regspraak dien as ‘n teoretiese raamwerk wat ons kan inspan om die dinamika van SEB as instrument vir transformasie te verstaan. Na aanleiding van Habermas kan wet werk as ‘n meganisme vir sosiale integrasie in ‘n demokratiese land soos Suid-Afrika. Habermas verduidelik verder dat sosiale integrasie net kan plaasvind deur ‘n wet as die wet terselftertyd feitelik en normatief is. Dit is ook van toepassing op SEB, as ‘n wet in Suid-Afrika. Vir ‘n wet om normatief te wees, moet dit gesien word as legitiem, dus moreel en eties aanvaarbaar. Hierdie is alles voorvereistes waaraan die wetlike SEB strategie moet voldoen om sosiale integrasie te kan bewerkstellig. Die analogie tussen Habermas se teorie vir ‘n demokratiese regstelsel en die praktiese voorbeeld van SEB in Suid-Afrika, lei tot beter begrip vir die kompleksiteite rondom die kwessie van geïnstitusionaliseerde en wetlike sosio-ekonomiese transformasie. Onfeilbare oplossings word nie noodwendig verskaf nie, maar wel insig in die huidige probleme.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African society and economy are characterised by a duality - one is highly developed and able to participate in the global KnowledgeEconomy; the other, largely focused on subsistence with no access to the "infostructure" and opportunities of the Information Age. At the root of this duality is the disparity in skills between the developed and developing sectors of our society. Whileskills development is required in the developingsector along with other measures to address the "digital divide", skills retention through the transfer and sharing of knowledgeis required in the developed sector where various factors are causing a flight of skills from South Africa. These disparate objectives further exacerbate the unequal distribution of skills, knowledge, opportunities, and income and increase the chasm between "the two economies", negating any participation by South Africa in the global Knowledge Economy. Communities of Practice, as a proven and mature knowledge management strategy, is proposed as an appropriate method whereby skills development and knowledge transfer can take place in South African organisations and it is proposed that the National Skills DevelopmentStrategy recognises communities of practice as a core element. Individual and organisational learning in terms of skills development and knowledge transfer as well as the nature, support, structure, and value of communities of practice are conceptualised and described to provide a broad understanding of and illustrate the contribution that that communities could make to South Africa's ability to participate in the KnowledgeEconomyand closing the divide between our "twoeconomies". / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: KENNISGEMEENSKAPPE AS 'N NASIONALE VAARDIGHElDS ONTWIKKELING STRATEGIE Die Suid Afrikaanse samelewing en ekonomie word gekenmerk deur 'n dualiteit - een sektor is hoogs ontwikkel en neem deel aan die globale Kennis Ekonomie; die ander is hoofsaaklik gefokus op oorlewing met geen toegang tot die inligting infrastruktuur van die Inligtings Era nie. Die ongelykheid in vaardighede tussen die ontwikkelde en ontwikkelende gemeenskappe is die kern van die genoemde dualisme. Die ontwikkelende sektor benodig dat die vaardighede van die breë samelewing ontwikkel word ten einde hulle in staat te stel om deel te neem aan die kennis samelewing. Aan die ander kant is daar 'n behoefte by die ontwikkelde sektor om bestaande kennis oor te dra en te deel ten einde die aaneenlopende verlies aan kennis en vaardighede te bekamp. Kennisgemeenskappe as 'n bewese kennisbestuur strategie, word voorgestel as 'n gepaste metode waardeur die ontwikkeling van vaardighede en die oordrag van kennis kan plaasvind binne Suid Afrikaanse organisasies en dit word aanbeveel dat kennisgemeenskappe erken word as 'n kern element van die Nasionale Vaardigheids Ontwikkeling Strategie. Individuele en organisatoriese kennis inname/bestuur in terme van vaardigheidsontwikkeling en kennis oordrag asook die aard, struktuur, ondersteuning en waarde van kennisgemeenskappe word bespreek. Dit word gedoen ten einde 'n breë begrip daar te stel van die aard en inhoud van, en die bydrae wat kennisgemeenskappe kan maak tot Suid Afrika se deelname aan die Kennis Ekonomie te illustreer. Dit word gestel dat kennisgemeenskappe kan bydra om die dispariteit tussen die twee ekonomieë in Suid Afrika aan te spreek.

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. Since the 1980s the role of tourism as a means of achieving the objectives of economic development has received prominence within the sustainable development paradigm. This dissertation examines the role of international tourism in achieving the objectives of economic development in terms of its impact on key social and economic variables, such as the balance of payments, inflation, employment and the social fabric of host communities. It also examines the constraints facing international tourism, such as the effect of perceptions on tourism flows and the powerful position of multinationals in influencing the tourist decision-making process. The success of the international tourism industry in selected countries is assessed and the relative position of the South African tourist offering is highlighted in an attempt to draw lessons for the future development of the industry in South Africa. / Economics / M. A. (Economics)

According to the Financial Sector (FS) Charter, in August 2002, at the NEDLAC Financial Sector Summit, "the financial sector committed itself to the development of a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) charter. It made this commitment, noting that: "Despite significant progress since the establishment of a democratic government in 1994, South African society remains characterised by racially based income and social services inequalities. This is not only unjust, but inhibits the country's ability to achieve its full economic potential. BEE is a mechanism aimed at addressing inequalities and mobilising the energies of all South Africans. It will contribute towards sustained economic growth, development and social transformation in South Africa. Inequalities also manifest themselves in the country's financial sector. A positive and proactive response from the sector through the implementation of BEE will further unlock the sector's potential, promote its global competitiveness, and enhance its world class status". Parties of the Financial Sector Charter agreed on the seven pillars below: 1) Human resource management - provide resources to develop skills of black people with the aim of increasing black participation in all levels of management in the sector. 2) Procurement policies - implement a targeted procurement strategy to enhance BEE. 3) Enterprise development - improve the level of support provided to BEE companies in all sectors of the economy. This would be achieved through skills transfer, administration and technical support. 4) Access to financial services - provide affordable financial services to the previously disadvantaged groups and making sure financial services are accessible to these groups. 5) Empowerment financing - work closely with government and government financial institutions to increase resources for empowerment financing. 6) Ownership in the financial sector - 25% of shares in each party of the FS Charter should be owned by black people by 2010. 7) Corporate social investrnent (CSI) - Each financial institution will have to spend 0.5% of their after-tax profit on corporate social investment projects. The projects should be targeted at black groups with a strong focus on transformation. The research evaluates the applicability of Lewin's Force Field Analysis (a change management model) in the implementation of the Financial Sector Charter at Standard Bank of South Africa. It attempts to achieve this by looking at how the Financial Sector Charter is being implemented at Standard Bank. The research looks at three main areas: 1) The "context" of the research problem, by seeking to understand Standard Bank's understanding of the FS Charter, the importance of implementing the FS Charter by the bank, the progress made thus far in the FS Charter implementation and comparison to the BEE scorecards of the other three main bank. 2) The "process", i.e. how the FS Charter is implemented in the bank, the driving and restraining forces of successful implementation of the FS Charter and the lessons learnt. 3) The "outcome" , i.e. benefits of implementing the FS Charter and what could be done to ensure that change management processes are successfully implemented. Personal interviews were used to discover other valuable information which was not available on the bank's published documents, and other related sources such as the Financial Sector Charter document. The sample size for the study was ten Standard Bank employees from different areas of the bank who are either senior managers or directors, in the bank. Internal publications available on the Standard Bank intranet such as the bank's employment equity plans, and the bank's sustainability reports from 2004 to 2011 (Standard Bank, 2004-2011) were analysed for the purpose of the study. The researcher also analysed public documents such as the bank's annual financial reports, bank's equity reports and internal publications on related topics of the research question. Lewin's Forces Field Analysis (FFA) points out that in any environment where change is required; there are both driving and restraining forces that influence the implementation of a change programme. The FFA is a valuable change management tool at trying to transform the behaviour of an individual, and this will lead to transformation of groups and, ultimately the organisation. It also helps to establish the balance between the driving and restraining forces of the change programme. Lewin's (1951) theory put forward the idea that change occurs in three stages: the first stage of change is unfreezing; the second stage is moving and lastly, the third stage is refreezing. In the unfreezing stage, the bank's change management initiatives would need to be directed at giving the individuals a desire and motivation to be ready and open about a planned change initiative. This could be achieved by clearly communicating why change is important, benefits of change and the compelling reasons for change. In moving, the bank would need to give support and confidence to the people affected by change in order to start accepting and buying-in to new perspectives, which enable them to realise that change will improve the current situation. In the refreezing stage, the bank would need to ensure that new patterns of behaviour are reinforced. This will ensure that the changes are applied in everyday business, and this helps create a sense of stability, where those affected by change feel comfortable and confident with the new approach of doing things. The research concludes that managers should recognise the sensitivity around transformation, and should always try to ensure that change management initiatives directed at transformation are unifying, fair and transparent. This should be done to avoid a situation where an employee (or prospective employees) and other stakeholders feel under-appreciated or overlooked because of their gender or race. This demands a carefully crafted and implemented change management programme, whose results will not only unify the bank's employees, but also create a competitive edge for the bank. Lewin's Force Field Analysis (FFA) model is a change management tool that could be used to produce such results.

International Aid or Official Development Assistance (ODA), especially its implementation and effectiveness, has long been and continues to be a vigorously contested matter amongst the stakeholders in the development arena. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ODA in two municipalities in the Eastern Cape – Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipalities – during the period 2005–2010. This period coincided with the introduction of the Paris Declaration (PD), an intervention intended to improve the ODA or Aid landscape globally. This was also the period during which the so-called service delivery protests in almost all municipalities in South Africa escalated. A diversified methodology including both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in this study while adhering to the evaluation framework of the Paris Declaration as recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This framework put special focus on the five principles of ownership, alignment, harmonisation, managing for results and mutual accountability. Of particular significance in this study is the special attention paid to the actual beneficiaries on the ground, namely the communities, which is contrary to most existing Paris Declaration evaluations. The research findings suggested that there had been no conscious efforts to implement the Paris Declaration in the two municipalities that were investigated. Furthermore, the prevailing weaknesses in governance, coupled with both administrative and operational paralysis in these two institutions, provided for less than fertile ground for this intervention to thrive.The findings also highlighted that ODA programmes were very poorly known by most stakeholders, especially the communities who were supposed to benefit directly from this assistance. These results also underscored the partisan nature of ODA and how it influenced the perceptions of the various key players. The success and future of ODA programmes in South Africa, particularly in municipalities, will largely rely on “Active Citizenry”. Although ODA’s contribution to South Africa seems negligible in monetary terms, its significance lies among others in the innovations, piloting, risk mitigation, catalytic initiatives and capacity development it introduces or generates and which need to be correctly exploited, implemented and maximised. ODA in South Africa should therefore focus at the local level, the municipalities, which represent the interface between the citizens and the state. To ensure that the ensuing innovations are optimally cascaded down in an organised and effective manner to where they are mostly needed, ODA should preferably operate at the strategic level in municipalities. This would in turn assist in counteracting the current high levels of poverty and inequality in the country. Study findings further suggest that South Africa should cease its current ambivalence regarding ODA and refrain from the so-called “Triangular” ODA in support of the rest of Africa. The demands in it’s own back yard are steadily mounting. This is clearly reflected by the continuous service delivery protests and instability in several municipalities in South Africa.

This study investigates the extent to which South African short-term insurance companies manage climate change risk, as evidenced in their annual and sustainability reporting. The study context takes into account the fact that the world’s climate has been changing at a more accelerated rate since the early 1970s, causing disasters that have negatively affected world economies in the last ten years. Insurers, due to their huge financial resource base, long history of spurring innovation around risk and encouraging loss-reducing behaviour as well as high levels of vulnerability, have been identified as one industry that could lead societies in finding solutions to climate change risk. A key element of such a corporate resolve involves taking a leadership position which makes business sense for insurers. As such, this research analyses how innovative solutions to change-related problems could result in reduced exposure to climate change in line with corporate triple bottom line objectives. Based on a purposive sampling of short-term insurance companies operating in the South African market during the 2007 financial year, the study uses the companies’ annual and sustainability reports in order to critically assess evidence of climate change-related performance. The assessment is undertaken against the best practice indicators of climate change risk management, as defined by Ceres – a global researcher on climate change management in the business context. The data analysis is largely qualitative, consisting of a narrative presentation of the results and a conceptual application of the results to the triple bottom line which forms the theoretical framework of this study. The study finds that the South African short-term insurers were generally not living up to the climate change management ideals, in comparison to their multinational counterparts. For the South African short-term insurers, corporate strategic product innovation and planning was insignificant. Also negligible was board involvement, as well as CEO involvement, though in at least one case of the 4 local short-term insurance, there was evidence of extensive CEO involvement in climate change risk management. On the whole, these findings represent a lapse in corporate governance inasmuch as climate change risk management is concerned. Local short-term insurers generally performed well in the area of public disclosure, with their scores ranging from insignificant to extensive. In contrast, multinational short-term insurers’ performance with regard to climate change risk intervention ranged from insignificant tointegrated, across the five governance areas of board oversight, management execution, public disclosure, emissions accounting and strategic planning. As such, the study broadly recommends that short-term insurers in South Africa should make climate change part of their overall risk management strategies in order for them to remain competitive in an environment of increased climate change-related risk. More specifically, the research project recommends that the local insurers should proactively lead climate change mitigation measures through, for instance, investing in clean energy projects and incentivising their clients’ participation in the carbon market to prepare themselves for possible regulatory restrictions after the Copenhagen climate change conference planned for December 2009. This study also challenges insurers to help communities and as well as other businesses in their value chain to reduce their negative impacts on the world’s climate and to be more resilient against disasters which may arise from the high levels of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. Further, it recommends that insurers should create internal board and executive level climate change-related structures, as these will facilitate the integration of the proposed initiatives into their overall sustainability strategies. Above all, the study recommends that insurers should enhance the reporting of their climate change-related risk, opportunities and initiatives to improve their integrity.