Alors que les mutations s’accélèrent et l’instabilité semble permanente, l’esprit d’entreprise est valorisé par les acteurs publics et privés. En France, l’auto-entrepreneur, créé par la loi n° 2008-776 du 4 août 2008, favorise l’accès à l’entrepreneuriat au plus grand nombre. Depuis 2009, les créations d’entreprises comptent pour plus de moitié d’auto-entrepreneurs. Aussi, l’existence d’une dynamique entrepreneuriale spécifique à ces créations se pose. La recherche s’inscrit dans une approche constructiviste d’essai d’explication du phénomène par l’identification des caractéristiques des auto-entrepreneurs en comparaison aux autres entrepreneurs. Elle prend racine dans l’examen de 700 dossiers d’évaluation de projets en phase amont de la création/ reprise dans le sud Finistère, soit, de fin 2008 à début 2012 près d’1% des créations / reprises en Bretagne. L’appui sur les paradigmes entrepreneuriaux amène à rapprocher des standards théoriques génériques à des constatations issues du terrain. Une approche hypothético-déductive permet d’identifier les caractéristiques des auto-entrepreneurs en comparaison aux autres entrepreneurs. L’analyse qualitative thématique d’entretiens biographiques d’auto-entrepreneurs triangule et confirme les résultats. La recherche questionne le paradigme de la création/ obtention de valeur nouvelle ou existante. Elle interroge le processus schumpétérien d’innovation créatrice versus destructrice, et sa possible mobilisation dans une lecture du succès de l’auto-entrepreneur. Elle propose une approche effectuale de la création en auto-entrepreneuriat. Elle confirme le rôle de l’accompagnement en phase amont de la création/ reprise d’entreprises. / While mutations accelerate and instability seems to be permanent, entrepreneurship is valued by public and private actors. In France, the auto-entrepreneur, created by Law No. 2008-776 of 4 August 2008, promotes access to entrepreneurship to greater numbers. Since 2009, the auto-entrepreneurs account for more than half of self-employed entrepreneurs. Also, the existence of a specific entrepreneurial approach to business creation projects under this status arises. This research is part of a constructivist approach to explain the phenomenon by identifying the characteristics of auto-entrepreneurs in comparison to other entrepreneurs. It is rooted in the examination of 700 projects evaluated in upstream phase of the creation / buyout in the southern Finistère, from late 2008 to early 2012, almost 1% of the creation / buyout firms on the Brittany area. The support of entrepreneurial paradigms leads to closer generic theoretical standard to findings from the field. A counterfactual approach identifies the characteristics of auto-entrepreneurs in comparison to other entrepreneurs. Thematic qualitative analysis of biographical interviews of auto-entrepreneurs triangulates and confirms the results. The research questions the paradigm of creating / obtaining new or existing value. She questions the Schumpeterian process of creative versus destructive innovation, and its possible mobilization in a reading of the success of the auto-entrepreneur. It offers effectual approach creation depending on the status of auto-entrepreneur. It confirms the role of the accompanying upstream phase of the creation / buyout business.

Cette recherche porte sur une catégorie spécifique de travailleurs, les Travailleurs Indépendants Economiquement Dépendants (TIED), qui associent une indépendance juridique à une dépendance économique vis-à-vis d’un seul client. En cumulant des caractéristiques typiques des deux catégories classiques que sont les salariés et les travailleurs indépendants, les TIED s’inscrivent dans une zone grise du marché du travail. A partir d’une étude qualitative menée auprès de TIED français et brésiliens du secteur des Technologies de l’Information, nous nous interrogeons sur la signification sociale de cette forme d’emploi hybride et sur la façon dont elle émerge sur des marchés du travail aussi différents que ceux de la France et du Brésil. L’analyse des conditions de travail des enquêtés permet d’abord de situer les TIED sur un continuum entre salariat déguisé et véritable travail indépendant et de distinguer deux profils-types : les prestataires intégrés à la structure commanditaire et les indépendants en transition. Pour étudier les trajectoires professionnelles de ces travailleurs, nous mobilisons ensuite l’approche par les capabilités d’Amartya Sen (2000) : nous montrons que les parcours des TIED – privés des protections du droit du travail par leur indépendance juridique – reposent sur des processus d'accumulation et de conversion de différents types de ressources en libertés réelles (ou capabilités). De plus, si l’approche de Sen permet d’expliquer les différences de capabilités observées au sein de notre échantillon, nous proposons d’enrichir son cadre d’analyse afin de l’adapter à l’étude de trajectoires socioprofessionnelles. Les analyses réalisées nous conduisent enfin à distinguer deux groupes d’enquêtés, les "TIED réticents" et les "TIED épanouis" : les TIED réticents, plus nombreux au Brésil, expriment un attachement fort au salariat, alors que les TIED épanouis voient dans la position de TIED une façon d’échapper à des emplois décevants et trouvent souvent avantage à une situation qui leur offre plus d’autonomie que le salariat et plus de confort que la véritable indépendance. En nous appuyant sur les travaux de Fraser (2010) et Boltanski et Chiapello (2011), nous montrons comment le positionnement des TIED épanouis contribue indirectement à la remise en cause du rôle de l’Etat social.Les TIED apparaissent en définitive comme une figure emblématique d’un processus ambivalent d’individualisation qui contribue à l’émergence d’un sujet en quête d’autonomie, délié de ses appartenances traditionnelles, tout en favorisant une confrontation directe de l’individu avec le marché qui accroît les inégalités. Dès lors, si les désirs d’émancipation et d’autonomie des TIED épanouis nous semblent devoir être pris au sérieux, une réflexion s’impose sur les mesures susceptibles d’étendre les capabilités des individus tout en luttant contre l’exacerbation des inégalités et en préservant un système de mutualisation des risques fondé sur la solidarité. / This research deals with a specific category of workers, the Economically Dependent Self-employed Workers (EDSW), who associate legal independence with an economic dependence upon a single client. Combining typical characteristics of two traditional labor categories, wage-labor and self-employment, EDSW fall within a grey zone of the labor market. Starting from a qualitative survey conducted among French and Brazilian EDSW from the Information Technology sector, we question the social significance of this hybrid employment form and the way it emerges in labor markets as dissimilar as those of France and Brazil. At first, the analysis of EDSW working conditions enables to place them on a continuum between disguised wage-labor and real self-employment and to identify two typical profiles: service providers integrated to the client structure and transitioning self-employed workers. To study their occupational path, we then mobilize Amartya Sen’s capability approach (2000): we show that the careers of EDSW – deprived of labor law protection by their self-employment status – rely on accumulation and conversion processes of various resources types into real freedom (or capabilities). Moreover, if Sen's approach helps explaining the observed differences in capabilities within our sample, we propose to enrich its analytical framework in order to adapt it to socio professional path study. Finally, the conducted analyzes lead us to split our sample into two groups: the ‘reluctant EDSW’ and the ‘fulfilled EDSW’. The reluctant EDSW, more numerous in Brazil, express a strong attachment to wage-labor, whereas the fulfilled EDSW see in EDSW position a way to exit disappointing jobs and often find benefits in a situation which offers them more autonomy than wage-labor and greater comfort than actual self-employment. Mobilizing the theoretical contributions of Fraser (2010) and Boltanski and Chiapello (2011), we demonstrate how the positioning of the fulfilled EDSW contributes to indirectly challenge the welfare state’s role.EDSW ultimately appear as an icon of an ambivalent process of individualization which contributes to the emergence of a subject who is seeking for autonomy, relieved from its traditional affiliations, while simultaneously promoting a direct confrontation of the individuals with the market that increases inequalities. Therefore, if the fulfilled EDSW’s wishes for emancipation and autonomy should be seriously considered, a reflection is needed on measures that may increase individual capabilities while struggling against increasing inequalities and maintaining a system of risks management based on solidarity. / Essa tese está dedicada a uma categoria específica de trabalhadores, os Trabalhadores Autônomos Economicamente Dependentes (TAEDs), que cumulam uma autonomia jurídica com uma situação de dependência econômica em relação a um único cliente. Ao associar características típicas das duas categorias clássicas que são os assalariados e os trabalhadores autônomos, os TAEDs inscrevem-se numa zona cinzenta do mercado de trabalho. A partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa realizada com TAEDs franceses e brasileiros do setor de Tecnologia da Informação, perguntamo-nos acerca do significado social dessa forma híbrida de trabalho e da sua emergência nos mercados de trabalho tão distintos da França e do Brasil. A análise das condições de trabalho dos entrevistados possibilita primeiro situar os TAEDs num continuum entre emprego assalariado e verdadeiro trabalho autônomo e diferenciar dois perfis: os prestadores integrados na estrutura cliente e os autônomos em transição. Para estudar as trajetórias profissionais desses trabalhadores, mobilizamos, em seguida, a abordagem pelas capacidades de Amartya Sen (2000): mostramos que os percursos dos TAEDs – que são privados das proteções trabalhistas pela sua autonomia jurídica – dependem de processos de acumulação e conversão de distintos tipos de recursos em liberdades reais (ou capacidades). Além disso, se a abordagem de Sen permite explicar as diferenças de capacidades observadas na nossa amostra, propomos enriquecer o seu marco de análise para adaptá-lo ao estudo de trajetórias socioprofissionais. As análises realizadas nos levam finalmente a distinguir dois grupos de entrevistados, os “TAEDs reticentes” e os “TAEDs satisfeitos”: os TAEDs reticentes, mais numerosos no Brasil, expressam um forte apego ao emprego assalariado enquanto os TAEDs satisfeitos veem na posição de TAED uma forma de se livrarem de empregos decepcionantes e, na maioria dos casos, creem vantajosa uma situação que oferece uma autonomia maior que o emprego assalariado e um conforto maior que o trabalho verdadeiramente autônomo. A partir das obras de Fraser (2010) e Boltanski e Chiapello (2011), mostramos que o posicionamento dos TAEDs satisfeitos questiona indiretamente o papel do Estado social. Os TAEDs aparecem então como uma figura emblemática de um processo ambivalente de individualização que contribui para a emergência de um sujeito que busca autonomia e está livre de seus pertencimentos tradicionais, ao mesmo tempo em que favorece um confronto direto do indivíduo com o mercado que aumenta as desigualdades. Se achamos que os desejos de emancipação e autonomia dos TAEDs satisfeitos têm que ser levados a serio, é necessário refletir sobre as medidas que poderiam expandir as capacidades dos indivíduos, lutando contra o aumento das desigualdades e preservando um sistema solidário de gestão dos riscos.

This study examines the role of livelihood diversification in promoting household food security with particular reference to Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe. This focuses on assessing the contribution and impact of predominant livelihood diversification strategies in study area. The study employed qualitative methods of research entailing focus group discussions, observation, key informant interviews and literature review as methods of data collection. The study revealed that limited access to credit, skills development, markets and transport infrastructure weaken the efficacy of nonfarm livelihoods to improve food security. Key recommendations are that government, NGOs and communities must work in tandem to increase livelihood options for food insecure communities. Suggested strategies include increasing access to micro finance, vocational skills training and other support services paying attention to gender considerations. Areas requiring further investigation which emanated from the study include the impact of the shift to tobacco farming and how biotechnology has affected smallholder farmers. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This thesis examined the evolution and transition of agrarian labour relations in the aftermath of Zimbabwe‘s radical land redistribution, which reconfigured the agrarian structure in terms of landholdings, production practices and labour markets from 2000. Despite the importance of agrarian labour as source of livelihood for the largely countryside based population, insufficient academic attention has been paid to its evolution following the land reforms. Specifically to the mobilisation, organisation and utilisation of wage and non-wage labour against background of the changed land ownership patterns, agrarian policies and macro-economic conditions. Historical-structural approaches rooted in Marxist Political Economy informed the analysis of the new agrarian labour relations since in former Settler colonies such as Zimbabwe these were based were based on a historical context of specific land-labour utilisation relations created by land dispossession and discriminatory agrarian policies during the colonial and immediate independence period. Beyond this, gender issues, intra-household relations, kinship, citizenship and the agency of the workers were taken into account to understand the trajectory of labour relations. Detailed quantitative and qualitative empirical research in Goromonzi and Kwekwe districts, as well as from other sources demonstrated that a new agrarian labour regime had evolved to replace the predominant wage labour in former large-scale commercial farms. There has been a growth in the use of self-employed family farm labour alongside the differentiated use of wage labour in farming and other non-farm activities. Inequitable gender and generational tendencies were evident in the new agrarian labour regime. The new labour relations are marked by the exploitation of farm workers through wages that are below the cost of social reproduction, insecure forms of employment and poor working conditions. While their individual and collective worker agency is yet to reverse their poor socio-economic conditions. Various policy interventions to protect their land and labour rights are thus required. The study shed light on the the conceptual understanding of agrarian labour relations in former Settler economies, including the role of land reforms in the development of employment, and how the peasantry with enlarged land access are reconstituted through repeasantisation and semi-proletarianisation processes. / Public Administration and Management / D. P. A.

Few female farmers are participating in the sector due to various gender-based challenges that they face. The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective farmers’ motivation and their personal attitude to starting their own businesses, as well as their perceptions of barriers to successful business start-ups in the sector. The Prospective Farmers Profile Questionnaire was distributed to 421 prospective farmers (agricultural students at six institutions of higher learning in South Africa). There was an estimated 3,486 students enrolled for various agriculture-related qualifications in the country when this cross-sectional, quantitative study was carried out. The aim of the study was to investigate perceived gender-based barriers to business start-up amongst prospective farmers in SA. The study found perceived barriers to be either intrinsic, (such as, risk aversion, innovation and self efficacy) and extrinsic, examples being, social cultural, political skills and access to land among others factors. The study also intended to find out if (1) motivation to start a business (2) taking responsibility (entrepreneurial orientation) and (3) entrepreneurial intention, were predicted by a number of select business start up factors. The findings were that motivation was predicted by only one business start up factor, socio-cultural forces; while four key factors; motivation, proactiveness, creativity and socio-cultural forces did predict taking responsibility (EO). Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is predicted by three key factors, namely socio-cultural forces, motivation and creativity. It is recommended that prospective farmers be introduced to the importance of social networking and socio-cultural forces in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, entrepreneurial education is required from government, institutions of higher learning and other organisations to educate prospective farmers on the influence of barriers to business start-up.The study was conducted on undergraduate agricultural students and should be extended to post-graduate farmers in South Africa, that is practising farming. A comparison between prospective farmers and prospective entrepreneurs from other disciplines should also be undertaken.This is a South African study and the results cannot be generalised. Therefore, the study could be expanded to other regions and future comparative studies could be done. / Applied Management / D. Phil. (Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Management Sciences)