This study examines the advocacy role of Civil Society specifically Faith based organisations, using the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA) as a case study. A focus on religion and advocacy is beneficial because Faith based organisations generally deliver services for the public good. The study was conducted in the city of Pietermaritzburg situated in the Province of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa using a faith based non- profit organisation. The specific objectives of the study identified the advocacy strategies and techniques employed by PACSA and the challenges as well as the successes encountered by PACSA in its advocacy work. The study employed the issue of democracy and policy advocacy and the correlation of policy advocacy and effective governance. The study analysed its findings by using a theoretical framework for policy advocacy by Sheldon Gen and Amy Conley Wright. The combined logic model has three major categories of elements: inputs, activities, and outcomes and it was used because it is commensurate to analysis of the research questions that is; 1) What do policy advocates do to try to affect public policy, 2) what are their requisite inputs to perform these activities, and 3) what are the expected outcomes for their efforts. A qualitative methodology shaped the research design; data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings are presented under the main themes identified within data collected through face-to-face interviews and PACSA’s documents. PACSA’s advocacy work is based on needs of the people, not only should Civil Society Organisations ensure that their initiatives meet crucial social demands, but they also need to strengthen their presence at the grassroots level, to influence policy making. This research revealed that Faith based organisations can be involved in policy advocacy work and at the same time act in faith in the process of advocating for people within the society. The research has shown that Faith based organisations can be involved in several projects as long as their main concern being ‘human dignity’. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

<p>This research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of community based targeting and self-targeting methods in the selection of beneficiaries in Safety nets programmes in Malawi. These methods have been chosen because they have been largely used for selecting beneficiaries in Safety net programmes. The focus was on assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods where effectiveness refers to the ability of the methodology to reach out to the poorest while efficiency is a measure of the costs that are associated with the identification of these people. In order to objectively assessed the challenges associated with these methods, the study concentrated on Public Works Programmes, which targets relatively high number of people compared to the other programmes and have used both methods for identifying beneficiaries.</p>

Thesis (doctoral)--Rijksuniversiteit te Groningen, 2004. / Cover title. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-171).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 10, 2006). Supervisor: Michael P. Young and Anne E. Kane. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 246-252). Also available from UMI.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-160).

Board and Card Game (BCG) sites allow people to connect over the Internet to play virtual versions of games, like Chess or Canasta, that can be played on a physical table. Many of these sites are successful as they have large memberships, are extremely active, and persist for a long time. However, when analysing the BCG site PlayOK, I found that the community did not exhibit behaviours traditionally associated with successful community: there was little verbal communication; most interactions were impersonal and once-only; and the player population was highly transient. The problem is that designers and researchers have a poor understanding of the characteristics of BCG communities, and how those characteristics are affected by factors that are typically seen as important for community such as size and leadership. In this thesis, I improve understanding of BCG site communities through three studies: 1 No research describes community behaviour in BCG sites. I analysed community behaviour in the PlayOK BCG using ‘social accounting’ methods, which generate summary behavioural statistics from log traces. I found that players were motivated by wanting an opponent, without being concerned with the opponent’s identity. 2 The effects of community size on BCG community behaviour are poorly understood. I used social accounting analyses to compare a small site (GameCenter), with the large PlayOK site. I found that the smaller GameCenter exhibits very similar behaviour but is less efficient due to the smaller population. 3 There are no empirical studies of the role of leadership in online game communities through a substantial change in leadership. I used social accounting techniques to analyse GameCenter BCG before and after a substantial change in leadership. I found that sub-communities responded differently according to how they relied on the leadership for their core activities. This research is the first to identify a type of community that is sustained through impersonal, non-verbal interactions. This important because examples exist in BCG sites and may exist as sub-communities in other settings such as online discussion forums, social media sites, and other online games.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOAO RAUL pg 1_50.pdf: 1120921 bytes, checksum: 0cbceb99c8ab504bced8f7a699b162da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-29 / The research purpose is to study the public presence of the mission churches - Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians through the social activities performed in the city of São Bernardo do Campo. The objective is to study how the church in its work effort and mission are accomplishing its social role through the projects performed by institutions legally constituted and active operating. For that the research starts by characterizing historically-socially-economically the region and observing the churches historical antecedents in the city. In a second moment, through the research field, we hope to present how the churches mission formation and development and its social work got started. For last, the research engages in analyzing the social services work related to its contribution for a transforming praxis in the urban scenario. The final considerations from the research is that mission churches has suffered a type of emptiness of action motivated by the actual transformation in the religious field, due to the lack of significative act in the urban context e due to the lack of dialogue and appropriation of the third sector. / A pesquisa tem por finalidade estudar a presença pública das igrejas de missão batistas, metodistas e presbiterianas através das obras de serviço social atuantes na cidade de São Bernardo do Campo. O objetivo é estudar como as igrejas, em seus esforços de trabalho e missão, estão cumprindo o seu papel pelo viés social, por meio de projetos realizados por instituições juridicamente constituídas e atuantes. Para isto, o estudo começa caracterizando histórica-sócio-economicamente a região, observando os antecedentes históricos das igrejas na cidade. Num segundo momento, mediante pesquisa de campo, espera-se apresentar como se deu a formação e desenvolvimento das igrejas de missão e suas obras sociais. Por último, a pesquisa se ocupa em analisar as obras de serviço social e a sua contribuição para uma práxis transformadora no cenário urbano. Uma das principais considerações obtidas ao fim da pesquisa é a de que as igrejas de missão têm sofrido um tipo de esvaziamento de sua ação social, motivado, sobretudo, pelas atuais transformações no campo religioso, pela ausência de um agir significativo no contexto urbano e pela falta de diálogo e apropriação do terceiro setor.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOAO RAUL pg 1_50.pdf: 1120921 bytes, checksum: 0cbceb99c8ab504bced8f7a699b162da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The research purpose is to study the public presence of the mission churches - Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians through the social activities performed in the city of São Bernardo do Campo. The objective is to study how the church in its work effort and mission are accomplishing its social role through the projects performed by institutions legally constituted and active operating. For that the research starts by characterizing historically-socially-economically the region and observing the churches historical antecedents in the city. In a second moment, through the research field, we hope to present how the churches mission formation and development and its social work got started. For last, the research engages in analyzing the social services work related to its contribution for a transforming praxis in the urban scenario. The final considerations from the research is that mission churches has suffered a type of emptiness of action motivated by the actual transformation in the religious field, due to the lack of significative act in the urban context e due to the lack of dialogue and appropriation of the third sector. / A pesquisa tem por finalidade estudar a presença pública das igrejas de missão batistas, metodistas e presbiterianas através das obras de serviço social atuantes na cidade de São Bernardo do Campo. O objetivo é estudar como as igrejas, em seus esforços de trabalho e missão, estão cumprindo o seu papel pelo viés social, por meio de projetos realizados por instituições juridicamente constituídas e atuantes. Para isto, o estudo começa caracterizando histórica-sócio-economicamente a região, observando os antecedentes históricos das igrejas na cidade. Num segundo momento, mediante pesquisa de campo, espera-se apresentar como se deu a formação e desenvolvimento das igrejas de missão e suas obras sociais. Por último, a pesquisa se ocupa em analisar as obras de serviço social e a sua contribuição para uma práxis transformadora no cenário urbano. Uma das principais considerações obtidas ao fim da pesquisa é a de que as igrejas de missão têm sofrido um tipo de esvaziamento de sua ação social, motivado, sobretudo, pelas atuais transformações no campo religioso, pela ausência de um agir significativo no contexto urbano e pela falta de diálogo e apropriação do terceiro setor.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joaze Barbosa de Lima.pdf: 1599076 bytes, checksum: 2fa6e815e31b9ad99b2bceb856e07a21 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research aims to study the social practice of Baptist Churches of Campo Grande - MS, in the light of the historical relationship of Baptists to social action and the concepts of transformative praxis. This study focuses on the social actions of the Baptist churches in the city of Campo Grande, analysis and perspective of practical theology, and realize the criteria and ideologies behind these actions. To this end a literature on the history of Baptists from its origin and history of Baptists in Mato Grosso do Sul was held, hoping thereby to see the roots of social practice and their Baptist theological ideologies. The beginning of the research it refers the origin of the Baptists in the early days of Protestantism and its (possible) relationships with social transformation of realities, ideologies and theological principles. Secondly we sought to Baptist history in Mato Grosso do Sul and the city of Campo Grande. Finally, we sought to theorize the light of practical theology social action that is transformative and liberating even in complex situations such as urban reality, pointing out possible paths through a pastoral citizen. The final consideration that arrives this research is that the church has been involved with the social reality of the cities, and when it does, performs simplistically, without due care and preparation, without an engagement in transforming realities cohesive actions . From the Institute could perceive the possibility of having a social practice relevant to government and private support, however, is not perceived interaction, involvement by the church. It is expected then an awakening of the churches in relation to its mission, and possibilities of them in the social field. / A pesquisa tem por finalidade estudar a prática social das Igrejas Batistas de Campo Grande MS, à luz da relação histórica dos batistas com a ação social e a partir dos conceitos da práxis transformadora. Objetiva-se estudar as ações sociais das igrejas batistas na cidade de Campo Grande, em análise e perspectiva da teologia prática, e perceber os critérios e ideologias que estão por trás destas ações. Para este fim, uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre a história dos batistas desde sua origem, e a história dos batistas no Mato Grosso do Sul foi realizada, esperando assim ver raízes da prática social batista e suas ideologias teológicas. O início da pesquisa remete-se à origem dos batistas nos primórdios do protestantismo e suas (possíveis) relações com práticas sociais de transformação de realidades, suas ideologias e princípios teológicos. Em um segundo momento, buscou-se a história dos batistas em Mato Grosso do Sul e na cidade de Campo Grande. Por fim, procurou-se teorizar, à luz da teologia prática, uma ação social que fosse transformadora e libertadora mesmo em situações complexas como é a realidade urbana, apontando possíveis caminhos por meio de uma pastoral cidadã. As considerações finais a que chega esta pesquisa é que as igrejas não têm se envolvido com a realidade social das cidades, e quando o faz, realiza de maneira simplista, sem o devido cuidado e preparação, sem um engajamento na transformação de realidades com ações coesas. A partir do instituto conseguiu-se perceber a possibilidade de existência de uma prática social relevante, com apoios governamentais e privados, porém, não se percebe uma interação e um envolvimento por parte da igreja. Espera-se então um despertamento das igrejas com relação a sua missão e possibilidades de realização de ações no campo social.