Studiens syfte var att undersöka om nudging kan påverka individers ekonomiska riskbenägenhet och om effekten av nudging som beteendeförändrings teknik skiljer sig beroende på upplevd ekonomisk knapphet under livsloppet. Studien har utgått från en kvantitativ metodologi och design. Metoden innehåller ett standardiserat frågeformulär med ett väl beprövat instrument som mäter ekonomisk knapphet och ett pre-experiment för att kunna mäta deltagarnas riskbenägenhet. Urvalet bestod av ett studenturval (N= 304) och studien utfördes på studenter vid Högskolan i Skövde. Nudging är ett verktyg som kan användas för att ge människor möjlighet att kunna fatta mer medvetna beslut och därmed undvika ett automatisk tänkande. Tidigare forskning visar att människor ofta har svårt att ta rationella beslut när de ställs inför komplexa val. I sådana situationer tenderar människor att använda sig av ett heuristiskt tänkande och därmed appliceras ett automatiskt tankesätt. Individer som upplever eller har upplevt ekonomisk knapphet har svårare att ta långsiktiga ekonomisk beslut. Forskningar har visat att en uppväxt under låga socioekonomiska förhållanden kan leda till systematiska skillnader i beslutfattande. Vilket kan resultera i att dessa individer gör mer riskbenägna och impulsiva val. Forskarna ville undersöka om effekten av nudging som beteendesförändringsteknik kan påverka riskbenägenhet. Studiens resultat visade att upplevd ekonomisk knapphet under livsloppet inte hade någon större effekt på deltagarnas ekonomiska riskbenägenhet. Det fanns en tendens som visade att effekterna av nudging som beteendeförändringsteknik skiljer sig beroende på upplevd ekonomisk knapphet under livsloppet, dock var resultatet ej statistisk signifikant. / The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nudging can impact individuals'economic risk taking and whether the effect of nudging as a behaviour change technique differs dependingon perceived scarcity during the life cycle.The study has been based on a quantitative methodology and design. The method contains a standardized questionnaire with an established instrument that measures scarcity and a pre-experiment to be able to measure the participants' risk taking. The sample consisted of a student sample (N= 304) and the study was performed on students at the University of Skövde. Nudging is a tool that can be used to give people the opportunity to make more conscious decisions and thereby avoid automatic thinking. Previous research shows that people often find it difficult to make rational decisions when faced with complex choices. In such situations, people tend to use heuristic thinking and thereby an automatic way of thinking is applied. Individuals who experience or have experienced scarcity find it more difficult to make long-term economic decisions. Research has shown that growing up in low socio-economic conditions can lead to systematic differences in decision-making, which can result in these individuals making more risky or impulsive choices.The researchers wanted to investigate whether the effect of nudging as a behaviour change technique can affect risk taking. The results of the study showed that perceived scarcity during the life cycle had no major effecton the participants' economic risk taking. There was a tendency that showed that the effects of nudging as a behaviour change technique differs depending on perceived scarcity during the life cycle, however, the result was not statistically significant.

Many countries, including South Africa, are facing the reality of insufficient water supplies to meet their present and future water demands due to decreasing freshwater availability and increasing demand. Increased populations and climate changes further exacerbate the problem. South Africa is considered the thirtieth driest country in the world with limited supplies of water which are unevenly distributed. Thus there is a need for alternative water sources to augment the freshwater supply. Wastewater reuse has been identified worldwide as a viable option to augment water supplies. While technologies are available to ensure proper treatment of wastewater to even potable standards, many countries have experienced public resistance to wastewater reuse due to negative perceptions of consumers. For wastewater reuse initiatives to be successful public acceptance is imperative. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of consumers in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse. This is the first study conducted in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse hence this information can be valuable in future when wastewater reuse projects are implemented A questionnaire to measure perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse was developed based on previous studies and distributed to people residing in the Vaal Triangle area. A response rate of 74% (515 completed questionnaires) was obtained from 700 distributed questionnaires. The results showed that socio-demographic factors such as age, race, qualification and level of employment affect the perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse. Additionally, knowledge of wastewater reuse and water scarcity had a positive effect on consumer‟s perceptions. Some of the major reasons why consumers are not receptive to wastewater reuse are health concerns, lack of trust in the implementing agencies, poor management of the plants and safety of chemicals used to treat the water. Lack of knowledge on wastewater reuse was raised as a major concern in the study. All these concerns need to be addressed to ensure success of wastewater reuse projects within the area. Limitations within the study were identified and recommendations for future research were made. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The research study focused on assessing the potential risk of failing to maintain water supply in the Rand Water area. The study analysed all factors and areas that contributes to water supply in the Rand Water area; this included municipalities supplied by Rand Water, the Department of Water Affairs and other factors that directly affect Rand Water supply such as population growth, increased urbanisation and acid mine drainage. The objectives of the study were: (a) is to determine the potential risk of failing to maintain supply in the Rand Water supply area, in other words, the likeliness of water not being supplied adequately to customers. (b) generate timely and credible information to determine the understanding, awareness, and acknowledgement by the sampled management group of the existence of the potential water supply risk in the Rand Water supply area. This will be done through a quantitative study. The research study approach that was utilized was a quantitative methodology; this approach included the distribution of questionnaires to all relevant stakeholders in the Rand Water supply area. To address the problems that are highlighted in the problem statement and achieve the objectives of the study these answered questionnaires were then sent to a Statistical consultant at North-West University‟s Potchefstroom Campus, to be analysed using an SPSS Version 21 statistical program. The questionnaires were divided into the three big municipal customers, these municipalities combined takes a total of 74.35% of Rand Water supply; these are Johannesburg Water which is part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and other small municipalities and the Department of Water Affairs‟ officials. Many previous studies also were assessed to be able to help this study establish the seriousness of the water challenge, the amount of work that has already been done, factors contributing to the problem and finally, measures that can be put in place to address the problem. The results that were obtained for this study provided many relationships between this study‟s selected variables and also highlighted the need to put certain strategies in place to be able to control the growing demand for water in the Rand Water system. The name of the Department of Water Affairs has changed many times over the year. It used to be called DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, then DWEA (Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, then DWA (Department of Water Affairs) and it has recently been changed to DWS (Department of Water and Sanitation. For the purposes of this study this department will be called DWA (The Department of Water Affairs) The results were very relevant as most of the relationships were found between variables that are practically supposed to be related in order for the problem to be dealt with fruitfully. From these results it could be concluded that the risk of failing to maintain water supply in the Rand Water supply area does exist, if certain factors were allowed to trend the way they‟ve been trending without measures in place to counteract them. It could also be concluded that certain measures have been initiated to deal with the problem; this included water demand management. Results indicated that collective efforts from all stakeholders in the Rand Water supply area will be crucial in addressing the water supply challenge and avoid future failure to supply. To close the gap between previous research studies and this research study recommendations were made. Areas of future research were also highlighted; these are areas that can add value in providing valued information to help the challenge of water shortage in the Rand Water supply area. This area of future research studies will also be crucial in identifying other external factors that were not highlighted in the study but contribute to the problem. This area of future research studies will also help when implementing turnaround strategies to avoid the risk of failing to maintain supply in the Rand Water area as it will be able to highlight a different strategy that deals with the problem holistically. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Many countries, including South Africa, are facing the reality of insufficient water supplies to meet their present and future water demands due to decreasing freshwater availability and increasing demand. Increased populations and climate changes further exacerbate the problem. South Africa is considered the thirtieth driest country in the world with limited supplies of water which are unevenly distributed. Thus there is a need for alternative water sources to augment the freshwater supply. Wastewater reuse has been identified worldwide as a viable option to augment water supplies. While technologies are available to ensure proper treatment of wastewater to even potable standards, many countries have experienced public resistance to wastewater reuse due to negative perceptions of consumers. For wastewater reuse initiatives to be successful public acceptance is imperative. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of consumers in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse. This is the first study conducted in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse hence this information can be valuable in future when wastewater reuse projects are implemented A questionnaire to measure perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse was developed based on previous studies and distributed to people residing in the Vaal Triangle area. A response rate of 74% (515 completed questionnaires) was obtained from 700 distributed questionnaires. The results showed that socio-demographic factors such as age, race, qualification and level of employment affect the perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse. Additionally, knowledge of wastewater reuse and water scarcity had a positive effect on consumer‟s perceptions. Some of the major reasons why consumers are not receptive to wastewater reuse are health concerns, lack of trust in the implementing agencies, poor management of the plants and safety of chemicals used to treat the water. Lack of knowledge on wastewater reuse was raised as a major concern in the study. All these concerns need to be addressed to ensure success of wastewater reuse projects within the area. Limitations within the study were identified and recommendations for future research were made. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The research study focused on assessing the potential risk of failing to maintain water supply in the Rand Water area. The study analysed all factors and areas that contributes to water supply in the Rand Water area; this included municipalities supplied by Rand Water, the Department of Water Affairs and other factors that directly affect Rand Water supply such as population growth, increased urbanisation and acid mine drainage. The objectives of the study were: (a) is to determine the potential risk of failing to maintain supply in the Rand Water supply area, in other words, the likeliness of water not being supplied adequately to customers. (b) generate timely and credible information to determine the understanding, awareness, and acknowledgement by the sampled management group of the existence of the potential water supply risk in the Rand Water supply area. This will be done through a quantitative study. The research study approach that was utilized was a quantitative methodology; this approach included the distribution of questionnaires to all relevant stakeholders in the Rand Water supply area. To address the problems that are highlighted in the problem statement and achieve the objectives of the study these answered questionnaires were then sent to a Statistical consultant at North-West University‟s Potchefstroom Campus, to be analysed using an SPSS Version 21 statistical program. The questionnaires were divided into the three big municipal customers, these municipalities combined takes a total of 74.35% of Rand Water supply; these are Johannesburg Water which is part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and other small municipalities and the Department of Water Affairs‟ officials. Many previous studies also were assessed to be able to help this study establish the seriousness of the water challenge, the amount of work that has already been done, factors contributing to the problem and finally, measures that can be put in place to address the problem. The results that were obtained for this study provided many relationships between this study‟s selected variables and also highlighted the need to put certain strategies in place to be able to control the growing demand for water in the Rand Water system. The name of the Department of Water Affairs has changed many times over the year. It used to be called DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, then DWEA (Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, then DWA (Department of Water Affairs) and it has recently been changed to DWS (Department of Water and Sanitation. For the purposes of this study this department will be called DWA (The Department of Water Affairs) The results were very relevant as most of the relationships were found between variables that are practically supposed to be related in order for the problem to be dealt with fruitfully. From these results it could be concluded that the risk of failing to maintain water supply in the Rand Water supply area does exist, if certain factors were allowed to trend the way they‟ve been trending without measures in place to counteract them. It could also be concluded that certain measures have been initiated to deal with the problem; this included water demand management. Results indicated that collective efforts from all stakeholders in the Rand Water supply area will be crucial in addressing the water supply challenge and avoid future failure to supply. To close the gap between previous research studies and this research study recommendations were made. Areas of future research were also highlighted; these are areas that can add value in providing valued information to help the challenge of water shortage in the Rand Water supply area. This area of future research studies will also be crucial in identifying other external factors that were not highlighted in the study but contribute to the problem. This area of future research studies will also help when implementing turnaround strategies to avoid the risk of failing to maintain supply in the Rand Water area as it will be able to highlight a different strategy that deals with the problem holistically. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Master of Arts / Department of Political Science / Emizet N. Kisangani / This study is an effort to shed some light on the causes of civil war. The literature on civil war onset has been framed under three main perspectives: cultural, political and economic approaches. Recent studies, however, tend to narrow the debate and posit explanations for civil war as either greed-motivated or grievance-motivated. This study replicates one of the most prominent econometric models on civil war, the Collier and Hoeffler model (CH), and further validated their economic interpretation of civil war as greed-motivated. Their argument is that greed-led behavior is motivated by an abundance of valuable resources. However, Collier and Hoeffler overlooked one critical element: scarce resources also contribute to discontent and violent protests. This study suggests that the CH model should include resource scarcity to avoid omitting variable bias.

In contemporary society, book readers are increasingly being valued as consumers. Literacy and reading are often subjected to an economic logic and seen as constituting economic operations in themselves. The overall research objective is to explore whether and to what extent book reading as consumption practice belongs with traditional understandings of economy and culture, consumption and value. This entails studies on different levels: theoretical, methodological and meta-theoretical. The main thesis is that we need to envision another mode of economy related to books and reading, captured in the concept of “bookonomy”. The methodological problems connected to the empirical study of consumption practice can be dealt with constructively if we engage consumers in complementary experimental activities. Visual sessions can contribute directly by: 1.) contextualizing practices in everyday life; 2.) exhibiting visible, material aspects, etc.; 3) uncovering invisible aspects such as the art and logic of practice. Using an abductive approach to science and several types of qualitative data, the study puts consumption practice in a new light. Several logics of book reading are uncovered: distributive, encompassing, additive, geometric, accounting, erosive, and depository. These logics of practice are better understood as consummation, rather than consumption. The meta-theoretical study suggested that unlike economic theory that teaches the allocation of scarce resources to meet infinite needs, bookonomy denotes an underlying pattern of complementary logics that gather together and distribute surplus, both historically and as driver into industrial mass production and post-scarcity. Where economic theory distinguishes between value-in-use (utility), value-in-exchange (value) and value-in-money (price), bookonomic value is an epiphenomenal type of value that simultaneously draws on, takes hold of, and deals out surplus. It is a surplus-to-surplus value-in-store, with a distributive logic at heart. / Bookonomy

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has a mean annual precipitation far lower than the global average. This is a fundamental constraint to development, especially when the country has already run out of surplus water and dilution capacity. To add further pressure, Southern Africa’s water resources are expected to decrease as a result of climate change. Despite the potential devastation, the country’s response to climate change has been limited. South Africa’s energy sector is dominated by coal power stations and is the country’s primary emitter of carbon dioxide. Given the significantly higher water usage of coal-fired power plants compared to that of most renewable energy power plants, the transition to a clean energy infrastructure might be more successfully motivated by water scarcity than by the promise of reduced carbon emissions. This article analyses more critically the impact of coal-fired electricity generation on South Africa’s water resources, by estimating a water-use figure that extends backwards from the power plant to include water used during extraction of the coal. This figure can then be compared to the water usage of alternative electricity generation options. It is then possible to estimate how much water could be saved by substituting these alternatives in place of additional coal-fired plants. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika se gemiddelde jaarlikse neerslag is baie laer as die wêreldwye gemiddelde. Dit plaas ’n wesenlike beperking op ontwikkeling, veral aangesien die land se surplus water- en verdunningskapasiteit reeds uitgeput is. Om die saak verder te vererger, word verwag dat Suidelike Afrika se waterbronne gaan kleiner word as gevolg van klimaatsverandering. Ten spyte van die potensiële ramp, was die land se reaksie op klimaatsverandering tot dusver baie beperk. Steenkoolkragstasies, wat Suid-Afrika se energiesektor oorheers, is die land se primêre bron van koolstofdioksieduitlating. Gegewe die beduidend hoër waterverbruik van steenkoolkragstasies teenoor dié van die meeste kragstasies wat met hernubare energie werk, kan die verandering na ’n skoonenergie-infrastruktuur meer suksesvol gemotiveer word deur waterskaarste as deur die belofte van verminderde koolstofuitlatings. Hierdie artikel analiseer die impak van steenkoolgedrewe elektrisiteitsopwekking op Suid-Afrika se waterbronne meer krities deur te beraam hoeveel water verbruik word van die kragstasie terug tot by die ontginning van die steenkool. Hierdie syfer kan dan vergelyk word met die waterverbruik van alternatiewe kragopwekkingsopsies. Dit is dan moontlik om te beraam hoeveel water gespaar kan word deur hierdie alternatiewe op te rig in plaas van bykomende steenkoolkragstasies.

<p>Botswana's population and water demand are growing at a high rate particularly in the dry south eastern part of the country. In 1999, a Water Conservation Policy and Strategy framework document was formulated to guide a transition from a supply driven water management approach to water demand management. This study investigated whether there was a disparity between the framework policy and strategy recommendations and their actual implementation.</p>

My DPhil submission consists of a series of papers on related topics on the moral philosophy of scarce benefit distribution. It focuses on two types of scarce benefit distribution case. The first type occurs when which all potential beneficiaries of a good each have an equally strong moral claim on an equal benefit from the resource but scarcity or indivisibility prevents us from benefiting all potential beneficiaries. Call these cases equal conflict cases. In 'Anti-Majoritarianism', I argue against the view defended by both utilitarians and non-utilitarians that in equal conflict cases you always ought to give the benefit to as many people as possible. I argue that doing so is neither morally right nor fair. In 'Weighing Up Weighted Lotteries', I argue that the philosophical debate between unweighted and weighted lottery benefit distribution procedures has been misconceived and that fairness requires us to use a new kind of weighted lottery that I call the exclusive composition-sensitive lottery. In 'Can't Get No Satisfaction', I defend a new view that I call the dual-structure view about how lotteries satisfy potential beneficiaries' claims in equal conflict cases and highlight the implications of that view for the distribution of donor corneas to those who have suffered corneal degeneration. The second type of this distributional problem occurs when we can either benefit a very large number of potential beneficiaries with a very small benefit (call these the many) or a very small number of potential beneficiaries with a very major benefit (call these the few). In "Valuing the Few Over the Many" I argue that there are cases where not only ought we to benefit the few over the many no matter how numerous the many are, but it is also better to do so. However, this conclusion can be shown to conflict with a number of widely held tenets of value theory. I evaluate different ways of accommodating these intuitions and argue that in some contexts, benefits are not of finite value. The view I defend in 'Valuing the Few Over the Many', combined with some intuitively plausible axiological claims, is inconsistent with the transitivity of the 'better than' relation. In 'Making Betterness Behave' I argue that for what I call the conditional non-coextensive thesis: if 'better than' is not transitive, one ought to take the position that 'more reason to bring about rather than' is transitive. I argue that one can generate a transitive 'more reason to bring about rather than' deontic ordering from a non-transitive axiological ordering in a principled way. This deontic ordering avoids the major practical objections (money pumps, moral dilemmas and threats to practical reasoning) to non-transitivity of the 'better than' relation.