The origin of this study is due to research Botma (1999) undertook among Free State farmers in order to determine what the global level of perceived stress was, but also to determine which specific stressors they experienced and what its intensity was. With this study Botma (1999) found that the stressors by which the farmers are confronted, hold negative implications for their quality of life. The purpose of the current study namely to develop a capacity building programme by means of which quality of life can be facilitated, resulted therefore from the abovementioned research. The capacity building programme entailed the following components: stress, psychological well-being, quality of life and subjective well-being. The capacity building programme was also subjected to evaluation in order to determine its effect on the participants. In order to achieve this objective, the following scales were used in the empirical study: Quality of Lie Questionnaire (Evans & Cope, 1989), Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1993), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Larsen & Griffen, 1985), Affectometer 2 (Kamman & Flett, 1983), COPE (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989) and the Spiritual Well- Being Scale (Ellison & Smith, 1991). All these scales showed satisfactory reliability indices. A sample of 60 participants from three districts in the Free State was used. As far as the qualitative component of this research was concerned, focus groups were led with 10 participants, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four respondents. The empirical part of this study indicated that there was no difference between the experimental and control group before the intervention had VII taken place. On conclusion of the program, clear differences could be detected within the experimental group as well as between the experimental and control group. The experimental group showed an improvement in spirituality, subjective well-being and quality of life. These results were also reflected by the focus groups and by the in-depth interviews. It is however interesting to note that the above-mentioned changes that had taken place in the participants are mainly concerned with their affect and not with their behaviour as such. The reason being the fact that the focus of the programme is spiritual and mainly emphasises the improvement of the affective quality of life of the participants. The results of the in-depth interviews indicate the fact that the capacity building programme still has a long-term effect on the participants. Recommendations are made with regard to the capacity building programme in terms of changes to for example the inclusion of behavioural change. This research contributed to the understanding of spirituality, psychological well-being, subjective well-being and quality of life as well as to its application in a capacity building programme for farmers. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This thesis explores the relationship between international war crimes tribunals and peacebuilding in post-conflict societies. The aim of the present study was to examine how the role and function of international tribunals has changed since the establishment of the Nuremberg tribunal in the early years after World War II. Due to the evolving nature of international law and the international criminal legal system, international tribunals have become increasingly recognized as an integral component of peacebuilding processes in the aftermath of conflict. As the first international tribunal mandated to restore international peace and security, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set a new precedent for international tribunals. Beginning with its establishment, there appeared to be a new trend of using international judicial mechanisms to promote peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of conflict. One important element of change was the increased tendency of international tribunals to engage in public outreach and help build the capacity of national justice sector institutions. As the first international tribunal to succeed the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals and the first UN tribunal of its kind, the ICTY has shown the extent to which international tribunals facilitate societal reconciliation is, and will be, understood within the context of the legacies they leave behind. Institutions such as the ICTY will not be judged solely on the merits of the ideals on which they were established, but instead on their concrete successes in the domestic arena and their ability to fortify domestic judicial capacity.

Capacity development has long been considered a cornerstone of development. While the development industry’s commitment to capacity development has been fraught with debate about its ambiguous nature and lack of associated success, after more than thirty years of experience, there is now widespread agreement that capacity development is a priority for development. There is also renewed understanding that an alternative development paradigm is at the core of capacity development and core principles and good practice guidelines are emerging. However, while there has been a transformation in thinking, much of the development industry is entrenched in existing practices and there remains a gap between the theory that is espoused and capacity development in practice. Currently, the development industry is in transition. This transition is necessary and unavoidable if the development challenges faced by billions of people are to be addressed. This research sought to identify ways to facilitate this transition and close the gap between theory and practice. The research was underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical perspective. As such, a central aim of the research was to make a practical contribution to improving practice. A design-based research methodology was used to carry out research into the practice of delivering two capacity development interventions: 1) the Public Sector Linkages Program (PSLP) Project; and, 2) the Sustainable Sanitation and Wetlands Technology (SSWT) Project. These interventions were designed to develop Indonesian capacity in water and sanitation. In design-based research, practice and research are carried out concurrently. This methodology provided an opportunity to advance understanding of the relationship between capacity development theory based on the alternative paradigm and improved practice. A Framework for Capacity Development is the main outcome of this research. The Framework provides specific guidance regarding the design of capacity development interventions based on the alternative paradigm. The Framework was found to facilitate the design of interventions with improved processes and outcomes. Further application of the Framework in different contexts is recommended.

Despite the recent calls made by scholars in the evaluation field regarding the importance of evaluation policy and its influence on evaluation practice, there remains a lack of empirical evidence pertaining to the relationship between evaluation policy and evaluation capacity building (ECB). This study sought to explore the role of evaluation policy in building, or in impeding, organizational capacity to do and use evaluation. Through three interconnected studies—a review of an extensive sample of evaluation policies; interviews with scholars and practitioners from Canada, the United States, and Europe; and focus groups held with evaluation community members in Jordan and Turkey—the research identified a set of 10 categories of evaluation policy and proceeded to develop and validate an ecological framework depicting the relationship between evaluation policy and organizational capacity to do and use evaluation. The findings suggest that the role of evaluation policy in building organizational capacity for evaluation is moderated by a number of variables operating at the contextual, organizational and individual levels and that an in-depth understanding of the dynamic, unfolding and ongoing connections between ECB, on the one hand, and the broader social, economic, political and cultural systems associated with an organization, on the other, is essential in focusing ECB efforts. While the findings reveal that the role of evaluation policy in leveraging organizational evaluation capacity has been limited, they also show some evidence that if an evaluation policy is carefully designed to privilege learning as a central and desirable function of evaluation it will be more likely to have a positive influence on the organizational capacity to do and use evaluation. The investigation helps to advance understanding of these connections and provides some insight into the components of evaluation policies and the role that they might play in shaping the future of evaluation practice. This thesis makes an important contribution to the body of knowledge on organizational evaluation capacity. Although much has been published in the evaluation literature on ECB, its relationship to evaluation policy has not been explored or described based on empirical data. The main practical implication of the research is the possibility for organizations seeking to develop evaluation policies that are ECB-oriented to use the ecological framework and the set of evaluation policy categories as guides. Similarly, organizations that are seeking to review and update their current policies to make them more ECB-friendly stand to benefit in this way. Future research may focus on expanding the scope of the framework and its applicability for different types of organizations in different contexts. Finally, it is argued that the development of policies designed to promote learning is a necessary step towards the advancement of evaluation practice.

M.Cur. (Nursing Administration) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / It is often assumed that postgraduate students and neophyte academics have the capacity to conduct research independently. Thus, upon qualification, it is expected of postgraduate students and academics to conduct research independently, publish their findings, meet publication targets and to supervise student research towards completion. However, the transition from postgraduate student or clinician to academia is considered very challenging as they are often not prepared for the multiple changes they will embark on upon entry into the Higher Education sector. As a result, various programmes and frameworks have been introduced to assist new academics in enhancing their research capacity. Such strategies included but were not limited to, writing retreats, peer monitoring, and dedicated time. However, these interventions reported on in literature are from primary sources and fail to comment on either the methodological rigour or the quality of the studies investigating these interventions. Thus there exists a gap in the literature for filtered information that has been systematically evaluated for methodological rigour and coherence. The present study aimed to establish an empirical base (filtered evidence) of literature reporting on strategies or interventions aimed at addressing research productivity in new academics. The study incorporated a systematic review methodology to identify appropriate literature for inclusion, evaluate literature for methodological quality and provide a meta-synthesis of the findings of included studies. The review considered studies, reporting on strategies or interventions with new academics during the period of 2000-2013. The review was conducted along three levels. Firstly, identification of potential titles, whereby keywords were combined and a comprehensive search of databases available at the University of the Western Cape library was initiated. Published research was also retrieved through mining the reference list of all included reports and articles. Secondly, a pair of reviewers worked together by screening the abstracts which were retrieved based on the titles identified, and thirdly, the abstracts that were successfully screened moved forward to full text reading. These studies were evaluated for methodological quality using the critical appraisal tool. Eligibility for inclusion was determined by a threshold score of 61%. As a result, the title search yielded a search result of 755, from these only 63 titles were selected for possible inclusion. The abstract screening resulted in the exclusion of 35 articles and 28 were included. After the critical appraisal, 15 articles were excluded. The findings of the present study revealed that there is good quality research on research capacity building for neophyte academics, as assessed on methodological rigour and coherence. Seven articles attained the threshold score (61% and above) for inclusion in the final summation and meta-synthesis. Evidence suggested that there are various interventions which have been implemented successfully to enhance research capacity building. The meta-synthesis revealed four core approaches to developing research capacity, namely mentoring approaches, theoretical formulations, research/evidence-based investigation as well as a multidimensional and integrated approaches. These approaches were aimed at bridging that gap between research and teaching and developing competent researchers. The core feature that emerged from these approaches was that successful or effective strategies have to include numerous components such as individual characteristics (motivation), effective leaders and institutional characteristics (rewards, incentives and resources). It was found that these components were integrated and often reciprocally influencing. Ethics clearance was obtained from the relevant committees at UWC. Furthermore, plagiarism and collaboration was taken into account as this study forms part of a larger project.

Magister Commercii - MCom / In Rwanda, there is a serious concern that the human resource capacities to formulate and implement policies and programmes and deliver quality services to meet the Government's development priorities are not only limited but are eroding as well, despite efforts to the contrary. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges of Human Resource capacity building and retention in the Rwandan Public Sector. Specific objectives are (i) to identify the civil servants' perceived reasons that make them quit the public sector after acquiring the desired skills by their working institutions; (ii) to identify the civil servants' perceptions on the measures to improve capacity retention in Rwandan public sector; (iii) to review the capacity building and retention challenges facing the Rwandan public sector; (iv) to contextualize problems of capacity building and capacity retention within the broader literature; and (v) to make recommendations regarding the specific strategies the Rwandan Public Sector should adopt to retain civil servants. The study was carried out in Western Cape Province, at the Universities of University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of Stellenbosch (US). The eligible study participants were postgraduate Rwandan students pursuing masters and doctoral studies in various fields. A descriptive quantitative study design was used to collect data on the participants' perceived reasons as to why, after training, civil servants are likely to quit the public sector, together with the measures participants feel the Rwanda Public sector could put in place to retain the employees after training, as well as the human resource challenges facing Rwandan public sector. All 40 Rwandan postgraduate students pursuing masters and doctoral studies at the selected universities (based on Rwandan Embassy Records for 2010) were the sample for this study, and there was a 100% response rate. A structured self-administered, close-ended and pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analysed using the SPSS software programeme, and descriptive statistics were used to describe various variables to answer the research questions. With regard to research ethics permission was granted by the Higher Degrees Committee of UWC and ethical clearance was obtained from the Research Grants and Study Leave Committee at UWC. Permission to conduct the study among Rwandanmasters and doctoral students on capacity building programmes supported by the Government of Rwanda was granted by the Rwandan Embassy. The purpose of the study was explained to the participants using the participants' information sheet. Signed informed consent both written and verbal was obtained from each individual participant. Participation was voluntary, anonymity of participants was assured, participants information was kept confidential and voluntary withdraw from the study at any time was guaranteed to participants. The findings demonstrate that 45% of the respondents do not intend to continue working in the Public Sector after training due to both financial considerations and workplace working conditions.The findings also indicate that 55% of the respondents intend to work in the public sector after training. The research recommends, amongst other things, that a larger survey be conducted among Rwandan students on study abroad programmes to ascertain if the reasons for quitting and perceived measures to remain in the public sector after training hold for all the civil servants on capacity building programmes.

This research study investigates the role of international aid in public service reform and capacity building in the context of post-communist Albania. It takes a two-pronged approach towards exploring the interaction between the key research variables. First, challenging the technocratic, results-based management frameworks used by aid organizations, it offers a qualitative and critical assessment of the role of aid in a specific arena, administrative reform and capacity building, given its significance as key to (and conditionality for) the EU accession process. Secondly, the research points to the specificity of the national politico-administrative context and its ability to modify the process of policy transfer from aid organizations to the Albanian bureaucracy. In doing so, it attempts to illustrate the domestic challenges in the transfer process towards policy learning thus making a contribution to the debate over the (voluntary vs. coercive) administrative reform in Southeast Europe in relation to the politics of EU accession. Therefore, the findings of the study are two-fold. First, based on the multi-level analysis of policy transfer, the research provides an account of (aid-supported) policies/programmes and institutions/mechanisms of transfer towards administrative reform and capacity building. Thus, the analysis reveals the conflicting nature of international aid via the dichotomy between the ‘career’ versus ‘managerialist’ approaches promoted respectively by the EU and the WB as the drivers of administrative reform in post-communist Albania. The study maintains that aid towards administrative reform and capacity building has been confined to regulatory frameworks while its impact on the capacities of the public sector HRM functions has been rather limited. Besides, it claims that programmes and mechanisms of transfer have supported alignment with EU standards and compliance with global aid effectiveness agenda towards a broader public sector reform. The study concludes that while administrative reform and capacity building are conditionality for EU accession, the significantly reduced funding combined with the use of alternative policy incentives (signing into SAA in 2006 and admission into the Schengen agreement in 2010) might be taken to indicate a silent abandonment of administrative reform as a national matter. The findings suggest that this has indeed led to a complacent relationship between the EU and Albania, which may jeopardize the country’s chances of accession into the EU. The study also challenges the views of the literature locating Albania among countries which have adopted the hybrid NWS, drawing on both NPM and Weberian reform doctrines. Accounts of an adversarial and polarized political culture in which political patronage and high staff turnover persist, coupled with a hierarchy-/clan-based administrative culture may explain the ability of the national context not only to modify but also to block policy transfer. The findings imply that the Albanian case provides a ‘classic’ example whereby transfer based on reform doctrines has been used by governing elites to solidify their political position. While the above may explain non-transfer towards policy learning, the role of aid is also reduced by other factors including overreliance on NGOs as ‘implementation partners’, ‘mixed feedback’ to bureaucrats and ‘strong’ informal donor-beneficiary-contractor networks characterized by a certain ability to affect donor behaviour.

Since 2002, foreign aid has been invested to create social change in Afghanistan, but little is known about the impact on women in rural areas. This case study focused on a single Afghan woman in a rural province who received a foreign aid grant for building baking skills and broader economic development of 20 rural women. The theoretical framework was based on Haq and Sen's development theory. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the key participant, her husband who was identified as the main source of support, and four female beneficiaries. These data were inductively coded and then subjected to thematic analysis. The primary findings of this study was that this foreign aid project succeeded in building skills for involved individuals; though wider spread of foreign aid benefits were limited by what is perceived as an inequitable distribution of assistance to rural areas, as well as Afghanistan's political, cultural, economic, and security environment. Findings from all participants in this case study (n=6) supported Haq and Sen's theoretical prediction that given the proper technical resources, an individual is capable of being self-reliant and avoiding poverty. The respondents concluded that short term change is attainable and beneficial, but will not be sustained without long-term cultural change regarding the roles of women and allocation of foreign aid. The social implications of this research may provide opportunities for Afghan community and women councils to conduct training for women with an objective to bring awareness of the importance of their participation in the economy. The findings will be compiled into a concept paper to be submitted to relevant ministries amid formulation of national capacity building policy for women in the rural area

Yes / Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is increasingly used for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) research. Countries with the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden face important challenges to integrate WGS into surveillance and research. We assessed the global status of Mtb WGS and developed a 3-week training course coupled with long-term mentoring and WGS infrastructure building. Training focused on genome sequencing, bioinformatics and development of a locally relevant WGS research project. The aim of the long-term mentoring was to support trainees in project implementation and funding acquisition. The focus of WGS infrastructure building was on the DNA extraction process and bioinformatics. Compared to their TB burden, Asia and Africa are grossly underrepresented in Mtb WGS research. Challenges faced resulted in adaptations to the training, mentoring and infrastructure building. Out-of-date laptop hardware and operating systems were overcome by using online tools and a Galaxy WGS analysis pipeline. A case studies approach created a safe atmosphere for students to formulate and defend opinions. Because quality DNA extraction is paramount for WGS, a biosafety level 3 and general laboratory skill training session were added, use of commercial DNA extraction kits was introduced and a 2-week training in a highly equipped laboratory was combined with a 1-week training in the local setting. By developing and sharing the components of and experiences with a sequencing and bioinformatics training program, we hope to stimulate capacity building programs for Mtb WGS and empower high-burden countries to play an important role in WGS-based TB surveillance and research. / Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad-secretariaat voor universitaire ontwikkelingssamenwerking (ET2018JOI008A10); the Research Foundation Flanders under FWO Odysseus (grant G0F8316N); the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation of South Africa (64751); the South African Medical Research Council.