Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The point of departure for this study was the wide-ranging furore in media publications regarding the pervasive decline in donor funding for civil society organisations in South Africa, as influenced by the recent global financial crisis, and the subsequent shutting down of a number of civil society organisations. The decision to embark on this study has its roots in the fact that civil society is an important feature in a democracy with regards to government responsiveness, accountability as well as citizen participation in democratic governance. In South Africa, particularly, this is important in light of the country’s fledgling democracy, and even more so, when considering the ruling party’s overwhelming political power resulting in a dominant party system. The aim of this study was to find out what accounts for the plummet in donor funding, and the overriding question guiding this study was: Has the global financial crisis influenced civil society in South Africa? The broader question asked was: What are the challenges facing civil society organisations in South Africa? This study aims to assist in the evaluation of the potential role that civil society has played and continues to play in South Africa’s young democracy and what the implications would be for democracy if civil society organisations were hampered in these roles and continued to close offices. This study is explorative in nature and relied on qualitative data obtained from in-depth interviews conducted with two prominent South African non-governmental organisations; namely the Institute for Democracy and the Treatment Action Campaign. A key informant was selected and interviewed from each organisation. The findings of the interviews were operationalised through the lenses of Andrew Heywood’s (2007) conceptual theoretical framework, which puts forward five resources that civil society organisations need in order to exert their influence. While acknowledging the importance of all five resources, this study pays particular attention to financial resources received through international donor funding, for without financial resources it is difficult for an organisation to survive. The findings of the interviews and the conclusions drawn underscored four realities: firstly that the decrease in funding is not limited to the organisations examined in this study, but civil society as a whole. The second reality rests on the fact that the global financial crisis has indeed influenced the Institute for Democracy and the Treatment Action Campaign in ways that are a cause for a concern, not only for the survival of the organisation, but also for the durability of South Africa’s young and at times fragile democracy. The third reality points to other challenges that have influenced donor funding, such as South Africa’s middle income status, a shift in donor orientation and focus and donor-specific problems. The fourth reality that was pointed out thrust this study into the conclusion that financial resources are the essential life-blood of civil society organisations. In light of the role that civil society plays in a democracy, the findings in this study point to a concerning trend in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aanvangspunt van hierdie studie is die omvangrykende mediadekking aangaande die wydverspreide afname in donateursbefondsing vir burgerlike samelewingorganisasies in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie afname is beïnvloed deur die onlangse globale finansiële krisis en het tot gevolg die ontbinding van ʼn aantal burgerlike samelewingorganisasies. Die besluit om met hierdie studie te begin het sy oorsprong in die feit dat die burgerlike samelewing ʼn belangrike kenmerk van demokrasie is veral met betrekking tot regeringsresponsiwiteit, aanspreeklikheid sowel as die deelname van burgers aan ʼn demokratiese regering. In Suid-Afrika is dit belangrik, veral met die oog op die land se jong demokrasie en nog meer wanneer die heersende party se oorweldigende politiese mag in ag geneem word en dat dit tot ʼn dominante partystelsel lei. Die doel van hierdie studie is om vas te stel wat die oorsaak van die daling in skenkersfondse is. Die rigtinggewende vraag vir die studie was: het die wêreldwye finansiële krisis die burgerlike samelewing in Suid-Afrika beïnvloed? Die studie beoog om by te dra tot die evaluasie van die potensiële rol wat burgerlike samelewing in Suid-Afrika se jong demokrasie gespeel het, en steeds speel, en wat die implikasies vir demokrasie sou wees indien burgerlike samelewingorganisasies se rol bemoeilik word en verplig word om nog meer van hulle kantore te sluit. Die studie is ondersoekend van aard en het staatgemaak op kwalitatiewe data wat verkry is deur in-diepte onderhoude met twee vooraanstaande Suid-Afrikaanse nie-regeringsorganisasies te voer naamlik die Instituut vir Demokrasie en die ‘Treatment Action Campaign’. ’n Gesaghebbende segsman uit elke organisasie is gekies vir die onderhoude. Die bevindings is geoperasionaliseer deur die lense van Andrew Heywood (2007) se konseptuele teoretiese raamwerk wat aanvoer dat daar vyf hulpbronne is wat burgerlike organisasies nodig het om hulle invloed te laat geld. Terwyl die waarde van al vyf hulpbronne erken word, skenk hierdie studie in die besonder aandag aan die finansiële hulpbronne wat van internasionale skenkersfondse ontvang word omdat burgerlike organisasies beswaarlik daarsonder kan oorleef. Die bevindinge van die onderhoude en die gevolgtrekkings wat gemaak is beaam vier realiteite: eerstens dat die daling in befondsing nie beperk is tot die organisasies wat aan die studie deelgeneem het nie, maar burgerlike samelewing as ʼn geheel. Die tweede realiteit berus by die feit dat die globale finansiële krisis inderdaad die Instituut van Demokrasie en die ‘Treatment Action Campaign’ op kommerwekkende maniere beïnvloed het, nie net in terme van die organisasies se oorlewing nie, maar ook in terme van die behoud van Suid-Afrika se jong en soms brose demokrasie. Die derde realiteit dui op ander uitdagings wat skenkersfondse beïnvloed het soos Suid-Afrika se middel inkomstestatus, ʼn fokusverskuiwing van skenkingsgeoriënteerdheid tot skenker-spesifieke probleme. Die vierde realiteit wat uitgewys is dwing die studie om tot die gevolgtrekking te kom dat finansiële hulpbronne ʼn noodsaaklikheid vir die behoud van burgerlike gemeenskapsorganisasies is. In die lig van die rol wat burgerlike gemeenskap in demokrasie speel, is die bevindings van die studie kommerwekkend.

Thesis (PhD (School of Public Management and Planning))—-Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The aim of the study is to develop an appropriate Organisational Development (OD) approach to optimise the capacity of Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and promote Community and Civil Society Development. The following research question is examined: In what ways can OD be a suitable approach to build the capacity of CBOs and thus have an impact on Community and Civil Society Development? The study is motivated by current development challenges in South Africa1 and the role civil society can play to represent citizens’ interests in relation to state and market2. As part of civil society, CBOs are generally recognised as pivotal stakeholders in the South African development context3, but are in reality marginalised and unable to assert themselves in the development sector. Furthermore Development Theory shows that theorists have in the recent past increasingly advocated for ‘democratisation of development’, enabling previously marginalised people to participate in development processes and therefore gain power over these. Although not widely practised reality yet, ‘People centred’ and ‘Participatory development’ as bottom-up and endogenous versions of development are being promoted as sustainable development paradigms. They emphasise the importance of building capacity of civil-society organisations4. OD as an approach to development and capacity building collaborates with the goals of a people centred development and the strengthening of civil society organisations, and is “in line with several participative approaches to development”5. It is, however, relevant to cultivate a “new development practitioner”, who is competent to facilitate capacity-building processes, which will meaningfully impact at the grassroots level6. The study is guided by a postmodern philosophy and stems from a phenomenological as well as transformative approach by applying a Goethean phenomenology, Action Research, Grounded Theory, Complexity Theory and various qualitative research methodologies, such as case study work with three CBOs; and semi-structured interviews with CBOs, community leaders, OD practitioners and academics. Furthermore the research includes a sociological examination of the current development context and paradigms, and their impact in post Apartheid South Africa. During the research, findings were engaged with by a discussion forum. The research findings included the discussion of themes, which emerged through the Grounded Theory approach: ∗ CBO capacity, by examining how capacity is interpreted at a CBO level in relation to inherent capacities; ∗ Leadership, and the role of pioneer leaders in CBOs; and ∗ Relationships, within CBOs as well as with their broader environment. These themes were understood as relevant when aiming to develop CBO capacity as well as engaging with the broader capacity development sector. Further, principles and approaches for OD at a CBO level are proposed, which are ultimately related through their view of organisations as complex social systems, their emphasis on learning, and the critical examination of power asymmetries. It is intended that this study contributes to development practice concerning CBO development within and beyond South Africa. Ultimately the study aims to influence current development paradigms and contribute to an enabling development context and the building of a strong and proactive civil society.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The topic of antiretroviral adherence remains a subject of continued importance, as it is associated with positive health outcomes amongst patients attending public healthcare facilities. Available literature on adherence behaviour mainly focuses on the psychological and behavioural barriers, while overlooking the multitude of structural barriers within the patient’s environment affecting the patient’s adherence to antiretroviral treatment and care. The present study provides a unique perspective on adherence behaviour amongst persons living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral treatment, as it identifies important structural barriers to clinical attendance and pill-taking. The sample for this study were selected from patients attending an infectious diseases clinic at a major peri-urban secondary hospital and receiving antiretroviral therapy, nurses and doctors providing health services to patients, and patient advocates providing psychosocial support to patients under the auspices of a local non-governmental organisation. The participants included in this study were selected by means of convenience sampling to participate either in semi structured interviews or focus group discussions. Participants were assured of the confidentiality of the process and their anonymity in both cases. Both semi structured interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded and transcribed after which transcriptions were entered into Atlas.ti for textual analysis. Transcriptions were thematically analysed according to the perceptions of various participants. The main themes that emerged from the present study included individual barriers, poverty-related barriers, institutionrelated barriers, and social and community-related barriers. The results of the present study were triangulated by considering the concurrences and discrepancies between the patients, clinicians and patient advocates on the main, and subthemes. These themes were then discussed according to Bronfenbrenner’s (1972) Ecological Systems Theory, which divided the main themes identified according to the different systems operating within the patient’s environment, i.e. the micro-, exo-, and macrosystem. The microsystem included both individual psychological and behavioural barriers and poverty-related barriers. Institutional barriers were considered within the exosystem of the patient’s ecological environment. And the social and community-related barriers were considered within the macrosystem of the patient’s ecological environment. The significance of this study lies in the identification of adherence behaviour as the product of the patient’s environment through the examination of triangulated data. Future research may include effective ways in which patients can be assisted in developing the necessary skills to cope with their environment and to enhance social support. The development of strategies to support newly-enrolled patients also still needs investigation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Volgehoue antiretrovirale behandeling bly ‘n onderwerp van voortdurende belang omdat dit geassosieer word met positiewe gesondheidsuitkomste onder pasiënte wat van openbare gesondheidsfasiliteite gebruik maak. Beskikbare literatuur oor volhoudings gedrag fokus grootliks op sielkundige en gedragshindernisse, terwyl veelvuldige strukturelehindernisse binne die pasiënt se omgewing steeds misgekyk word. Dié studie bied ‘n unieke perspektief op volhoudingsgedrag onder MIV-positiewe pasiënte wat tans antiretrovirale terapie ontvang, aangesien dit belangrike strukturele hindernisse tot kliniek bywoning en die neem van medikasie identifiseer. Dié steekproef sluit pasiënte in wat tans antiretrovirale terapie by ‘n aansteeklike siektes-kliniek by ‘n peri-stedelike sekondêre hospitaal ontvang. Dit sluit ook dokters en verpleegsters in wat gesondheidsdienste aan dié pasiënte verskaf, en pasiënt- advokate wat psigo-sosiale ondersteuning aan pasiënte verskaf onder die vaandel van ‘n plaaslike nieregerings organisasie. Dié deelnemers is deur middel van gerieflikheidssteekproef geselekteer om aan semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude of fokusgroepbesprekings deel te neem. Deelnemers van albei groepe is van hul anonimiteit en die vertroulikheid van die proses verseker. Beide die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en die fokusgroepbesprekings is digitaal opgeneem en transkripsies is daarvan gemaak, waarna die transkripsies in Atlas.ti gelaai is vir tekstuele analise. Transkripsies is tematies geanaliseer volgens die persepsies van die verskeie deelnemers. Die hooftemas wat na vore gekom het, sluit in individuele hindernisse, armoedeverwante hindernisse, institusieverwante hindernisse asook sosiale en gemeenskapsverwante hindernisse. Resultate van dié studie is getrianguleer deur die verskille en ooreenkomste te vind tussen pasiënte, klinici en pasiënt-advokate oor die hoof- en subtemas. Die hooftemas is toe volgens Bronfenbrenner (1972) se Ekologiese Sistemeteorie verdeel in die verskillende sisteme teenwoording in die pasiënt se omgewing, naamlik die mikro-, ekso-, en makrosisteem. Die mikrosisteem het individuele sielkundige en gedragshindernisse asook die armoedeverwante hindernisse ingesluit. Institusieverwante hindernisse is binne die eksosisteem van die pasiënt se ekologiese omgewing beskou en sosiale en gemeenskapsverwante hindernisse is beskou binne die makrosisteem van die pasiënt se ekologiese omgewing. Die belang van dié studie lê in die identifisering van volhoudingsgedrag as produk van die pasiënt se omgewing, soos beskou deur die Ekologiese Sistemeteorie. Toekomstige navorsing kan fokus op effektiewe maniere waarop pasiënte bygestaan kan word om die nodige vaardighede te ontwikkel om hul omgewing beter te kan hanteer en beskikbare sosiale ondersteuning te kan verbeter. Die ontwikkeling van strategieë om nuwe pasiënte by te staan, benodig ook verdere navorsing.

Sport is increasingly being recognised for the contribution it can make to the Millennium Development Goals and, in particular, the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This study is based on Zambia, a low-income country, heavily affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. The study focuses on National Sports Associations (NSAs), which are quasi- autonomous organisations at meso level of policy analysis. Centring on three NSAs: Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) and Netball Association of Zambia (NAZ), this study critically analysed the organisational responses of each of the selected cases towards the HIV/AIDS multisectoral approach. The study adopted a case study approach which utilised semi-structured (face-to-face and telephone), interviews, focus group discussions and documentary analysis for data collection. Comparative analysis of all three cases revealed differences in how each case mainstreamed HIV/AIDS based on power, resources and forms of collaboration. Meso-level analysis was utilised to examine workplace HIV/AIDS policy formulation and implementation. In addition, meso-level analysis also helped reveal forms of health-related collaborations with both internal and external agencies. Macro-level theories of the state were useful in examining power relations between the Zambian state and civil society. The application of policy network theory, global health governance, multiple streams framework, and the top-down and bottom-up approaches to policy implementation proved useful in drawing attention to how each NSA case responded differently to the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS. The political power of football as a national sport and the Association s access to foreign resources enabled FAZ to influence HIV/AIDS policy implementation and build of strong collaborative relationships with government than the ZBA and NAZ. The study concludes that lack of political steer from the top has re-introduced a new foreign top-down approach as those with resources from the Global North influenced policy formulation and implementation within all three cases. The conclusion also found useful the application of post-colonialism and development theories when examining international sport-for-development practices. This finding revealed the power imbalances between Global South practitioners and Global North funding partners.

This study aims to identify the quality of knowledge management practices and success factors of non-governmental organisations in Malawi, and their influence on the knowledge management process. A questionnaire-based survey is used to establish the knowledge management practices being implemented and the extent to which they are being followed through on. A statistical-based analysis enabled the researcher to determine the influence of these practices on knowledge management processes. Results suggest an unbalanced pursuit of knowledge management practices in Malawian non-governmental organisations, which are oriented towards the knowledge generation process but fall short in knowledge application activities. This study contributes to strategy formulation and decision making in respect of adopting and investing in knowledge management initiatives in the non-profit sector. More importantly, it joins the debate on identification of appropriate practices which effectively address organisational needs. Data is limited to non-governmental organisations in Malawi; therefore, findings may be tied to a specific geographical location / School of Computing / M.Sc. (Computing)

The thesis is concerned with relationships between different conceptualizations and understandings of gender mainstreaming in Oxfam GB during 2001-2006 and focuses on two sites of policy and practice: Oxfam House and an Oxfam project in Cambodia. Drawing on anthropology of development literature, I observe that while the mainstreaming strategy was becoming further embedded in the organisation, it also evolved differently in each research site. Gender policy and practice were not necessarily linked, and policy did not drive practice; different drivers were at play. In Oxfam House, understandings of gender mainstreaming among senior managers were informed by perennial feedback that the organisation's gender work was wanting and perceptions that previous gender efforts were overly critical and uninspiring. These understandings influenced inter-related imperatives, pursued by senior managers, of assuming organisational leadership for gender and making “gender accessible”. Both of these contributed to rendering the promotion of gender equality a contested process. In contrast, the project case study in Cambodia, which Oxfam viewed as a “successful” gender mainstreamed model of community-based disaster management, demonstrates a process of taking on gender issues characterised by mutual benefit and reciprocity. Regional gender advisors and project staff needed to work together to secure their places in Aidland. Unlike the drivers of policy in Oxfam House, the drivers of gender mainstreaming practice were the demands and uncertainties of Aidland and, in the light of these, the maintenance of project relations and reproduction of “success”. They also concerned localised contingencies of social relations of gender and relations of aid. I conclude that while gender mainstreaming policy and practice are connected by formal organisational structures, they can also be unrelated due to different micro politics within these respective sites and, relatedly, from the varying degrees of autonomous decision making exercised by Oxfam staff and their understandings of gender and their particular interests.

[No abstract supplied]

Literature has shown that the involvement of men in gender and health programmes remains unclear on the ground (Esplen, 2006:1; Rivers and Aggleton, 1999:2-3). This has been happening in the midst of claims to have moved from the Women in Development to the Gender and Development framework which calls for the involvement of men in gender and development work. Furthermore, it has been argued that where literature exists, the work is generally based on studies done in developed countries and the relevance of such findings to the developing world still remains unclear (Abraham, Jewkes, Hoffman and Laubsher, 2004:330; Connell, 1987:235-236). This study therefore attempts to fill this gap by looking at the work of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Center, one of the non-governmental organisations working on gender and health programmes in Malawi. A qualitative approach was used. Six project staff and eighteen project beneficiaries were interviewed to assess their perceptions and experiences. The study found out that men involvement continues to be minimal and unclear in gender and health programmes. Although there is awareness of the importance of men’s involvement this was not implemented effectively. The few men that were involved continue to be intimidated and humiliated by both men and women. The issues of masculinities and patriarchal also continue to shape gender inequalities in the area under study. All these discourage most men from active participation in such work. Furthermore, the few that are involved meet a number of barriers which deter them from greater involvement. Such barriers according to this study include, among other things, cultural barriers, lack of men’s own space where they can discuss their own gender related issues, the view held by some gender activists that gender is equal to women’s issues and men resistance to change considering the benefits accrued by being men. All these have impacted on the way people, especially men, view gender and health programmes. The study further found that although men are regarded as the main perpetrators of violence, not all men are as such, some do acknowledge the effects of the practise. Furthermore, some men also do experience violence. According to the study findings, this is an area which has also continued to be overlooked by most developmental agencies. In Malawi, this is also exacerbated by the fact that there are no specific programmes that target men’s welfare. Nevertheless, the study argues that men’s involvement is crucial in gender and health work. In areas where men were involved positive indicators were noted and reported. The indicators include improved communication within most families, peaceful family coexistence, happy families and changes in sexual behaviour. All these give hope regarding the reduction of HIV/AIDS and development as a whole. This suggests that where gender equality is to be achieved, men need to be actively involved, both as partners and victim of gender and health related violence. When implementing such programme, there is also need to acknowledge that not all men are violent, some are actually willing to join the fight against the malpractice. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This thesis explores how research is implicated in the constitution of post-war environments, and gives an account of being and becoming a researcher in post-war Bosnia. My main contention is that when peace and conflict researchers conduct research in post-war contexts, their presence, practices, and the consequential production of knowledge and representations, have political effects. I argue that the implications of this have not been fully explained, acknowledged, or problematised within Conflict Resolution, which tends to rely on research approaches and assumptions taken from ‘normal’ science. This thesis suggests how reflexivity and alternatives methodologies, including visual research might be used to represent the emotional, sensory, and often intangible elements of post-war realities. It enacts an engagement in the politics of research and uses reflexive writing and visual methods to draw attention to the importance of the relational aspects of research in postwar environments. Visual journeys are also used to argue that visual methods can provide a way of revisiting the epistemological and ontological assumptions about lived experiences and realities in post-war settings. The thesis is based upon one year of ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Bosnia, and is also informed by eighteen months of volunteer work with a Bosnian Community Centre in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Civil organisations play a key intermediary role in the middle layer between high- level policies and individual-level outcomes in international development. By triangulating among seven Chinese HIV civil organisations with varying organisational models, I examine intermediary activity that illuminates the mechanisms by which civil organisations operate and extends theory about organisations and civil society. Development studies research can benefit from multi-level analyses of organisational processes, which provide insight into how civil organisations shape institutions and networks. My case studies show several new mechanisms that enable organisations to survive and operate in politically fraught conditions, and they offer insight into the complex interactions that allow civil organisations to operate in such contexts. First, HIV civil organisations manage associative stigma resultant from their core activities. I observe that market relationships can buffer against associative stigma transfer for organisations, with many leaders re-positioning their organisations relative to stigmatised individuals, recasting them as employees, customers, and users rather than constituents. Second, these groups use hybrid organising to better manage political risks and build partnerships through selective coupling of organisational components. Hybrid strategies can provide resilience to threats and improve resource management in institutionally plural environments. Third, HIV civil organisations engage in detached, informal, and interactive collaboration with state actors, enabling greater autonomy and innovation among civil actors and reducing risk for state actors. I trace interactions between these strategic activities at the levels of organisational activities, structures, and networks, finding that reproducing ambiguity can sustain new types of collaborations. These findings suggest a need to reconsider the role civil organisations play in society, calling attention to organisational processes that allow these actors agency in brokering flows of information and shaping formation of networks. By viewing civil organisations as intermediaries, new directions can be identified for development policy and practice.