Paraffin is used as a main household energy source for cooking, lighting and heating by low-income communities in South Africa. It is highly inflammable and spillages from paraffin can be considered as one of the major causes of fires that lead to the destruction of dwellings in the informal settlement. The situation is made worse due to the close proximity of the dwellings to each other which cause the fires to spread very quickly from one dwelling to the next leaving suffering and most often death in its wake (Schwebel et al., 2009:700). It has been shown by Muller et al. (2003:2018) that most of the informal rural communities use paraffin in non-ventilated and windowless environments and this causes major respiratory problems. The government has made a huge effort towards replacing paraffin as main cooking fuel in rural and informal settlements with ethanol gel. Ethanol gel is a healthier, safer alternative to paraffin because ethanol gel does not burn unless it is contained within a cooking device that concentrates the flame. It also fails to emit lung irritants or other dangerous chemical vapours when burned indoors (Bizzo et al., 2004:67). Commercial ethanol gels are manufactured with imported gelling agents that make their costs unaffordable to the rural poor communities. It is the objective of this study to determine whether gelling agents extracted from the local endemic species of cactacea viz. Opuntia fiscus-indica and Cereus Jamacaru can be used to synthesise ethanol gel comparable or better than the commercial gels. The two species chosen have been declared pests (Nel et al., 2004:61) and are continuously uprooted from arable land and burned by local farmers (Van Wilgen et al., 2001:162) This study showed that Opuntia ficas-indica stems gave a better cellulose yield (15.0 ± 6.7 wt. %) than Cereus Jamacaru (11.5 ± 7.8wt %). Chemical composition analyses and FT-IR analyses showed that the hemicelluloses and lignin were completely removed from the extracted cellulose and the extraction was more effective for Opuntia ficasindica than for Cereus Jamacaru. Ethanol gel produced by using the extracted cellulose, as was investigated during this study, was compared to commercial gels with respect to viscosity, burn time, calorific values and residue and a good comparison was obtained. / Thesis (M.Sc. Engineering Sciences (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This thesis examines the informal recovery of recyclable beverage containers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The socio-economic characteristics and structure of the informal recycling sector is explored using a case study of the United We Can bottle depot in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Results indicate that informal resource recovery, also known in local vernacular as “binning”, has the potential to make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation, social inclusion and waste management. Further, the informal recycling community is comprised of a highly diverse range of individuals. Society’s acceptance and integration of this sector could contribute positively to both the social economy and the environmental movement. In order to do so, however, a collaborative effort between government and community is required to build capacity and an adequate infrastructure.

The rise of neoliberalism in the 1970s played an important role in renewing interest in the role which the rule of law could have in fostering free markets and economic growth in the developing world. One prominent participant in this neoliberal movement, which might be termed the Project for Markets, was Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian businessman who championed the extension of formal property rights as a solution to the developing world’s ills. In so doing de Soto became an international celebrity venerated by global leaders who welcomed a straight-forward free market solution to complex developmental issues. This thesis explores how de Soto’s work on property formalization in the last three decades both reflected the core assumptions of the Project for Markets as well as many of its short-comings. To do this I will rely on a case study of Cairo, a city central to de Soto’s work, to argue that de Soto ignores both the variable ways in which property rights can function “on the ground” as well as the extent to which there is rarely a technical “quick-fix” for serious problems in a nation’s political economy.

Despite its many challenges and limitations the concept of in situ upgrading of informal settlements has become one of the most favoured approaches to the housing crisis in the ‘Global South’. Due to its inherent principles of incremental in situ development, prevention of relocations, protection of local livelihoods and democratic participation and cooperation, this approach is often perceived to be more sustainable than other housing approaches that often rely on quantitative housing delivery and top down planning methodologies. While this study does not question the benefits of the in situ upgrading approach, it seeks to identify problems of its practical implementation within a specific national and local context. The study discusses the origin and importance of this approach on the basis of a review of international housing policy development and analyses the broader political and social context of the incorporation of this approach into South African housing policy. It further uses insights from a recent case study in Cape Town to determine complications and conflicts that can arise when applying in situ upgrading of informal settlements in a complex local context. On that basis benefits and limitations of the in situ upgrading approach are specified and prerequisites for its successful implementation formulated. / Trotz vieler Herausforderungen und Beschränkungen gilt das Konzept des in situ upgrading informeller Siedlungen als eine der wichtigsten Herangehensweisen an die Wohnraumkrise im „globalen Süden“. Aufgrund seiner immanenten Prinzipien einer schrittweisen Entwicklung an Ort und Stelle, der Vermeidung von Umsiedlungen, dem Erhalt lokaler Existenzgrundlagen sowie demokratischer Beteiligung und Kooperation, wird oftmals angenommen, dass diese Herangehensweise nachhaltiger ist, als eine quantitativ ausgerichtete Wohnraumversorgung und Top-Down-Planungsansätze. Während diese Studie die Vorteile des in situ upgrading nicht in Frage stellt, zielt sie darauf ab, Probleme der praktischen Umsetzung dieses Ansatzes in einem spezifischen nationalen und lokalen Kontext zu identifizieren. Die Studie diskutiert die Herkunft und die Bedeutung des in situ upgrading auf der Grundlage einer Rückschau auf die Entwicklung internationaler Wohnraumpolitik und analysiert den politischen und sozialen Kontext der Einbettung dieses Ansatzes in die südafrikanische Wohnraumpolitik. Darüber hinaus macht sie sich Einblicke einer kürzlich durchgeführten Fallstudie in Kapstadt zunutze, um Probleme und Konflikte zu erfassen, die bei der Umsetzung des in situ upgrading in einem komplexen lokalen Kontext entstehen können. Auf dieser Grundlage werden die Vorteile wie auch die Beschränkungen des in situ upgrading näher spezifiziert und zentrale Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung des Konzeptes formuliert.

The main goal of this thesis is to describe what happens in the collaborative approach to therapy from a conversation and discursive analytical perspective. The data we worked with are part of collaborative therapy sessions in Mexican Spanish Dialect. Chapter 1 is an introduction to two of the main social constructionist approaches to therapy, the `reflecting team approach' and the `collaborative approach' to therapy. This sets out the theoretical environment in which the therapy was done. Chapter 2 is a review of the state of the art in conversation and discourse studies on therapy talk and related fields, illustrating the type of analysis done up to now. Chapter 3 describes aspects of Mexican population that were part of the context in which the data originated; some notes on translation issues are included here. Chapter 4 is the first analytic chapter and it describes the dynamics in conversation of the English particle `okay' as found in Spanish therapeutic interaction. It shows both the work okay is doing when found in the therapists' discourse and what it is doing when found in the clients' discourse. Chapter 5 presents the analysis of instances of informality that were found in the data, arguing that aspects of an `egalitarian therapeutic stance' can be displayed in the participants' talk. Chapter 6 is a study on questions and therapy, more specifically it shows the questions that can be asked by the clients in therapy talk and the conversational job this is doing. Chapter 7 is an example of research done when taking as a starting point a category that is relevant for therapy and counselling: active listening. In reading through this thesis, the reader will find aspects of the therapeutic approach as displayed in talk. Examples of this are the displays in talk of the philosophical stance, such as being egalitarian in an institutional setting. Besides describing how theoretical assumptions can be displayed in talk, this work describes in detail several aspects of therapy talk.

The aim of the thesis was to explore the magnitude of inequity in accessibility to initial formal education, continuing adult education, and work-related informal learning for the workplace. The two main issues that the thesis attempted to determine is whether social background characteristics that affect initial educational attainment continue to influence participation in adult education and work-related informal learning. More specifically, this research focused on three main questions: First, to what extent does parents’ social background influence educational attainment levels for Canadians from different generations? Second, to what extent does parents’ social background influencing participation in adult education for their offspring beyond the effects of an individual’s own social background? And, third, to what extent does parents' social background have on their offspring’s participation in informal learning for the workplace beyond the effects of an individual's own social class background? A secondary data quantitative analysis was carried out on the data collected in the 2004 Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL) survey. Both crosstab analysis and structural equation analysis were used to obtain an overview of inequities in participation in formal education and informal learning and to test the applicability of Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory. Overall, the findings of this thesis indicate that social reproduction occurs not only through the formal education system, but also through the adult education system. More specifically, parents’ education continues to be a good predictor of the level of education attained by offspring. Moreover, one’s level of education continued to be a predictor of participation in adult education. Social reproduction was not present for work-related informal learning. In fact, those from low incomes were more likely to engage in informal learning than those from high incomes. These findings indicate that despite level of cultural and economic capital, the majority of Canadians engage in a learning activity. It is apparent that structures that are present in our formal education system continue to advantage students with high cultural and economic capital; however, work-related informal learning is accessible to all.

The informal sector is described as groups of persons who act in parallel to official waste management systems without official authorisation. Such informal activities can result in risks as well as benefits both to the environment and involved stakeholders, which explains the continuing lively discussions in politics, science and society. Transhipments of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are increasingly focused in Germany. In addition to informal exports via the port of Hamburg to countries such as China, Ghana or Nigeria, informal transports to Eastern European countries have been recognised for decades. This paper describes investigations regarding the characteristics, transhipped amounts as well as the eco-efficiency of informal sector activities originating from Eastern European countries, while thereby highlighting transhipments of used appliances to destination countries and a corresponding sale for reuse. Investigations reveal that a majority of informal collectors originate from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania and are recognised across Germany. A high WEEE specialisation was determined, whereby average annual transhipped amounts are estimated at 77,000 tons. Collected materials are transhipped and partially sold for reuse. A case study considers the example of Polish informal collectors. The ratio between economic and environmental performance reveal that informal sector reuse activities in Poland achieve a higher environmentally sound performance in comparison to further usage of appliances under consideration. The informal collection of a television in Germany (and subsequent reuse in Poland) causes 8.34 kg less specific CO2 emissions per spend-costs (€) than the production, usage and further use in Poland. Conversely, a further use of a television in Germany only results in 2.2 kg less CO2 emissions per spend-costs (€). These results demonstrate that reuse as a result of informal sector activities can have a positive effect. Future electrical and electronic products available for reuse will have lower energy consumptions. A positive contribution to resource protection is thereby achieved while extending already short life cycles. Taking into account a dependency on collections with respect to their income, a pure ban of informal sector activities would therefore be socially counterproductive. A structured and controlled accomplishment of informal collection processes would open up new opportunities to enlarge the (already existing) concept of reuse at an international level.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyse the visual expressions of Street Art that occurs in the public space, and by doing so, to study this specifi c practice, and also elucidate the relation between public space as a democratic idea, a place for freedom of speech and as a planned, aesthetically shaped place. The intention is to throw light upon a central part of many young peoples lives in a didactic aspect. In this thesis I discuss Street Art as an informal image making in public space that young people use as tools to make meaning, but also as a form of resistance. The methodologies used in the study are ethnography and visual ethnography, where observational studies of Street Art as practice, interviews and interpretation of photographs (my own, and my informants) are performed and analysed. Theoretically, the study has a didactic and semiotic approach but I also rely on Cultural Studies as a research fi eld in order to be able to pick up different kinds of theories. From three platforms; public space and public place and places for Street Art, aesthetic learning processes within this specifi c practice, and fi nally the expanded fi eld of Art and the similarities and differences between formal Art and Street Art I have outlined four themes; ephemerality, the criteria for Street Art practice, how the work is being done, as a collective and individual practice, the struggle of space in public space, and fi nally high and low in Art and culture. By describing and analysing this informal image making light is thrown upon the aesthetic learning process that occurs, the didactic aspect of this practice and the communication that the images articulate. As a result, the study shows that Street Art, in spite of its illegal mark, points out that it is an aesthetic production and a creative practice that consists of resistance, meaning making, achieving knowledge through practice, and above all a way to use the city, to become a part of the city. The thesis contributes with the suggestion that this informal aesthetic learning process is a way to form identity, make meaning, take part of public space, and through symbolic resistance demand ones rights of expression.

Univ., Diss.--Marburg, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. 241 - 253.

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) - Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Maliye Anabilim Dalı, 2007. / Bibliyografya var.