The release of ex-president Nelson Mandela on 10 February 1990, introduced transformation in South Africa. The road to transformation, in a post apartheid era, placed pressure and demands on the social work profession and the professionals. Change was inevitable (Lesnik 1997:164) while the inequities and the disparities of the past had to be eliminated and replaced with transformed services. This study explores the transformational challenges experienced in contemporary social work practice at The Department of Social Development, Johannesburg, South Africa. A non-probability sample was selected (Babbie and Mouton 2004:166). A combination of the qualitative and the quantitative approaches, with more emphasis on the quantitative approach was utilized. Questionnaires were used for data collection and analysis was done according to the framework as described by Tesch in De Vos et al., (1998:343). The transformational challenges were identified and guidelines are drafted to assist in addressing the identified challenges. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

From the Proceedings of the 1975 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 11-12, 1975, Tempe, Arizona / From the establishment of the Arizona resources board in 1928 until the Arizona Water Commission was formed in 1971, no state water plan was developed. Since 1971, the longest and most intensive planning studies have been concerned with allocation of Colorado River water through the central Arizona project. Future plans involve desalting sea water, weather modification, importation of water, etc. The Arizona state water plan ultimately will be a plan of management of Arizona's limited water resources. Water plans and economic and environmental impact evaluations are scheduled for completion by july, 1977.

Unanticipated economic fluctuations exert pressure on state governments to adjust their discretionary fiscal policies to accommodate the changing fiscal situation. Even though states adjust fiscal policy as the economy fluctuates, the typical cyclical economic factors are not the sole determinant of such adjustments. State governments budgeting systems in the United States operate under a variety of budgetary institutions. The most prominent state government budgetary institutions include balanced budget rules (BBRs), tax and expenditure limits (TELs), and supermajority voting requirements for tax increases. This dissertation examines how these budgetary institutions affect state government choices of fiscal policy under different economic conditions. To better understand the effect of state level TELs, a stringency index of state level TEL is constructed considering the major structural features. The fixed-effect panel regressions are used for the analysis of impact of TEL and BBR and tax changes and the fixed-effect Tobit is adopted to test the impact of TEL and BBR on spending cuts after the budget is adopted. The result suggests that TEL plays a more important role affecting states discretionary fiscal adjustment from the tax side, while BBR plays a more important role affecting states discretionary fiscal adjustment from the expenditure side. Results of this research show that TEL exerts pressure on states that hinder state ability to deal with volatile fiscal situations, especially in the case of periods of budget crises.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The introduction of provinces in South Africa since 1994 has not only provided for a new level of decision making but also a change dynamic generated by the integration of different government administrations of the second tier of Government. The original integration problems of the different administrations also extended the inquiry to the importance of greater efficiency and effectiveness of the Provincial level of Government. Since the commencement of provinces many questions have been raised such as; why are provinces unable to provide the requisite services expected of them; why are provinces unable to succeed in implementation of their aims and objectives; should provinces empower rather than serve communities; should the public service be driven by mission statements and success! performance criteria rather than bureaucratic rules; should the provincial government be anticipatory i.e. strategically focused, rather than reactive and crisis management driven. Are provincial governments necessary or can the services be provided more cost effectively by privatisation. All the above questions raises the central inquiry of what structural and systemic changes are necessary to make the provincial administration more effective and efficient in delivery of services and what qualities of leadership will be necessary to enable this to happen. The study covers six chapters. In chapter one the theoretical basis is discussed in the provincial context. Chapter two is an Opportunity! Obstruction analysis of the North West Provinces and reaches the conclusion that transformation will not occur automatically and both structural and systematic changes will be required. Chapter four looks at the corporate rules of the Provincial Administration and by white papers, green papers, policy papers and regulations. Chapter five looks at the way forward. The overwhelming conclusions reached by the study is that: • Transformation would require both structural as well as systemic changes. • Leadership would need to be much more focused to succeed with transformation. • Efficiency would require a complete mindset change by civil servants. Effectiveness would require much greater co-ordination between budgeting and planning interfaced at the centre. Chapter six concludes the study by answering the hypothesis and the questions raised in the introductory chapter. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die instelling van nege provinsies in Suid-Afrika sedert 1994 het nie alleen 'n nuwe vlak van politieke besluitneming geskep nie, maar ook 'n nuwe veranderingsdinamika gegenereer met die integrasie van verskillende staatsadministrasies op die tweede vlak van regering. Die aanvanklike probleme met die integrasie van verskillende administrasies het ook die soeklig laat val op die noodsaaklikheid van groter effektiwiteit en doelmatigheid van die vlak van regering. Sedert die provinsies begin funksioneer het, is baie vrae oor hulle voortbestaan gevra soos byvoorbeeld: waarom slaag die provinsies nie in hulle diensleweringsfunksies nie; waarom kan die provinsies nie hulle doelwitte en doelstellings implementeer nie; moet die provinsies gemeenskappe bemagtig of dien; moet die provinsies burokratiese reels volg of uitsetgedrewe wees; moet provinsiale adrninistrasies strategies-antisiperend in hulle benadering wees of reaktiefadministratief en is provinsiale administrasies enigsinds nodig, of kan die meeste dienste meer koste-effektief geprivatiseer word? Al die bogenoemde vrae het dus die sentrale vraag laat ontstaan oor wat die strukturele en sisterniese veranderings is wat nodig sal wees om 'n provinsiale administrasie in staat te stel om te voldoen aan groter effektiwiteit en dienslewering en watter leierskapskwaliteite daaraan gekoppel kan word. Die studie ontplooi in ses hoofstukke. In hoofstuk een word die teoretiese uitgangspunte en die provinsiale konteks bespreek. Hoofstuk twee bevat 'n geleentheid-bedreigingsanalise van die Noordwes Provinsie en het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat verandering nie vanselfsprekend sal plaasvind nie en dat daar sisterniese en strukturele intervensies sal moet plaasvind. Hoofstuk drie fokus op die strukturele aspekte wat die gang van die Noordwes Provinsie bepaal soos dit manifesteer in onder andere alle tersaaklike wetgewing, witskrifte, groenskrifte, beleid en regulasies. Hoofstuk vier bied 'n sisterniese analise van die Noordwes Provinsiale bedeling en hoofstuk vyf beskryf die moontlike weg vorentoe. Ten slotte word daar 'n gevolgtrekking in hoofstuk ses aangebied. Die oorwoë gevolgtrekking waartoe die studie kom is dat die mees ideale pad vorentoe vir provinsiale bedelings langs vier weë gesoek moet word t.w.: • Daar moet meer aandag aan transformasie gegee word en dit sal beide strukturele en sisterniese veranderinge behels. • Daar moet baie meer op leierskap gefokus word ten einde die transformasieproses te laat slaag. • Om groter effektiwiteit te bereik sal daar 'n verskuiwing in die ingesteldheid (mindset) van staatsamptenare gemaak moet word. • Ten einde groter doelmatigheid in die Noordwes Provinsie te bereik sal daar baie beter integrasie tussen beplanningsfunksies en begrotingsfunksies moet plaasvind.

The release of ex-president Nelson Mandela on 10 February 1990, introduced transformation in South Africa. The road to transformation, in a post apartheid era, placed pressure and demands on the social work profession and the professionals. Change was inevitable (Lesnik 1997:164) while the inequities and the disparities of the past had to be eliminated and replaced with transformed services. This study explores the transformational challenges experienced in contemporary social work practice at The Department of Social Development, Johannesburg, South Africa. A non-probability sample was selected (Babbie and Mouton 2004:166). A combination of the qualitative and the quantitative approaches, with more emphasis on the quantitative approach was utilized. Questionnaires were used for data collection and analysis was done according to the framework as described by Tesch in De Vos et al., (1998:343). The transformational challenges were identified and guidelines are drafted to assist in addressing the identified challenges. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

In any given week glance through the nation's leading newspapers and popular magazines and chances are you will find an article on the nation's medically uninsured. In chiding a country that allows 16% of its citizens to suffer the risks associated with that lack of insurance, reference is frequently given to the exemplary coverage provided to federal government employees by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. What of the benefits provided to state government employees? How good is the coverage, and, of particular interest, are there significant variations across states and what factors might contribute to those differences? This study assesses the level of health care benefits afforded to state government employees in all fifty states and considers the potential impact of political ideology, political culture, economic conditions and public employee union membership in influencing variations in those benefits across the states. The state paid portion of a family’s health care premium was adjusted to allow for differences in health care costs across the states resulting in a range of the level of benefits from $318 per month in Mississippi to $1834 per month in New Hampshire. A state’s economic condition, the level of public union membership, and a moralistic political culture were all shown to have a positive association with the level of benefits. Political ideology, defined as the degree of liberalism, was, however, not shown to have a statistical association. Understanding health care benefit differences between states and the factors that drive those differences has the potential of improving lives and the functioning of state governments. Scant information on those differences exist in the current literature; this study has developed a baseline of information and an assessment of driving influences that will, hopefully, stimulate additional approaches and research efforts. Benefits, in general, have been shown in the literature to impact the ability of state governments to attract and maintain employees of merit. Advocates of increased benefits can utilize these study results to place their requests in a broader context.