This study evaluates the purpose and role of the public library in national development in Botswana. Particular attention is focused on the public library as a community resource as well as its sensitivity in meeting the needs of community members and of organizations operating in the community. Chapter 1 introduces the nature of the problem, and brief historical and current developments of the public library in Botswana. Research objectives of the study are also outlined. Chapter 2 attempts to locate the public library in developing countries within development strategies such as the modernization and basic needs approach. Discussions further illustrate how policies emanating from these development strategies have influenced public library policies in these countries, and in Botswana. Attempts are made to show how the public library in Botswana is trying to adjust to shifts in emphasis of government development plans, especially the rural development emphasis. Chapter 3 outlines methods of research used to collect and process data obtained from the village Molepolole in Botswana. There is a brief discussion of the nature of this village as well as that of the community public library. Chapter 4 and 5 present findings of the household survey, and of community organizations and public librarians interviewed. An analysis and interpretation of findings of the household survey based on a sample of 203 readers drawn from the village is also presented. Community organizations interviewed include both government and non-government. Patterns of reading and views on the library of both readers in the survey and public library users, are explored. Chapter 6 presents a brief review of developments of the national campaign to eradicate illiteracy in Botswana, which was launched by the Department of Non-formal Education (DNFE) in 1970. The study shows what role the public library has been, and what it should be, in the provision of effective support for the promotion of literacy and reading. The last chapter gives a summary of findings, and suggests a model that could be adopted to develop an effective rural public library service in Botswana. The model is based on principles of the basic needs approach to development, which emphasizes appropriateness, focus on target groups, accessibility, affordability, integrativeness, participation and assertiveness. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1988.

In the past few years there has been a dramatic increase in research on the informal sector in South Africa. Motivating this research, besides academic curiosity, is growing concern over poverty and unemployment amongst South African blacks. The general belief that these factors have contributed significantly to the political unrest now sweeping the country is another encouragement to research. What is being increasingly suggested, not only by academics but also by government officials, businessmen and others, is that the informal sector could be developed in appropriate directions to provide jobs raise living standards and (hence) promote political stability. Attention is now being focused on the question of how best to achieve this objective. In this thesis, proposals for 'developing ' the informal sector in South Africa are examined by a careful analysis of the relevant literature and an in-depth case study of the KwaZulu township, KwaMashu. The first question that needs to be addressed is how to conceptualise the informal sector. There are many interpretations, depending in part on the stage of development attained by the local economy, of what comprises this sector. Does it only consist of the poor, the unlicenced, the untaxed, the unprotected, the harassed? There are many perspectives, too, on whether the informal sector is independent and autonomous or whether it is integrated into the economy in ways that might impede or facilitate its development. It has been argued, for example, that the state and capital determine the parameters of the informal sector at a level most functional to their requirements. These interpretations are critically examined in Chapters One and Two with particular reference to South Africa. Attention is then directed towards the particular case of KwaMashu. The research methodology is discussed in Chapter Three. The approach adopted here combined random-sample questionnaires and case study methods. In order to locate the research in its geographical, temporal and political setting the history of KwaMashu is also briefly reviewed. The research results (which cover the extent, viability, potential and difficulties of the informal sector), are examined in Chapters Four to Six. Chapter Four gives the results of the survey - including three detailed case studies and the findings of the questionnaire survey. In Chapter Five garment makers and retailers (two categories which together make up a large component of the KwaMashu informal sector) are analysed more closely using information obtained from case studies. The field work included interviews, not only with informal sector participants, but also with the officials whose decisions influence the development of the informal sector. The latter is examined in Chapter Six. An important finding particularly relevant for policy decisions - concerned the division in levels of informal sector operation and the policy decisions affecting each level. The concluding chapter combines the findings of literature surveys with the empirical results from KwaMashu in order to assess the opportunities for and the limits to informal sector 'development' in South Africa. Practical and realistic means by which those in this sector might be assisted are also discussed in some detail. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 1985.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

In the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, men who have sex with men (MSM) have experienced high levels of infection. Consequently, this population is considered a crucial target for prevention, care, and treatment efforts. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, most HIV transmission occurs via heterosexual intercourse, and 60% of HIV cases are women. African HIV epidemics are thus classified as “heterosexual” phenomena, and MSM are rarely targeted by public health programming. Epidemiological studies now show that African MSM often have greater HIV prevalence than the general population. Behavioral research further indicates elevated sexual risk and low prevention-related knowledge levels among these men. Moreover, denial, stigmatization, and criminalization of male homosexual conduct across Africa have created social climates in which MSM remain “hidden,” fearing rejection or arrest. This has heightened their vulnerability to HIV infection. To counteract this trend, public health advocates call for prevention interventions adapted to the needs of African MSM. In a few countries, local NGOs have begun mobilizing around the “MSM issue.” However, little information exists about HIV prevention among MSM in sub-Saharan Africa and the associations undertaking it. Using a case study of one such association – Alternatives-Cameroun – this project aimed to explore the factors affecting design and implementation of HIV prevention interventions for MSM in Cameroon. Homosexual conduct is illegal in Cameroon, and MSM are frequently harassed and arrested. Nonetheless, Alternatives-Cameroun has launched prevention programming that reaches “hidden” MSM and addresses their unique characteristics. Through qualitative research involving stakeholder interviews and personal observation, this project found that local, national, and international factors all influence choices of intervention content and delivery formats. Interventions are designed by Cameroonian MSM, for Cameroonian MSM, but are also informed by empirical research and outreach principles drawn from other contexts. Implementation is a challenge in Cameroon’s hostile and resource-poor environment: stakeholders bear physical, emotional, and financial burdens during outreach. However, internal dynamics and foreign support help Alternatives-Cameroun mitigate these obstacles. This project reveals that understanding local realities and reinforcing multi-sectoral mobilization around MSM issues are important first steps towards launching HIV prevention interventions for MSM in sub-Saharan Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The youth transition is not just a critical time for an individual but also to one’s family, the greater society and economy. The category “youth” in simple terms can be regarded as the transition in the life cycle from childhood and schooling into adulthood and work. Employment is one of the key factors that guide the youth transition into adulthood – from dependency upon family and community to greater independence and ability to secure one’s own livelihood. If a young person is unable to gain access into the labour market within the first 10 to 12 years, statistically, she will be less likely to have long-term employment throughout her lifetime. These are crucial years to providing mechanisms that actively engage youth in job preparation and employment opportunities. This research explores relevant youth-employment policy and its implementation in a South African local municipality of eThekwini. Research questions were developed to analyse the vertical and horizontal impact of policies at the local level and ask: What measures within national youth policies and strategies have been instituted to address barriers to youth employability in South Africa? Are national youth policies reaching the local level? What approaches have been taken to encourage youth employment at the local level, and what challenges exist in these approaches? The literature review, analysis of policy documents, and semi-structured in-depth interviews with government officials provide a guided yet flexible exploration of information within the context of local implementation of national and local policies for youth employment. Findings reveal an obvious gap between national youth programmes and their connection to municipality departments and programmes. The research process found that in spite of the lack of national services at a local level, the eThekwini Municipality has created its own youth policy and developed its own ways of providing youth services. While the research does unveil a lack of coordination concurrent to the local youth policy outcomes, it can be seen to be taking innovative steps of empowering individuals towards employment opportunities. The study concludes by acknowledging the recent changes in national strategies for youth. It questions whether these national changes will impact youth at the local level or just continue to provide policy that lacks implementation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

After decades of optimistic theories of development, increasing global poverty and inequities remain at troublingly high levels. By the close of the twentieth century the development enterprise was accused of having “…reached an impasse, trapped within its own meta-narratives and unable to capture the diversity of the third world in any relevant and constructive manner” (Abrahamsen, 2000: ix). Similar observations have been made by Binns and Nel, (1999), McMichael (1996), Rivero (2001) and Rihani (2002) among others. These observations raise fundamental suspicions on the traditional approaches to development. The emerging consensus tends to favor bottom up approaches to development, anticipating that these might be better equipped to address underdevelopment. Thus the concepts of democratization and decentralization feature centrally in the prevailing literature. Literature seems to suggest that these emergent discourses have absorbed assumptions and contradictions. This in turn has rendered these discourses potentially deficient of meaningful impact. The specific task of this dissertation is to investigate participation issues in integrated planning. This will be achieved through assessing small businesses related LED in eThekwini municipality. Integrated Development Planning is a process through which South African municipalities prepare a strategic development plan, for a five year period. The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is a product of the integrated development planning process. The IDP is a principal strategic planning instrument which guides and informs all planning, budgeting, management and decision-making in a municipality. Since the IDP involves participation of a number of stakeholders, it is crucial for the municipality to adopt an appropriate approach and also put in place appropriate structures to ensure effective participation. Here are some principles on participation: · The elected council is the ultimate decision-making forum on IDPs. · The role of participatory democracy is to inform, negotiate and comment on those decisions, in the course of the planning/ decision-making process. · Public participation has to be institutionalised in order to ensure that all residents of the country have an equal right to participate.” (Republic of South Africa, undated). Cornwall (2006:63) has already expressed serious worries on the way participation has navigated the development industry. For its part, she argues, “…contemporary participation discourse represents a reflux of strikingly similar policies, sentiments and pronouncements from a barely-remembered colonial past. Alongside the significant continuities in discourse and practice that span the colonial and post-colonial eras, the genealogy of participation in development reveals discontinuities and dissonances, broken records and broken promises” Within Cornwall’s concerns, this research project sought to understand the degree in which tendencies of top down approaches might still thrive in South Africa’s Local Economic Development discourse in regards to small businesses, despite policy commitments to participatory planning and governance. The findings suggest an urgent need to revisit the conceptualization of participation mechanisms. They further suggest this would impact on the approach to LED programs, and in particular those relating to small business development. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The premise of this case study research is that nutritional requirements increase when women fall pregnant and that obtaining adequate nutrition is of particular importance for the maternal environment and fetal growth on both short-term and long-term outcomes, impacting everything from individual well-being to Gross Domestic Product of a nation. Nutrition is a complex and multi-faceted area of study. An important part of this study is the nature of intra-household allocation. This study explores the allocation of food and resources within a sample of rural households to identify whether the onset of pregnancy changes a woman’s ability to claim (receive) additional food and resources to meet her increased nutritional needs. Using case study methodology, I collected a combination of quantitative and qualitative data on individual and household level information of 32 pregnant women in the area of Inchanga, South Africa. Almost all pregnant women in this sample report that their absolute needs are met. I also find that a majority of respondents report a relative increase in food, money and/or resources during pregnancy. This indicates that for the greater part of households in this sample, women’s access to nutrition does change because they are pregnant. Where a pregnant woman’s nutritional needs were not met, important individual and household correlates include the pregnant woman’s relationship to the head of household, to other household members as well as to the father of the child, in addition to the woman’s individual access to and control over income. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Several studies have documented the positive impact of post-apartheid development programmes on economic livelihoods in South Africa. This study explores the impact of post-apartheid policies with a focus on differences across geographical types (geo-types). In this study, I first analyse the design and implementation of key post-apartheid government policies through the lens of urban bias and synergist development theory. Next, I use national-level household survey data from the 1997 October Household Survey (OHS), the 2002 General Household Survey (GHS), and the first (2008) wave of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) to describe key trends and differences in demographic and socio-economic characteristics across geo-types. In doing so, the data reveal large differences between rural and urban areas. Although a few socio-economic disparities have narrowed somewhat since 1997, most differences remain substantial in 2008. The research also finds that the „rural‟ and „urban‟ binary categories provide an incomplete portrait of socio-economic realities in South Africa. More specifically, the four-geo type data identified in the NIDS 2008 uncover significant differences within rural and urban areas which make households located in tribal authority and urban informal areas more vulnerable to poverty.Using poverty and regression analysis, the study concludes that geo-type of residence and other correlates of socio-economic well-being have a significant impact on differential poverty risk across geo-types. Importantly, even after controlling for a range of observable characteristics, geo-type of residence still has a significant effect on the probability that an individual resides in a poor household. Given these findings, the study advocates further research into factors influencing poverty risk in particular geo-types and more careful attention to differences across geo-types in both research and policy-making. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The purpose of this study is to assess the developmental impact of the Mzinyathi access road in Durban (eThekwini) and to establish whether the construction of the road contributes to the poverty alleviation or not. The study begins by focusing on a review of literature on road infrastructure. Of importance is that the literature review provides a foundation for the study through the assessment of the existing literature on road infrastructure. Further, research gaps are presented allowing to this and other future researches to make new contributions to the existing literatures. Fifteen households were surveyed, a number of interviews were organised and two focus groups were organised. The information from all utilised techniques were analysed through the thematic approach. The results of the study indicate that the construction of the Mzinyathi access road has contributed significantly towards poverty alleviation in Mzinyathi area. The conclusion and recommendations drawn from the findings reveal that there is a crucial need for moving away from the former conception or way of thinking that the public works specifically the roads have to be constructed only for job purposes. The road is able to address many more developmental issues than job opportunities. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Energy efficiency is an issue currently generating huge interest as a potentially costeffective solution to the twin challenges of environmental pollution from energy production, and the increasing scarcity of energy resources. This research aims to interrogate the practicalities of regulation of energy efficiency to ask what scope there is for public-led encouragement of greater energy savings in industry. Shortcomings of current theory addressed include a discounting of the impact of heterogeneity of industrial activity on prospects to effectively regulate for energy efficiency, and a conflation of the different aspects of societal functioning to which energy efficiency regulations and incentives can be applied. The research argues that the scope for energy savings has been exaggerated and the factors which drive pursuit of energy efficiency within firms of different sizes poorly understood and articulated. The Voluntary Agreement form of environmental regulation is assessed for its applicability to regulating for energy efficiency in the context of these characteristics of energy efficiency in industrial settings. An in-depth interview approach with core participants in an example of a Voluntary Agreement for energy efficiency in South Africa, the Energy Efficiency Accord (Accord), reveals the difficulties of regulating for specific technologies, the generally targeted nature of energy efficiency incentive schemes which provide household and commercial-type programmes to heavy industry, and the fact that environmental objectives and capacities are highly developed within firms interviewed and in most cases precede participation in Accord activities. The inference is that participation at this stage of the Accord's existence is driven by the need to develop and maintain relations between key stakeholders, and to exploit opportunities to influence the form of energy efficiency regulation enacted as opposed to the need to obtain forms of technical guidance. The particular pattern of participation in the Accord is argued to result in part from the historical dominance of large, energy-intensive firms in South Africa, and to be consistent with the theory that the more energy-intensive firms in a society will be motivated to participate in voluntary initiatives such as the Accord. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.