Au Sénégal, l'urbanisation de la vallée est l'une des évolutions les plus marquantes intervenues au cours des deux dernières décennies. A partir des années 1990, l'érection de plus d'une dizaine de bourgades en centres urbains a considérablement modifié la trame urbaine de la vallée qui était jadis constituée d'anciennes escales fluviales (Saint Louis, Dagana, Podor et Matam). En effet, l'originalité de l'urbanisation de la vallée du fleuve Sénégal se caractérise par l'émergence des villes du jeeri et par le déclin des villes du waalo, anciennes escales fluviales. Le long de la RN2 s'échelonnent des villes relativement récentes aux caractéristiques variables. Le réseau de transport national et la position géographique ont fait de Richard Toll, Ndioum et Ourossogui des centres urbains émergents sur la rive gauche du fleuve Sénégal. La naissance des centres urbains et l'émergence d'un réseau urbain hiérarchisé et diversifié se sont déroulées dans un contexte de décentralisation. Les réformes administratives et territoriales entrent dans le cadre d'un rééquilibrage du réseau urbain national et semblent être l'expression d'une nouvelle politique de développement essentiellement basée sur la décentralisation et le développement local. / In Senegal, the urbanization of the valley is one of the most significant developments occurred during the last two decades. From the 1990s, the erection of more than a dozen towns in urban centers has dramatically changed the urban landscape of the valley that was once made of old river calls (St. Louis, Dagana, Podor and Matam). Indeed, the originality of the urbanization of River Senegal valley is characterized by the emergence of the jeeri cities and the decay of those of de waalo which were old river ports of call. Along the RN2, are spread out relatively new cities with variable characteristics. The national transportation system and geographical position have transformed Richard Toll, Ndioum and Ourossogui into emerging urban centers on the left bank of River Senegal. The rise of urban centers and the emergence of a hierarchical and diverse urban network have taken place in the context of decentralization. The administrative and territorial reforms are part of a national urban network rebalancing and also appear to be the expression of a new development policy mainly based on decentralization and local development.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The provision and management of education for Blacks in South Africa is currently a complicated and problematic matter. Of all the challenges which face the Department of Education and Training, it seems the demographic factors create the most problems and offer the greatest challenge. The number of pupils handled by the Department necessitates that the Department reorganise its management system so that a more effective service can be offered. It is especially difficult to plan an action at Head Office and execute it in an isolated location in another province. Service and planning should be closer functionally and thus serious attention should be paid to the decentralisation of as many sections of the Department as possible. Educational Auxiliary Services is a service which represents an integral part of the educational system. It was established to render assistance to educationalists, parents, teachers and others involved on a differentiated and coordinated basis. Since it is impossible for the five specialists of Educational Auxiliary Services at Head Office to be physically present in every region in need of assistance, it is important that serious thought be given to decentralisation of the Service, so that specialist personnel for each component is available in the regions. In the overseas countries decentralisation and centralisation in education is also being considered. The conclusion is, however, that such structural changes in the educational system cannot be separated from a country's political system as it is manifested in the Central Government...

The concentration of the population and socioeconomic activities in the Metropolitan Area of Port au Prince (MAPAP) in Haiti has a negative impact within MAPAP and on the socioeconomic development of the entire country. This phenomenon, known as urban primacy, is increasing at an unprecedented rate in developing countries. Urban primacy in the Third World is explained by scholars studying the phenomenon and by dependency theorists. Economic decentralization, based on growth pole theory, is one of the most frequently used policies for slowing the growth of primate cities by focusing on development poles. In Haiti, the potential growth poles are the regional capitals that have a constitutional mandate to promote and manage the development of their region. I have tested some of the assumptions of dependency and growth pole theories on Haiti, using the eight regional capitals as units of analysis. Using migration, geographic, and socioeconomic data, I have identified the strongest poles and explained their attraction power and formulated policy recommendations that will increase the chances of successfully implementing economic decentralization. The research design is the case study. The data show that MAPAP overshadows the regional capitals at the national level and within the capitals' own region, except for Cap Haïtien. However, the regional capitals are the primary destinations for migrants within their regions. The strongest poles are Cap Haïtien, Gonaives, and Port de Paix. Their attraction power is explained primarily by their population size and by their connections to the international market. Due to the selection criteria of the units of analysis and the limitations of the data used, the support and rejection of the growth pole and dependency theories hypotheses are not conclusive for the testing of these theories in Haiti or the Third World. The Haitian government needs to be more aggressive in addressing the consequences of urban primacy by implementing a comprehensive economic decentralization. The January 12, 2010, earthquake brought light on the issues raised by this study. Fortunately, the Haitian government has expressed its vision for the rebuilding of Haiti with an emphasis on decentralizing socioeconomic activities outside of MAPAP.

The continued decentralization of employment in U.S. regions has led to the emergence of large employment centers outside of traditional Central Business Districts. Edge Cities in particular, with their high office space densities, significantly influence surrounding land uses and regional commuting patterns. However, existing transit systems tend to be oriented to historic Central Business Districts and the level of service for transit in suburban areas remains considerably below that of central cities. Adequately serving suburban Edge Cities with transit is critical in maintaining and improving access to jobs by transit and mitigating automobile congestion. This study explores the suitability of a Bus Rapid Transit system along the Veterans Boulevard corridor in Greater New Orleans. It does this by analyzing residential and employment densities and existing commuting patterns along the corridor. It also explores the potential impact of BRT improvements on transit ridership in the corridor.

Le fleuve Niger est aujourd’hui confronté à des menaces naturelles et anthropiques dont la solution relève à la fois d’arbitrages locaux et de considérations d’ordre international. Sa riche histoire montre une succession de régulations et de logiques locales de gestion selon le temps et l’espace. Le fleuve Niger a été au cœur des stratégies de dominations locales et coloniales. Ces modes de régulations locales laissent de plus en plus la place à des systèmes de gestion plus intégrés. Cette recherche porte sur la gouvernance de l’eau du fleuve Niger à Ségou et à Mopti. Elle vise à comprendre les dynamiques d’acteurs, notamment les stratégies, les rapports et les interactions des acteurs autour de l’eau dans le contexte de décentralisation, mais aussi leurs perceptions concernant l’eau du fleuve. Les résultats montrent la complexité de la gouvernance de l’eau notamment en ce qui concerne la régulation et les articulations étroites entre des dynamiques globales et locales. La méconnaissance et l’inapplication des textes régissant le domaine de l’eau caractérisent la gouvernance du fleuve Niger. La multiplicité des acteurs entraine le chevauchement des rôles et les risques de conflits de compétences. Ensuite, la mise en œuvre de cette gouvernance implique des relations complexes entre les multiples acteurs. Cette complexité renvoie à des questions de territoires et de territorialités notamment dans le Delta intérieur. Enfin, la décentralisation a favorisé l’implication directe des acteurs locaux dans la gestion des ressources locales. Mais elle a également exacerbé les risques de conflits entre les multiples acteurs en quête de leadership et de légitimité autour du fleuve. / The Niger River is now facing natural and anthropogenic threats; the solution is both in local arbitrage and in international considerations. Its rich history shows a series of regulation and local management logics depending on time and space. The Niger River has been at the center of strategies for local and colonial dominations. These modes of local controls lead more and more place for some more integrated management systems. This research focuses on the governance of the Niger River waters in Segou and Mopti. It aims to understand the dynamics of actors, especially strategies, relationships and interactions of actors around the water in the context of decentralization, but also their perceptions of the River water. The results show the complexity of water governance especially with regard to regulation and the narrow articulations between global and local dynamics. Ignorance and lack of implementation of laws governing the field of water characterize the governance of Niger River. The multiplicity of actors leads to the overlap of roles and potential conflicts of competence. The implementation of the governance involves complex relationships between multiple actors. This complexity returns to issues of territories and territorialities in particular in the interior Delta. Finally, decentralization has encouraged the direct involvement of local stakeholders in the management of local resources. But it has also exacerbated the risk of conflicts between multiple actors, in search of leadership and legitimacy around the river.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Development Theory and Policy University of the Witwatersrand 31 March 2015 / The aim of this research was to analyze the restructuring of the post-apartheid South African education system through the decentralization introduced in the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA). SASA was intended to construct a new education landscape for school governance involving School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and founded on participation and partnership between state, parents, learner, school staff and community. SASA ostensibly bestowed powers upon the SGBs, however this research explores whether the schools used in the study were really empowered by SASA. Two schools were investigated, one in an affluent area and the other in an underprivileged area. The investigation was in context of the impact of decentralisation of service delivery in developing countries, the adoption of SASA and reforms in the education system from apartheid to date. A qualitative methodology was used and analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews produced four findings. First, the study corroborated others which suggest that neoliberalism is imbedded in South African public schools and that parents have to pay for quality education. Second, the SGB from the Privileged School executed their projects and tasks well as compared to the Underprivileged School, since its SGB involved parents that were professionals, with financial backing and the know how to fund raise so that the school was able to provide resources for the learners. Third, the minimal use of SASA powers was not the sole reason for inequality in educational provision, the study also looked into the apartheid historical past which also contributed to inequality Finally the post-apartheid (Bantu) education system was a contributing factor to the Underprivileged School SGB’s incapability to utilise all its powers in that ‘Bantu education’ had failed to equip parents from underprivileged backgrounds with the knowledge to exercise all the powers granted to them by SASA, in particular, most parent/s from the underprivileged school had not been equipped with professional degrees or acquired significant skills to confidently partake in the SGB. The study concludes that SASA seems to have not fully taken cognisance of the realities of SGBs in the Underprivileged School since it seems likely, based on my single case study, that their members would not be able to fully implement all the powers given to them by SASA, indicating the need for state intervention. / MT2017

La régionalisation en tant que mode de gouvernance, est le reflet d'orientations politique, économique et sociale d'un État. Il est également celui d'un ensemble d'éléments démographiques, ethniques et géographiques.Au Maroc, cette forme d'organisation de l'État est l'émanation du pouvoir central. Sa construction s'est faite en évolution constante. D'un simple cadre économique à caractère consultatif, la région marocaine est élevée au rang de collectivité territoriale avec des compétences propres. Nous analysons cette évolution à travers les textes suprêmes marocains jusqu'à la dernière constitution du 1er juillet 2011, en faisant appel à d'autres expériences européennes en la matière, susceptibles de se rapprocher et d'inspirer la nouvelle régionalisation marocaine. / Regionalization as a mode of governance reflects political, economic and social orientations of a state, but also a set of demographic, ethnic and geographical elements.In Morocco, the question is an offshoot of the central government. Its construction was carried out in constant evolution. From a simple advisory economic framework, the moroccan region is elevated to a local authority with its own powers. We analyze this evolution through the moroccan supreme texts to the constitution last July 1st, 2011 by an appeal to other European experiences that come together and inspire new forms of moroccan regionalization.

Companies are considered as central actors towards a more sustainable society. Implementing a sustainability strategy is seen as an effective way for corporations to take responsibility andmeet the society’s expectations. Different factors have been identified to affect the implementation of a sustainability strategy. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to add to the concept of strategy implementation and how organizational structure, organizational culture and internal communication affect the implementation process. A qualitative case study has been chosen to answer the research question where we conducted semi-structured interviews with employees at various positions in the case company. Our result revealed that a company’ssustainability strategy can be implemented even if the internal communication is weak. However, we suggest that an organizational culture that is promoting the employees to feel committed to the strategy will have a positive impact on the implementation process. Finally,we also advocate that the organizational structure has affected the case company’simplementation of their sustainability strategy positively by enabling strategies to emerge from practice.

Esta pesquisa analisa o processo recente de reforma da política pública de saúde para a população não-assegurada, no México (1982-2000) e no Brasil (1985-1998), como um processo de legitimação política, em construção nas esferas políticas macro (nacional) e micro (estadual no México e municipal no Brasil), e em articulação com as esferas da sociedade civil e econômica. Enfocaremos as estratégias de descentralização, construídas em distintos contextos de dupla transição a fim de integrar a população não-assegurada na política. O problema da legitimação da nova política pública - legalizada e reivindicada como legítima pela autoridade macro, porém dificilmente reconhecida durante a decisão e implementação nas esferas políticas micro -, será relacionado à problemática da identidade, isto é: ao fato do novo ser construído não apenas por novos atores e instituições, mas também por atores e instituições ainda identificados com a velha concepção de público que se pretende substituir/reformar. Estabeleceremos conexões entre os processos políticos macro e micro, verificando as formas distintas como as legalidades reivindicadas pelo poder macro nacional, em cada fase da reforma e país, foram realizadas no nível micro sub-nacional. A análise demonstra que um padrão mais amplo de participação direta na decisão macro, como é o caso do Brasil, resulta em níveis mais altos de identificação (política, administrativa e social) na política micro. Níveis de identificação serão posicionados no contínuo obediência-rejeição e interpretados como coeficientes de legitimidade da política pública de saúde em construção em nos dois países. / This research studies the recent processes of public health care reform directed at the uninsured population in Mexico (1982-2000) and Brazil (1985-1998). Reforms will be studied as a new process of political legitimacy, which is under construction at the macro (federal Government) and micro (state level in Mexico, and mainly the municipality level in Brazil) political spheres, implying different forms of articulation with the social and economic spheres. I will focus on the strategy of decentralisation, adopted in different sequences of double political transitions in order to integrate the non-insured part of the population in politics. The problem of political legitimacy will be understood as a matter of identification (values and interests); as reforms are not only constructed by new actors and institutions, but also by actors and institutions still identified with the old concept of the public. I will stress the relationships existent between the macro and micro processes, verifying if and in which terms the legalities constructed at the macro level, in each phase of the reform and country, were realized in the policy process in the micro political spheres. The analysis shows that a broader pattern of direct participation in policy-making decision, as happened in Brazil, generates higher levels of (political, administrative and social) identification. Levels of identification will be linked to positions in the obedience-rejection continuum and, thus, understood as coefficients of legitimacy in the process of constructing a new public policy in both countries.

O estudo teve como objetivo verificar a necessidade de maior atuação do Estado nas parcerias comerciais entre povos indígenas amazônicos e empresas para a comercialização de produtos florestais não madeireiros, como forma de garantir os direitos e interesses indígenas. No contexto de descentralização do Estado, fortalecimento de novos atores e articulação entre o setor público e privado, as parcerias têm sido estabelecidas na Amazônia com o objetivo de, ao mesmo tempo, promover o uso sustentável dos recursos e propiciar melhores condições de vida às comunidades florestais. Com a diminuição do Estado bem como argumentos que exaltam as vantagens dos mecanismos de mercado e auto-regulação, as parcerias comerciais em muitos países têm substituído o Estado em suas funções, acompanhadas de problemas. O estudo teve como objetivo investigar se é necessária maior atuação do Estado nas parcerias para evitar assimetria de poderes, garantindo os direitos e interesses indígenas. Para a pesquisa, foram coletados dados qualitativos em dois níveis: (i) dados secundários (dados publicados, relatórios e documentos) ou primários (entrevistas semi-estruturadas a atores-chave) relativos ao contexto geral das parcerias como um todo e (ii) análise do contexto específico de duas parcerias comerciais (análise documental e entrevistas semi-estruturadas): Baniwa - Tok & Stok (AM) e Yawanawá - Aveda (AC). Os resultados apontaram para a imprescindibilidade de nova atuação do Estado e da sociedade na definição de políticas e parâmetros legais claros para as questões das sociedades indígenas. Além de normas simplificadas e adaptadas aos moldes das sociedades indígenas, é fundamental propiciar maior participação destas na criação de políticas e projetos próprios. O estudo conclui que não se pode prescindir de um papel interventor responsável do Estado. A substituição total do Estado pelo setor privado em funções essenciais, por meio das parcerias, pode gerar problemas, conflitos internos, manutenção da situação de dependência, além de estímulo à diferenciação social. / The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of a larger role of the State in the partnerships between Amazonian indigenous peoples and companies for the commercialization of non timber forest products, as a mean to guarantee indigenous rights. Within the context of decentralization of the State, empowerment of new actors and articulation between public and private sectors, partnerships have been established in Amazonia with the purpose of, at the same time, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and providing better livelihoods to forest communities. As a result of a reduction in State\'s roles, as well as arguments exalting the advantages of market mechanisms and self-regulation, partnerships have been increasingly substituting the State in its functions in many countries, frequently accompanied by problems. This study had the purpose of investigating if a larger role of the State is necessary in the partnership context, in order to avoid power asymmetries and protecting indigenous rights. Qualitative data were gathered in two levels: (i) secondary data (publications, reports and documents) or primary data (semi-structured interviews to key-actors) related to the general context of the partnerships as a whole and (ii) analysis of the specific context of two partnerships (documental analysis and semi-structured interviews): Baniwa - Tok & Stok (AM) and Yawanawá - Aveda (AC). Results indicate the importance of an innovative role being played by the State and civil society organizations in the definition of policies and clear legal frameworks for indigenous peoples\' issues. Besides simplified rules, adjusted to indigenous societies\' concepts, it is essential to involve larger indigenous participation in the formulation of new policies and their own projects. The study concludes it is not possible to discard a responsible and interventionist role of the State. The total replacement of the State by the private sector in fundamental functions through partnerships may generate problems, internal conflicts, dependency maintenance and increase in social differentiation.