Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, International Relations, 2013 / The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established on 9 March 2003 by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as an innovative instrument to improve governance in Africa. The APRM is a voluntary mechanism which enables African leaders to periodically monitor and review each other’s governance performance thus promoting peer-dialogue and peer-learning. The rationale behind the establishment of the APRM is the realization that socio-economic development and good governance are inextricably linked. Furthermore, for NEPAD to achieve its goal of placing African countries on a path of sustainable growth and development, it is imperative to ensure that an environment of good political and economic governance is created. In 2013, the APRM will mark ten years since its inception. This significant milestone provides scholars interested in governance and development issues on the continent with an opportunity to assess the gains (successes) which have been registered and the weaknesses regarding the implementation of this innovative African initiative. It is against this backdrop that this study undertakes to perform a retrospective analysis of the APRM since its inception in 2003. The study identifies as assesses the achievements and challenges of the APRM over the decade (2003-2013) as well as provides recommendations aimed at overcoming the challenges, strengthening the Mechanism as well as positioning it to effectively and efficiently carry out its mandate. The study establishes that there exists a positive correlation between good governance and development. The study further illustrates that the APRM has achieved much in its relatively short time of existence. Lessons have been learnt. However, as is the case with any new initiative, the Mechanism has experienced some teething problems (challenges) that ought to be addressed if the APRM is to effectively deliver on its mandate and improve the quality of governance across African countries. In essence, the APRM have proven itself to be a tool that holds immense potential for improving governance on the African continent.

The urgency for a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emission is emphasised in the new Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in order to maintain the security and sustainable development of humanity. As proposed in the report, changing individual consumption behaviour can considerably alleviate the environmental impact of consumption and emissions. However, transforming individual to sustainable consumption behaviour has proven over time to be a challenging task involving all aspects of the society and industry. Sharing practice is a form of collaborative consumption proven to be applicable in fulfilling user needs with minimised environmental impact and material consumption as well as creating a sustainable consumption behaviour. A case study is conducted on the online peer-to-peer stuff sharing platform to discover what challenges users to perform sharing practice, what influences the participation in sharing practice, and what strategy a platform can have to stimulate the participation in sharing practice. The method of this thesis is a qualitative content analysis of the user reviews from the online stuff sharing platform, and the approach is inspired by grounded theory. The findings of the thesis present the difficulties of platform users in sharing practice, i.e. information transparency, arrangement, quality, security, and user knowledge. Also, the findings state the factors underlying identified difficulties, namely social presence, competence in sharing practice, and platform responsibility. The study concludes with strategies that can be applied for optimising sharing practice and platform. Besides, the initiative of the platform is highlighted to create transformation toward sustainable consumption behaviour. Otherwise, the development of sharing practice can be jeopardised. Besides, further research is necessary to establish a holistic outlook of sharing practice and facilitating the transformation toward sustainable consumption.

Peer-to-peer sharing platforms appear as a valid option to stop excessive consumerism. The success of a peer-to-peer sharing platform at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan university mostly depends on the capability to comprehend the potential users’ motives for engagement. To investigate the relative significance of consumer motives for and against this platform, a theoretical model based on a comprehensive set of potential consumer motives was developed. The model was validated by employing a survey of325 participants. Findings suggest ecological sustainability, sense of belonging, trust in other users, and familiarity as the four most important drivers and prerequisites of platform attitude and process risk concerns as the main barrier. Moreover, attitude shows the most significant effect on behavioral intention and is slightly influenced by reasons of age, gender, type of participant, and school to which the participant belongs. Services in general and study materials appear as the items with the highest number of potential consumers and suppliers; while the free system proves to be the preferred system. Based on the findings, recommendations for future research and implementation of the peer-to-peer platform are suggested. / Peer-to-peer-delningsplattformar visas som ett giltigt alternativ för att stoppa överdriven konsumtion. Framgången hos en peer-to-peer- delningsplattform vid Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan beror oftast på förmågan att förstå de potentiella användarnas motiv för engagemang. För att undersöka den relativa betydelsen av konsumentmotiv för och mot denna plattform, utvecklades en teoretisk modell baserad på en omfattande uppsättning potentiella konsumentmotiv. Modellen validerades genom att använda en undersökning av 325 deltagare. Resultat tyder på ekologisk hållbarhet, känsla av tillhörighet, förtroende för andra användare och förtrogenhet som de fyra viktigaste drivkrafterna och förutsättningarna för plattformshållning och processriskhänsyn som huvudbarriären. Vidare visar attityden den mest signifikanta effekten på beteendets avsikt och påverkas något av ålder, kön, typ av deltagare och skolan som deltagaren tillhör. Tjänster i allmänhet och läromedel förekommer som föremål med högsta möjliga potentiella konsumenter och leverantörer, medan det fria systemet visar sig vara det föredragna systemet. Baserat på resultaten, rekommenderas rekommendationer för framtida forskning och genomförande av peer-to-peer-plattformen.