No / This article uses the concept of `the social investment state' to understand key aspects of New Labour's policies in relation to welfare reform. It argues that `investing in children' and creating `responsible parents' are vital features of many of the policies and service initiatives which have emerged since 1997. Such features have considerable implications for policies and practices in the arena of family support. The article goes on to outline aspects of an important critique of the social investment state which has emerged from those engaged in research and policy analysis who argue for a `political ethics of care'. It argues that this perspective offers important possibilities to family support advocates not only for critique, but also for articulating much needed policy alternatives to those currently being promoted by New Labour. It also signposts the importance of conducting ongoing research into the meanings which are being attached by individuals to complex and contested terms such as `family' and `support'.

The Swedish welfare system is in transformation: while previously, a vast public sector has taken responsibility for welfare provision, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are increasingly invited to participate as service providers in the past years. In a qualitative case study, this paper analyses in which ways three NGOs in Malmö perceive their role in the welfare system and by identifying challenges and prospects in the cooperation with the local government. Semi-structured interviews with representatives of the NGOs are analysed through the lens of the social investment discourse by using qualitative content analysis (QCA). Findings show that the perception of all respondents exceeds a substitutionary role of civil society in welfare provision, while two respondents emphasize the social responsibility of the state. The view of one respondent demonstrates a significant change in conventional civil society engagement towards the provision of professionally managed service work. Finally, the paper anticipates that the negotiation of social responsibility could change the understanding of socio-economic human rights as such.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Developmental local government is regarded as a remedy for the deep-rooted structural socio-economic challenges in South Africa. Many of these challenges are a legacy of apartheid and colonialism, so the ascent to power of a democratic government after the 1994 democratic elections was seen as a watershed for the development of policies and programmes to ameliorate poverty, unemployment and gross inequality. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, 108 of 1996, positions South Africa as a developmental state (defining developmentalism as a capable state with strong economic growth and professionalized public institutions). The White Paper on Local Government, 1998, was also introduced to mitigate poverty and unemployment. The adoption of a democratic developmental state model that empowers local government, as the coalface of service delivery, was seen as the solution. The developmental trajectory posited by the national government was thus predicated on the efficacy of municipalities. This study therefore explores the success and failure of developmentalism in South Africa, using the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as a case study. Analysis and comparison regarding the best model for South Africa was done on the basis of a literature review of international and local studies and official documents and legislation. The review shows that the now defunct developmentalist Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was adopted in 1994 to address the socio-economic ills associated with colonialism and apartheid, but it was replaced by the neoliberal Growth Employment and Redistribution policy. Most developing countries use East Asia as a template to replicate developmental models. Developmentalism thrived in Asia because these countries are not democratic. However, South Africa is a constitutional democracy, which means that the public and public participation must be taken into consideration in policy-making and decision-making, especially for local government to address local socio-economic problems, particularly those affecting the poor. This was not found to be the case in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, where developmentalism is overshadowed by endemic problems around leadership, patronage and a lack of consultation with the people, leaving their needs largely unmet. Neo-liberal policies, clearly not aligned with developmentalism, have been espoused, so a developmental local government model has not been implemented systematically in the Metro. Recommendations to prioritize truly developmental local economic growth and socio-economic development include extensive training and higher appointment criteria. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)