Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Fiscal deficits, which are the end result of fiscal indiscipline and lack of fiscal space, have been the focus of fiscal and macroeconomic adjustment in developed and developing countries. Developments in the euro zone between 2007 and 2011, have reminded policy makers about the macro-economic dangers posed by government debt. The nasty experiences of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain forced policy makers in Europe to introduce painful austerity measures. Up to this day, the eurozone debt crisis threatens the survival of the European Union. Although most African countries were not directly affected by the contagion of the euro zone debt crisis, they too had their own structural problems of unsustainable fiscal deficits and bad governance which caused macroeconomic imbalances. This study examines the macroeconomic effects of fiscal deficits and the contribution of bad governance to macroeconomic instability in Zimbabwe. In chapter one the problem and methodology of the study are introduced. The key questions are basically whether deficits are harmful or neutral? Linked to this is of course, the political economy of these deficits, especially the method of financing them and how this affects the macro-economic equilibrium. In order to investigate these issues, this study uses a qualitative and comparative methodology which juxtaposes Zimbabwe’s experiences with those of other developing countries, namely Ghana, Morocco, Zambia and Botswana. These countries are chosen as they collectively depict both cases of good fiscal management (Botswana and Morocco) on the one hand, and bad fiscal management (Ghana and Zambia), on the other. This methodology adequately captures political economy issues which are not capable of being estimated without running the risk of lack of validity and spurious inferences given the softness of data under hyperinflationary conditions that occurred in Zimbabwe prior to 2009. In chapter two the study examines various theoretical propositions on the relationship between the fiscal deficit and selected macroeconomic variables. The traditional theory postulates that the fiscal deficit has a negative impact on macroeconomic performance whereas the Ricardian Equivalence Theorem posits that the impact of the deficit is neutral. Keynesians argue that deficits arising from public expenditure on investment as opposed to consumption actually crowd-in rather than crowd out private sector investment. In theory, there is a close connection between a monetized deficit and inflation. A positive theoretical relationship is also found between the twin deficits (that is, the trade and fiscal deficits). However, the relationship between the budget deficit, interest rates and exchange rate is ambiguous. In chapter three we find that the majority of empirical studies support the view that budget deficits are generally inflationary when they are financed by printing money. A causal link is also found between the budget deficit and trade deficit. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between the deficit, exchange rate and interest rates is largely ambiguous. The comparative politico-economic and fiscal experiences of Ghana, Zambia, Morocco and Botswana in chapter four are used to provide the trajectory for the Zimbabwean case study in chapter 5. The review of the experiences of Ghana and Zambia showed that fiscal indiscipline resulted in high fiscal deficits which led to the deterioration of macroeconomic performance whereas in Morocco and Botswana, fiscal discipline resulted in low fiscal deficits and improved macro-economic performance. But central to the politico-economic performance of these countries, was the issue of bad governance and how this worsened the impact of fiscal deficits. In chapter five the experiences of Zimbabwe confirm the view that fiscal deficits are harmful to the economy. Many years of fiscal indiscipline and bad governance, led to macro-economic instability that resulted in record hyperinflation levels in 2008. Finally, the study concludes that, cumulative fiscal deficits in Zimbabwe since 1980, precipitated macroeconomic instability and fiscal unsustainability. Prolonged fiscal and quasi-fiscal deficits, which were largely financed by printing money, triggered hyperinflation and macroeconomic disequilibria. The lack of fiscal probity and the profligacy of the state, corruption, macroeconomic mismanagement and dirigistic policies, all rolled into one, caused the unprecedented economic meltdown and eventual economic collapse in Zimbabwe. The study finds that fiscal indiscipline in Zimbabwe, other than causing macroeconomic instability, also contributed to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, never witnessed in a country not waging a war. Going forward, the study recommends a battery of policy measures in the area of institutional, fiscal and macro-economic adjustment in order to control and manage the deficit in Zimbabwe.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of music listening on impulsivity as judged by the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) II v. 5. College undergraduate students were recruited into one of two groups and were administered a computer task (CPT) to complete in an initial condition, a music condition, and a silence condition. One group of participants had no diagnosed history of ADHD while the other participant group had a history of ADHD. The initial condition served as an opportunity for each participant to take the CPT with the researcher present to allow each participant to ask questions before taking the test alone; each participant was then taken to a separate testing room. As all participants were tested in all three conditions, the remaining two (music and silence) were randomly assigned to control for order effect. The music condition involved taking the CPT alone in the testing room with "In a Mello Tone" by Count Basie playing in the background during the test administration. The piece was manipulated to have a tempo of mm = 124 and looped to last the entirety of the CPT (14 minutes). Each participant was administered the CPT in a silence condition, in which the participant was alone in the testing room without other provided stimuli. The final sample was N = 51 with n = 26 enrolled in the typical group and n = 25 enrolled in the group with attention deficits. A significant main effect difference was found by group: the typical group exhibited lower impulsivity levels as compared to the ADHD group based on Commission mean scores. Additionally, significant main effect differences were found by condition (initial, music, and silence). Both the factors of group and condition appear to be independent as no interaction was found. Implications and suggestions for future research were discussed.

No description available.

Background: Research literature suggests that assessment tools are primarily biomedically oriented, prioritizing the assessment of clients’/patients’ problems and deficits. Some literature suggests that assessment tools may be improved with the inclusion of psychosocial content and a focus on clients’/patients’ strengths and values. There is limited research on healthcare workers’ opinions of the assessment tools they use. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to collect data from healthcare workers to see how their opinions on assessment tools may interact with the existing literature. Methods: Healthcare workers of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton were recruited to complete an online survey comprised of 27 questions asking about the assessment tool they use most. Data was then analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings: Participants generally believe that the assessment tools they use are limited in their engagement with strengths, values, and many relevant biopsychosocial issues, and should increase their engagement with these subjects. Implications: Further research is needed to understand if - like the participants of this study - a larger sample of healthcare workers also feel that the assessment tools they use should change the extent to which they address certain issues. Furthermore, research is needed to understand reasons why healthcare workers may feel this way. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Despite drought accounting for over 80% of agricultural losses, little progress has been made towards improving drought tolerance in crops. My approach to identifying traits underlying drought tolerance involved a comparison between two accessions of the crucifer, Eutrema salsugineum, that display differential tolerance to water deficits. The accessions, originating from the semi-arid Yukon, Canada, and a monsoonal region of Shandong, China, were subjected to a two-step, water deficit and recovery protocol to identify physiological characteristics that discern their drought-responsive behaviour. Traits that discriminate between the ecotypes were used to screen recombinant inbred lines (RILs) that were generated by crossing Yukon and Shandong parent plants. Selected physiological measurements were: anthocyanin accumulation, cut rosette water loss (CRWL), solute potential, relative water content (RWC), static leaf water content (SLWC), specific leaf area (SLA), and OJIP fluorescence emission. Of the measurements taken, CRWL measurements and anthocyanin content distinguished the Yukon ecotype from the Shandong ecotype during the first drought exposure whereas SLA and fluorescence responses differentiated these accessions better after plants that experienced the first drought were rewatered and recovering or undergoing a second drought treatment. Sixty-eight RILs were screened using SLA and OJIP fluorescence emission. SLA and OJIP measurements varied among the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) with many lines showing responses to water deficit intermediate to those of the parental lines. Evidence of heritability in SLA and/or OJIP responses to water deficits would make them useful phenotypic markers for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with drought tolerance in future work. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

No description available.

Yes

Individuals with brain injury are in need of speech and language therapy to improve impaired cognitive-communicative skills. Including significant communication partners (e.g., caregivers, spouses or parents) in intervention encourages carryover of skills practiced in therapy to natural communication contexts. Additionally, unimpaired partners benefit from training on how to communicate more effectively and and support the partner’s use of compensatory strategies for impaired cognitive skills. The objective of this multiple single case study was to evaluate the outcomes of a training program delivered to two dyads (Dyad B. and Dyad W.) composed of an adult with brain injury and an everyday communication partner. Participant dyads were recruited from a local brain injury support group. Training consisted of a four-week program during which participants received brain injury education, developed and monitored progress on goals, received instruction on communication strategies, and engaged in self-evaluation and role-play activities. Dependent variables were progress on individual goals, analysis of discourse variables, and the LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire. Treatment effects included a decrease in the amount of overlapping speech and an increase in the proportion of obliges and responses relative to comments for Dyad B., and increased deficit awareness and decreased conversation dominance on the part of the participant with brain injury for Dyad W. Results of the study showed that communication dyads affected by brain injury benefit from short-term training provided to both partners. / text

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Psychopathy is associated with several behavioral and psychophysiological deficits. Lynam (2002) has argued that the use of an overarching conceptualization of psychopathy can provide a parsimonious explanation of psychopathic pathology. The current study examined relations between tasks used to explore psychopathic pathology and dimensions from the Five Factor Model of personality. Undergraduate participants completed the NEO PI-R, the BART, a go/no-go task, an emotional morph task, and provided physiological responses to stimuli. While hypothesized relations to FFM psychopathy composites were generally unsupported, other interesting relations to traits were identified. Results indicated that hypoarousal to negative stimuli was negatively related to pan-impulsivity. Maladaptive risk taking was positively related to panimpulsivity and high self-directed negative affect. Response modulation deficits were negatively related to pan-impulsivity, low self-directed negative affect, and facets of openness. Deficits in empathic responding were positively related to other-directed negative affect and self-directed negative affect, and negatively related to pan-impulsivity and interpersonal assertiveness. Although it remains unclear whether the failure to support hypotheses was related to the study variables or population, results indicate that the FFM can provide additional information with regard to what deficit tasks assess.