Obesity and obesity-related diseases – such as type 2 diabetes – have become the most crucial indicators of population health in the 21st century. Formerly understood as ‘diseases of affluence’, obesity is now prevalent in the Global South posing serious risk to socioeconomic development. This is particularly true for rapidly developing countries where nutrition transitions are most apparent. There are many factors which impact on risk of obesity (e.g. gender, culture, environment, socioeconomic status, biological determinants). The problem is further aggravated within small island developing states where food security is exacerbated by factors associated with globalization and development. The thesis examines the surge of obesity and type 2 diabetes within Caribbean populations, using Barbados as a case study. A holistic approach was applied using an ecological health model. Moving away from the lifestyle model, the theoretical framework underpinning included sub-theories (e.g. social constructivism, feminism, post-colonial theory, concepts of memory and trauma).

Throughout the seventeenth century, numerous Scots became convinced that the major political and religious upheavals of their age signified the fulfillment of, or further unfolding of, the vivid prophecies described in the Book of Revelation which foretell of the final consummation of all things. To date, however, an in-depth analysis of the evolution of Scottish apocalyptic belief during the seventeenth century has never been undertaken. This thesis utilizes a wide variety of source material to demonstrate the existence of a cohesive, persistent, and largely conservative tradition of apocalyptic thought in Scotland that spanned the years 1588 to 1688. Chapter One examines several influential commentaries on the Book of Revelation published by notable Scots during the decades either side of the Union of Crowns. These works reveal many of the principal characteristics that formed the basis of the Scottish apocalyptic tradition. The most important of these traits which became a consistent feature of the tradition was the rejection of millenarianism. In recent years, historians have exaggerated the influence of millenarian ideals in Scotland during the Covenanting movement which began in 1638. Chapter Two argues that Scottish Covenanters consistently denounced millenarianism as a dangerous, subversive doctrine that could lead to the religious radicalism espoused by sixteenth-century German Anabaptists. Chapter Three looks at political and religious factors which led to the general decline of apocalyptic expectancy in Scotland during the Interregnum. It also demonstrates how, despite this decline, Scottish apocalyptic thinkers continued to uphold the primary traits of the apocalyptic tradition which surfaced over the first half of the century. Lastly, Chapter Four explains how state-enforced religious persecution of Scottish Presbyterians during the Restoration period led to the radicalisation of the tradition and inspired the violent actions of Covenanter extremists who believed they had been chosen by God to act as instruments of his divine vengeance in the latter-days.

L’Éducation Pour Tous mobilise la communauté internationale et les gouvernements depuis 1990. Cet engagement global renouvelé en 2000 sous l’auspice de l’UNESCO puis des Nations-Unies, porte notamment sur un objectif de base : l’universalisation de la scolarisation primaire complète pour tous les enfants d’âge scolaire à l’horizon de 2015. Plusieurs études sur la réalisation de cet objectif montrent que les pays en développement sont les plus à risque et que les progrès accomplis dans la plupart de ces pays, pourraient être plus importants si la pratique du redoublement faisait davantage l’objet de régulation et de contrôle. Cela contribuerait à améliorer la réussite scolaire et accroître la rétention des élèves au sein des systèmes éducatifs. La pratique du redoublement est en effet une tradition dans plusieurs systèmes éducatifs. Elle est particulièrement prépondérante dans certains groupes de pays ou régions, notamment en Afrique francophone au sud du Sahara. Dans ces pays, le PASEC - Programme d’Analyse des Systèmes Éducatifs de la CONFEMEN (Conférence des Ministres de l’Éducation Nationale des pays ayant le français en partage) - œuvre à améliorer l’accès à une éducation de qualité pour tous, par exemple, en informant les politiques sur la situation nationale du redoublement. Cette recherche sur le redoublement, la réussite scolaire et l’objectif de la Scolarisation Primaire Universelle (SPU) privilégie la dimension pédagogique, l’analyse empirique et étudie le cas du Sénégal. Elle présente et discute les indicateurs internationaux de suivi de l’objectif de la SPU, fait le point de l’état des connaissances sur le redoublement et la réussite scolaire et montre le défi que représente la réalisation de l’objectif de la SPU notamment dans les pays francophones d’Afrique sub-Saharienne. Exploitant les données existantes de l’enquête longitudinale de suivi de cohorte du PASEC au Sénégal entre 1995 et 2000, cette recherche examine le parcours scolaire des élèves en vue de la réalisation de l’objectif de la SPU. L’examen effectué combine des approches d’analyse transversale et longitudinale du redoublement et des apprentissages par rapport aux caractéristiques personnelles, familiales et scolaires de l’élève. Les résultats d’analyse montrent des variabilités, notamment par rapport aux caractéristiques personnelles de l’élève et à celles de sa classe et de son milieu de scolarisation. L’analyse longitudinale du redoublement s’est appuyée sur le diagramme de flux scolaire et a permis de produire un ensemble d’indicateurs d’efficacité interne du système éducatif du Sénégal. Pour la cohorte étudiée, du fait de l’importance des redoublements et des abandons scolaires, il faut en moyenne 9,4 années de scolarité pour que l’élève progresse du deuxième au sixième (dernier) grade du primaire. Seulement 39% de l’effectif de la cohorte survivent au dernier grade ce qui suggère que si cette tendance se maintenait, le Sénégal serait à risque de ne pas réaliser l’objectif de la SPU. Une évaluation de la situation courante à partir de données plus récentes serait requise. Le diagramme de flux scolaire constitue un outil de planification de l’éducation et représente de ce fait un important levier aux mains des autorités politiques pour agir sur les paramètres du système éducatif (paramètres liés à la qualité de l’éducation, à l’efficacité interne, etc.) afin de répondre à des objectifs spécifiques ou d’étapes pouvant conduire, par exemple, à la réalisation de l’objectif de la SPU. / The Education for All is mobilizing the international community and national governments since 1990. This global commitment which was renewed in 2000 under the auspices of UNESCO and the United-Nations has set a basic goal: the universalization of a complete primary education for all school-age children by 2015. Several studies on the achievement of this goal show that developing countries are most at risk and that progress in many of these countries could have been higher if the practice of grade repetition was better regulated and controlled. This measure would contribute to the improvement of academic achievement and increase retention within the education systems. Indeed, grade repetition practice is a tradition in several education systems. It is particularly overwhelming in some groups of countries or regions, especially in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa. In these countries, the PASEC – «Programme d’Analyse des Systèmes Educatifs de la CONFEMEN (Conférence des Ministres de l’Éducation National des pays ayant le français en partage)» - works to improve access to quality education for all, by for example, informing policies on the national situation of grade repetition. This research on grade repetition, school success and the Universal Primary Education (UPE) goal favors the pedagogical dimension, the empirical analysis and studies the case of Senegal. It presents and discusses the international indicators for UPE goal monitoring, takes stock of current knowledge on grade repetition and academic achievement and shows the challenge that represents the realisation of UPE goal especially in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa countries. By using the existing 1995-2000 PASEC longitudinal survey data in Senegal, this research examines pupils’ school careers toward the realisation of UPE goal. Transversal and longitudinal analyses of grade repetition and learning achievement based on the pupil’s personal, family and school characteristics have been used. Results from these analyses show variabilities related especially to individual, classroom and school location factors. The longitudinal analysis of grade repetition is based on the school flowchart which allows the calculation of a set of indicators about the internal efficiency of Senegal education system. For the cohort studied, due to the high grades repetition and dropout rates, pupils are required, on average, 9.4 years of schooling to progress from the second to the sixth (final) grade of primary. Only 39% of the initial cohort survives to the last grade, which suggests that if this trend remains unchanged, Senegal would be at risk of not achieving the UPE goal. An assessment of the current situation based on more recent data would be required. The school flowchart is an educational planning tool. Thus, it represents an important lever for political authorities to act on education system parameters (parameters related to education quality, internal efficiency, etc.) in order to effectively attain specific objectives or milestones resulting, for example, to the achievement of the UPE goal.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is South Africa’s statutory research agency dedicated to the social sciences. Information Services (IS) plays a significant role in advancing social science research through the provision of its proactive desk research and its library service. HSRC IS is looking at implementing a library solution that will better serve its users. The existing library system no longer meets the needs of the HSRC Library staff or the research staff. The functionality and efficiency of an ILS is critical to the smooth operation of IS in fulfilling its mandate within the HSRC, i.e. to provide access to information, in an efficient, useful, and timely manner, the focus being on ease of accessibility to a whole range of library and other online resources. The ILS must be able to handle many formats, accommodate searching on the Internet, provide a variety of functions including manipulating electronic data, working with graphics and expediting resource sharing. IS identified the following three ILS solutions, together with their add-on components 1) Innovative Interfaces’ Millennium solution, 2) SIRSI’s Unicorn solution and 3) Ex Libris’s ALEPH solution. The user and system requirements for ILS at the HSRC are sketched. The unique requirements, as well as the requirements the HSRC shares with other research organisations, are pointed out. The three ILS are evaluated against the criteria established. All three the ILS suppliers specialise exclusively in library automation software and have many years of experience in the provision and support of ILS, Innovative Interfaces Inc and Ex Libris for 25 years each and SIRSI for 15 years. Innovative Interfaces Inc has the largest customer base in South Africa. Ex Libris has one academic consortium as a client (CALICO) and some smaller utilisers, while SIRSI is just breaking into the South African market. All three systems comply fully with all the Cataloguing, Serials and Acquisitions modules requirements, that is, the more traditional library functionalities. When it comes to the more ‘non-traditional’ functionalities, such as full-text searching and discussion forum functionality, these systems still fall short. It is either not supported at all, or additional modules or add-ons are required. The various systems requirements are aligned to the current information technology environment at the HSRC. The conclusion is that the actual differences between the systems are few and far between, but that there are some specific requirements and add-on possibilities which makes Millennium the most attractive choice.

Submitted by Paulo Loiola (paulolteixeira@gmail.com) on 2017-08-07T19:32:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_PauloRicardoLoiola_Final.pdf: 1148784 bytes, checksum: 1a255b2ca421ea7ab2998f19511cb113 (MD5) / Rejected by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br), reason: Prezado aluno, Sua submissão está sendo rejeitada para acertos: Favor acertar os identens abaixo e submeter novamente. *dc.date.issued: 2017-05-05. favor corrigir para 2017-06-05 *A ficha catalográfica aparece duas vezes. Favor retirar uma Áurea SRA on 2017-08-08T13:23:38Z (GMT) / Submitted by Paulo Loiola (paulolteixeira@gmail.com) on 2017-08-21T18:41:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Paulo Loiola.pdf: 2631019 bytes, checksum: 4ed19f1dcece343df91a20671cffa943 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSEnCA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2017-08-21T18:54:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Paulo Loiola.pdf: 2631019 bytes, checksum: 4ed19f1dcece343df91a20671cffa943 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-25T13:17:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Paulo Loiola.pdf: 2631019 bytes, checksum: 4ed19f1dcece343df91a20671cffa943 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-05 / This dissertation studies qualitatively the the factors that influence the process of localization of the Millennium Development Goals at Barro Alto, Goiás, Brazil, in order to understand the possibilities and limitations of this process. The analysis is relevant because of the many social and environmental challenges on the national and international level. Data have been collected in three phases: 1) analysis of the documentation and bibliography about the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals; 2) Interviews with local actors and bibliographic studies; 3) Comparison between Barro Alto, Goiás, and Niquelândia, and the organization of the information according to the Sociology of the Organized Action. As a result, it was seen that Barro Alto, Goiás, can be considered a successful process of Millennium Development Goals implementation, with better numbers than the average of the Goiás state The analysis using the Organized Action Sociology framework facilitated the process of understanding the factors that influenced the success of the implementation of the MDG, such as social participation, transparency and the local capacity building. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo principal analisar de forma qualitativa os fatores que influenciaram o processo da municipalização dos Objetivos do Milênio em Barro Alto. A partir dessa análise foram identificadas possibilidades e limitações quanto à implantação do projeto no nível municipal. Essa análise é relevante frente aos diversos desafios sociais e ambientais em nível nacional e global. Os dados foram coletados em três etapas: 1) análise da documentação e bibliografia sobre Objetivos do Milênio e Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável. 2) Entrevistas aos atores locais e levantamento bibliográfico 3) Comparação dos dados de Barro Alto/Goiás com os dados de Goiás e de Niquelândia, além da organização das informações conforme a Sociologia da Ação Organizada. Para tanto, partiu-se da seguinte pergunta: quais os fatores que influenciaram o sucesso da implantação dos Objetivos do Milênio em Barro Alto? Como resultado, viu-se que Barro Alto/Goiás pode ser considerado um caso bem-sucedido de implantação dos Objetivos do Milênio, com desempenho superior à média do estado de Goiás nos indicadores dos Objetivos do Milênio disponibilizados no PORTAL ODM no período no projeto (2010 - 2017) e com apoio da Sociologia da Ação Organizada, pôde-se perceber um conjunto de fatores que influenciaram o sucesso da implantação dos Objetivos do Milênio, como a participação social, a transparência e a capacitação do capital humano local localmente. Palavras-chave: Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável; Objetivos do Desenvolvimento do Milênio; municipalização; Teoria da Complexidade; Território; Desenvolvimento Sustentável; Barro Alto/GO.

Kwame Nkrumah was the first African leader to pursue the idea of Africa’s continent-wide unity with fervour. Many thought that African unity will only be the pooling of poverty and that Nkrumah’s dream was impossible. Nkrumah was known for his philosophy "Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added unto it". He thought that political unity should precede economic unity, which would naturally follow. Even though the newly independent African states agreed on the necessity of unity, his philosophy was not welcomed when the Organisation of African Unity was established in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in 1963. Rather, delegates opted for incremental political integration leading to economic integration –an aspiration that Africa is still struggling to bring to fruition. This study demonstrates that Nkrumah’s idea of political unity before economic integration was and still is valid for Africa’s continent-wide unity. To this end, the study will use textual sources and use diachronic and integrative approaches as analytical tools. / Political Sciences / M.A. (International Politics)

This research focuses on assessing the extent to which the Principles of Aid Effectiveness were followed and translated into action by taking the General Education Quality Improvement Programme (GEQIP) in Ethiopia as an example. Outcomes of the secondary reviews conducted on the selected government institutions and development partners documents demonstrate that these Principles are taken as overarching strategies to guide the undertakings on GEQIP. The study attests that a number of factors influence the realization of aid effectiveness in Ethiopia. These include, at the recipient level, existence of strong national development plans while demanding improvement on absorptive capacity. At the level of development partners, compliance with pledges made on the provision of resources and better coordination is needed. A common country framework to guide the aid effectiveness process including mutual accountably is important. The study most importantly identifies that beyond sector specific reviews, emphasis should also be given to assess the contribution of the Principles of Aid Effectiveness for efficient delivery of support to the GEQIP. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

With the advent of the new National Health Act, health care in South Africa is at a critical point as this will be the first time in history that a National Health Insurance is being implemented in this country. Globally National Health Insurance has been around for more than a hundred years, however some countries with long established national health schemes are currently grappling with funding issues surrounding their health systems. South Africa should take note of these issues as it embarks on this journey. The objective of this study was to perform a literature review on how South Africa’s National Health Insurance can be funded taking cognisance of the history of the country and experiences of other countries. It is imperative for each country to achieve optimal health care funding to ensure the success and long-term sustainability of National Health Insurance. The analysis of the problems experienced by other countries revealed that balancing the three main funding options namely, allocated from the national revenue fund, user charges and or donations or grants from international organisations, is critical as the funds needed in a system to achieve coverage at an affordable cost is dependent on the current state of health care in a country. Considering South Africa’s history and current inequality in society and health care it is clear that the majority of funding for the National Health Insurance should be supplied by the national revenue fund. The required funds can either be raised by increasing existing taxes or introducing a new tax specifically aimed at financing the National Health Insurance. The use of user charges is important however, although not purely for a revenue collection point, but from a cost control point of view as well. Some studies have revealed that the lack of user charges results in a misuse of the system. / Financial Accounting / M. Phil. (Accounting Science)

Obesity and obesity-related diseases – such as type 2 diabetes – have become the most crucial indicators of population health in the 21st century. Formerly understood as ‘diseases of affluence’, obesity is now prevalent in the Global South posing serious risk to socioeconomic development. This is particularly true for rapidly developing countries where nutrition transitions are most apparent. There are many factors which impact on risk of obesity (e.g. gender, culture, environment, socioeconomic status, biological determinants). The problem is further aggravated within small island developing states where food security is exacerbated by factors associated with globalization and development. The thesis examines the surge of obesity and type 2 diabetes within Caribbean populations, using Barbados as a case study. A holistic approach was applied using an ecological health model. Moving away from the lifestyle model, the theoretical framework underpinning included sub-theories (e.g. social constructivism, feminism, post-colonial theory, concepts of memory and trauma).

La pauvreté est un phénomène qui touche tous les continents et plus particulièrement l’Afrique. Elle affecte surtout les populations des pays sous développés. Malgré la lutte de ces derniers au lendemain de la seconde guerre mondiale en faveur de l’établissement d’un nouvel ordre économique international qui assurerait leur droit au développement, force est de constater que la question de la lutte contre la pauvreté est encore d’actualité. La Banque mondiale est l’un des acteurs centraux qui accompagnent les pays africains, entre autres, à réaliser leur développement socio-économique à travers la mise en œuvre de projets et programmes de développement. Cependant, la reconnaissance du droit au développement et de ses principes par la Banque mondiale ne s’est pas opérée sans réticence au début. C’est seulement à partir des années 1990 et plus encore au début des années 2000 avec les Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement, que l’institution a changé sa vision du développement, élargi ses objectifs, adopté de nouvelles politiques et posé de nouvelles conditionnalités d’octroi de son financement respectueux des principes ou exigences de la Déclaration du droit au développement. Ce changement traduit l’échec des politiques appliquées par la Banque Mondiale en Afrique subsaharienne avant les années 1990. Quels étaient ces politiques ? L’évolution institutionnelle, idéologique de l’institution et ses nouvelles conditionnalités contribuent-elles à assurer un impact plus positif des projets ou programmes de développement en Afrique en général, et plus particulièrement au Bénin, au Cameroun et au Togo ? La décentralisation des compétences et attributions de l’Etat dans la plupart des pays d’Afrique subsaharienne en faveur des collectivités locales constitue-t-elle un cadre plus favorable à la réalisation du droit au développement ? / The poverty is a phenomenon which touches all the continents and more particularly Africa. It affects especially the populations of countries under developed. In spite of the fight of these last ones after the second world war in favour of the establishment of a new international economic order which would ensure their right for the development, the forces is to notice that the question of the fight against the poverty is still of current events. The World Bank is one of the central actors who accompany the African countries, among others, to realize their socioeconomic development through the application of projects and programs of development. However, the recognition of the right for the development and of its principles by the World Bank did not take place without hesitation at the beginning. It is only from 1990s and more still at the beginning of 2000s with the Objectives of the Millennium for the Development, that the institution changed its vision of the development, widens its objectives, adopts new policies and poses of news conditions of granting of its respectful financing of the principles or the requirements of the Declaration of the right for the development.This change translates the failure of the policies applied by the World Bank in sub-Saharan Africa before 1990s. What were these policies? The institutional, ideological evolution of the institution and does its new conditionality contribute to ensure a more positive impact of the projects or the development programs in Africa generally, and more particularly in Benin, in Cameroon and in Togo? Does the decentralization of the skills and the attributions of the State, in most of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa in favour of local authorities, constitute a limit more favorable to the realization of the law for the development?