This dissertation studies the social cost of pollution in Leitrirn, which is a township in the Vaal Triangle area. Policies and technologies that may be implemented to reduce pollution inc poor communities are also discussed. The study focuses on three areas namely pollution unemployment and poverty. Leitrim experiences a high rate of both unemployment and poverty. Residents in this area also experience high levels of pollution. Compared to Rathanda township which is more rural. Leitrim is worse off in terms of unemployment poverty and pollution. Unemployment is a major determinant of povert in Leitrim. The main component of a policy aimed at alleviating poverty in Leitrim should therefore focus on employment creation. Unemployment and poverty are defined and measured in this dissertation and the poor in Leitrim are profiled in terms of their gender qualification employment, unemployment and their spending methods. For measuring poverty the Household Subsistence Level (HSL) is used as poverty line to determine the headcount index and the poverty gap. Pollution is identified as one the factors which affect the wellbeing of the poor negatively. Reducing the k\el pollution will therefore also reduce the depth of poverty in poor communities. This dissertation focuses on the following types of pollution: land-based pollution (littering), dust pollution, noise pollution and air (indoor smoke pollution & air pollution from coal fire) pollution. Alternative technologies such as BM implemented in full scale can reduce the level of air pollution by more that 50 percent. It will also reduce the monthly household expenditure of poor households on coal by at least J.5 percent. / Thesis (M.Com. (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

South Africa, like international countries, has been experiencing an increase in the levels of poverty over the years. Poverty affects vulnerable groups of society more intensely and these groups include children, the old, disabled people and women, especially those who are single parents. This dissertation studies the role social grants have on the level of poverty in households of Sharpeville. This study focuses on two areas namely the theoretical background of poverty and social grants; and what the impact is of income from social grants. The South African government provides its citizens with eight different social grants to help those in need and/or vulnerable. From these social grants only six are investigated for the purpose of this study. These grants include the old age grant, child dependency grant, foster care grant, child support grant, disability grant and the war veteran grant. Poverty is defined as the inability to attain a minimal material standard of living by the World Bank. The different indicators used in this study to profile poor households in Sharpeville include the Household Subsistence Level (HSL) as the poverty line, the poverty gap ratio, the headcount index and the dependency ratio. This dissertation shows that poverty within the township has increased over the five years. And to do this the results from the data survey conducted in 2009 are compared to the results from Sekatane‘s 2004 data. The poverty gap ratio and the headcount index for the township in 2009 were estimated at 0.86 and 0.654 respectively. In the year 2004 the headcount index was estimated at 0.431 indicating a 22.3 percent increase in the number of people living in poverty. This means that an estimated 5 477 households in Sharpeville, in 2009, were regarded to be poor When government grants are excluded from the household‘s income within the township both the poverty gap ratio and the headcount index decrease to 0.93 and 0.705 respectively. This means that when government grants are excluded from households‘ income within Sharpeville, the depth of poverty within household‘s increases. The income from government grants might be regarded as minimal, however it assists in moving households further from the poverty line. This study recommends that activities within the informal sector should be encouraged as this will increase employment opportunities for those unemployed in the township. As the vast majority of the unemployed people have skills from trading/retail sector; employment creation should be focused in this sector. Lastly, the income threshold used in the means test equation to check affordability of social grant applicant should be decreased as people meeting the current criteria are already living in dire poverty. / Thesis (M.Com. (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

All over the world, the level of poverty is increasing. In South Africa it is mainly concentrated in rural areas and differs significantly from whether considering race, sex, provinces or community areas. This dissertation studies the relationship between poverty and inflation in Sharpeville by determining the impact of rising prices on the poor households in Sharpeville. The study focuses on three areas, namely the theoretical background of poverty and inflation, the impact of rising prices in expenditure patterns and the relationship to poverty. There are different approaches in defining poverty. Poverty can either be absolute or relative. For the purpose of this study, poverty is defined as absolute. Thus the study defines individuals as poor due to their inability to attain a minimum material standard of living. This minimal standard of living is normally referred to as the poverty line. Inflation may be defined in different ways. For the purpose of this dissertation, inflation is defined as the rise in the general price levels over a specific period of time. Changes in expenditure patterns are caused by an increase in inflation. This study uses the regression model to determine the impact of inflation on poverty in Sharpeville. According to the macroeconomic theory’s implication, the same level of inflation on the same basket of commodities has a different level of effect on each household. Accordingly, in this study, all households are assumed to be faced with the same inflation rate. Household size is positively related to poverty gap squared. This means that the more members there were in a household in Sharpeville the poorer they were. Households with the highest number of members were poorer than those with few members. Statistically, the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between household size and poverty gap is rejected, even at the 1% level of significance. EXPINFL is negatively related to poverty gap. The correlation matrix confirms the results in the regression analysis. The correlation coefficient between The relationship between poverty and inflation in Sharpeville Page EXPINFL and PGAP is -0.34467. Although it is relatively weak, the fact that there is a negative correlation confirms that inflation negatively affects poverty. Finally, the study recommends that government provides more job opportunities for the individuals without any source of income in Sharpeville. The government could also provide business funding to the unemployed individuals to enable them to start their own businesses. This would enable those individuals to create additional employment. In addition, measures should be introduced to determine the effect of inflation on those households who are not employed (that is, not receiving any form of income, not even through any form of grant), but do benefit from some form of feeding scheme administered by either government or non-profit organisations. / MCom, Economics, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

All over the world, the level of poverty is increasing. In South Africa it is mainly concentrated in rural areas and differs significantly from whether considering race, sex, provinces or community areas. This dissertation studies the relationship between poverty and inflation in Sharpeville by determining the impact of rising prices on the poor households in Sharpeville. The study focuses on three areas, namely the theoretical background of poverty and inflation, the impact of rising prices in expenditure patterns and the relationship to poverty. There are different approaches in defining poverty. Poverty can either be absolute or relative. For the purpose of this study, poverty is defined as absolute. Thus the study defines individuals as poor due to their inability to attain a minimum material standard of living. This minimal standard of living is normally referred to as the poverty line. Inflation may be defined in different ways. For the purpose of this dissertation, inflation is defined as the rise in the general price levels over a specific period of time. Changes in expenditure patterns are caused by an increase in inflation. This study uses the regression model to determine the impact of inflation on poverty in Sharpeville. According to the macroeconomic theory’s implication, the same level of inflation on the same basket of commodities has a different level of effect on each household. Accordingly, in this study, all households are assumed to be faced with the same inflation rate. Household size is positively related to poverty gap squared. This means that the more members there were in a household in Sharpeville the poorer they were. Households with the highest number of members were poorer than those with few members. Statistically, the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between household size and poverty gap is rejected, even at the 1% level of significance. EXPINFL is negatively related to poverty gap. The correlation matrix confirms the results in the regression analysis. The correlation coefficient between The relationship between poverty and inflation in Sharpeville Page EXPINFL and PGAP is -0.34467. Although it is relatively weak, the fact that there is a negative correlation confirms that inflation negatively affects poverty. Finally, the study recommends that government provides more job opportunities for the individuals without any source of income in Sharpeville. The government could also provide business funding to the unemployed individuals to enable them to start their own businesses. This would enable those individuals to create additional employment. In addition, measures should be introduced to determine the effect of inflation on those households who are not employed (that is, not receiving any form of income, not even through any form of grant), but do benefit from some form of feeding scheme administered by either government or non-profit organisations. / MCom, Economics, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012