In this study I investigate sub-national governments to determine whether the accountability derived from local elections improves the delivery of a vital resource – potable water – to the population and, additionally, consider accessibility to improved sanitation. I utilize a cross-national differenced random effects model of 156 countries from 1990-2007 and examine the complex relationship between water, sanitation, and local government. This analysis finds that States with locally elected municipal government have a higher percentage of people with access to improved water and sanitation facilities as opposed to States without locally elected municipal government.

Magister Artium - MA / The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community’s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents,community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi’s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects.

The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community’s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents, community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi’s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects. / Magister Artium - MA

<p>The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community&rsquo / s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained&nbsp / responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents, community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi&rsquo / s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects.</p>

<p>The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community&rsquo / s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained&nbsp / responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents, community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi&rsquo / s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects.</p>

The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community’s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents, community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi’s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects. / Magister Artium - MA

近年來，經濟發展及週休二日的實行，使國人愈發注重良好休閒品質，為有效因應都市綠地及休閒場所之不足，臺北縣政府用心整頓二重疏洪道及淡水河兩岸河濱公園，規劃自行車道、生態溼地及各項運動設施，並自92年起等引進民間業者設置自行車租借站、親水樂園、漆彈場等遊憩服務，希望提供民眾安全舒適的遊憩環境，並降低政府園區維護修繕經費。 本研究同時進行深度訪談及問卷調查，從多方觀點加以探討，以求研究結果之正確客觀，在訪談部分，以臺北縣政府高灘地工程管理處相關業務成員與實際經營之民間業者為訪談對象，發現經營成效泰半能達成政策規劃目標，惟在經營過程中民間業者往往因法規限制、場地規劃、公私協力、契約彈性不足等困境未能獲得妥善溝通處理而降低投資意願，也使政府無法將服務推廣至較偏遠河濱公園，亟待政府在未來委外時思考改善方針；在問卷調查部份，以實際消費各類遊憩服務項目之遊客為抽樣對象，透過使用及滿意度調查，發現民眾普遍認為各項遊憩服務具有設置需求，且委外經營後確實能提高民眾滿意度，提升公園遊憩品質及增加河濱公園使用率，值得政府持續努力推廣。 最後，綜合研究發現對河濱公園遊憩服務委外經營分別於規劃面及管理面提出改善建議，以供參考。 / In recent years, the economical development and the two-day weekends policy has caused people to pay greater attention to the quality of leisure life, for effectively solving the problem about the insufficiency of urban green space and the leisure place, Taipei county government reorganized Er-Chung Floodway and the riverside park of the Tan-Shui River Basin attentively, and planned the bikeway, the wetland and various sport facilities. Besides, for providing the safe and comfortable environment for citizens and reducing the maintenance budget of the park, Taipei county government has invited the folk business to set up the bicycle renting stations, the water park, and the paintball ground to since 2003. The results are based on the finding of the in-depth interviews and the questionnaire survey. This research discusses overall viewpoint to find the correct and objective result, the interviewees are the performing staff of Taipei County Government Highland Beach Management Office and the folk business that manage actually. Through the interview, it is found that management results almost reach the policy plan goals. However, the investment intention of the folk business is often reduced because of the difficult positions about laws, regulations limits, the area plans, public-private partnerships, insufficient contract elasticity, and so on. They have not been able to obtain communication and solution properly in the management process. Furthermore, the government is unable to promote the service to the remote riverside parks. This situation is worth government pondering the improvement policy in the future. To take the tourists who actually expend money on the recreation service as the sampling objects of the survey, through the questionnaire survey, it is found that the public has the need of the recreation service generally, and the policy can boost people’s satisfaction, the recreation quality, and the utilization rate of the park actually. It is worth the government continuing to promote diligently. Finally, to summarize the discovery of the research, the research proposes the improvement suggestions served as reference in planning and management.

Jamaica has an abundance of freshwater resources, however, a lack of infrastructure makes treated, piped water inaccessible in many areas. Through literature reviews and site visits, this thesis is an analysis of how the people and land, and money and policy, interact with one another in relation to Jamaica's freshwater resources and water infrastructure. Special attention is given to the island's type-example Cockpit karst geology; tourism, mining, and farming's relation to this karst; types of water delivery systems in rural southern Trelawny's Cockpit Country; southern Trelawny residents' perceptions of the water situation; and policy and development goals in the context of Jamaica and southern Trelawny. I hope to bring attention to the unique social, geologic, and developmental context of water in Jamaica, and more specifically to garner attention for major water infrastructure improvements in south Trelawny. A number of recommendations for improvements with policy and infrastructure are made.