M.A. / This study emanates from the concern by the researcher's supervisees that the communities they are servicing appear to be reluctant to participate in developmental projects. Communities serviced fall under the Eerstehoek District (specifically Greater Mpuluzi or Mayflower) and are predominantly rural, but have a basic infrastructure like schools. clinics and shops. It is estimated that 50% of the population is unemployed, resulting in poverty and a high rate cf crime. (This is obtained from the sample taken from Crime Registers for Mayflower Department of Safety and Security: 1996 and Intake register for Mayflower Social Services Branch Office: 1996) The researcher observes that 80% of the development projects - like disabled protective workshops. day-care centres for able and disabled children. and older persons' clubs — progress to implementation but are not functioning well. Only 20% of projects (mostly crèches) are functioning well. (Statistics on community work projects and community work register :1997). The problems regarding participation as cited by supervisees are as follows: o At the beginning of the community development process, consultation is done with the community regarding the identification of their probiems and needs whether individually or at a meeting level. The community co-operates well and at the first meeting, the turnout is good, but participation begins to decrease later on. o Community members are also reluctant to take portfolios and serve in committees. Sometimes people are chosen to serve in a committee but do not attend meetings. It also happens that tasks are allocated to committee members and when they are expected to provide feedback at the next meeting, it is discovered that they did not perform their allocated tasks. Participation is usually minimal because the social worker will be expected to carry out most of the tasks to be performed by the committee. Short-term projects like functions or celebrations are better attended, but then participants have difficulty in contributing to the expenditure of such projects. It can thus be concluded that; although community development projects are initiated to benefit the members themselves, there is however reluctance to participate actively.

Samhällsarbete som begrepp och praktik är närmast bortglömt inom den offentliga sektorn i dagens Sverige. Det har inte alltid varit så. Under 1970-talet var samhällsarbetet välkänt och praktiserat inom många av kommunernas socialtjänster. Denna uppsats intresserar sig för diskurser om det offentliga samhällsarbetet i Sverige. Studiens syfte är att klargöra den hegemoniska diskursutvecklingen om det svenska offentliga samhällsarbetet över tid. För att uppnå detta syfte undersöks tre förarbeten till socialtjänstlagen som spänner från förarbeten till socialtjänstlagen 1982 fram till den senaste statliga offentliga utredningen om socialtjänstlagen 2020. Genom användandet av diskursteori med utgångspunkt i Foucault och Rothmans teori om samhällsarbete, undersöks hur samhällsarbetet och närliggande begrepp beskrivs i förarbetena, men också hur samhällsarbetet skulle kunna beskrivas. Vidare undersöks hur samhällsarbetet regleras rättsligt och vilka effekter detta kan ha på samhällsarbetet. Resultaten visar att förarbetena intar en kritisk hållning till samhällsarbetet. Enligt analysen av förarbetena framstår samhällsarbetet och närliggande begrepp som toppstyrt, individualiserat och konsensusorienterat i linje med en nyliberal diskurs och nyliberal socialpolitisk utveckling. En annan slutsats är att socialtjänstlagens form som ramlag försvårar samhällsarbetets etablering inom svensk socialtjänst. Ett annat invånarbaserat samhällsarbete vore dock möjligt där människor ges ökade möjligheter att påverka samhället de lever i. / Community work as a concept and practice is almost forgotten today within the public sector in Sweden. It has not always been like that. During the 1970s community work was well-known and practiced in many of the Swedish municipal social services. In the current study, discourses on public community work in Sweden is investigated. The purpose of the study is to explore the development of hegemonic discourses on public community work and its variation over time. To achieve this purpose, the history of community work is examined as well as the academic debate on community work. Also, legislatory histories of the social service act from 1982 are compared with the latest government public inquiry of the social service act from 2020. By using discourse theory from Foucault and Rothman’s theory about community work, the study explores how community work and similar concepts are described in the legislatory histories. Also, the study explores how community work could be carried out. Furthermore, the study investigates the legal framework of the social service act and its consequences for community work. The results are showing that the legislatory histories are taking a critical stance towards community work. Community work and similar concepts were found to be top-down, individualized, and based on consensus, in agreement with a neoliberal discourse and neoliberal socio-political development. Another conclusion is that the social service act’s shape as a framework law is hindering the establishment of community work within the social services. However, a people-oriented community work could be possible, where people have better opportunities to affect the society they live in.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute for Government and Policy Studies

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study sought to assess the effectiveness of Integrated Development Planning as a tool to promote community participation in Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality, Limpopo Province. A qualitative approach was used for data collection from a sample size of 20 municipal officials. An interview schedule was the chosen research instrument. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis. Measures were taken to ensure that the study results were credible, transferable, dependable, and confirmable. The study findings revealed that the effectiveness of the IDP as a tool for enhancing community participation was being hampered by loss of confidence in the IDP by the community; the COVID-19 pandemic; poor participation and lack of leadership commitment. In addition to the fact that community participation within the municipality was affected by challenges such as low literacy levels in the community the municipality also failed to deliver on past promises and logistical challenges. It was recommended that the municipality put plans into action to regain public confidence; introduce ward-level participation; use social media to reach wider audience and form an oversight committee to oversee the municipality’s financial accountability issues.

The study has established that modernisation development paradigm is currently governing the contemporary world of conventional development. Globalisation is the tool currently in use for modernisation, drummed up by the North, largely targeting the resources of the Southern hemisphere, through Structural Adjustment Programmes. Social welfare development interventions have been devised to provide safety-net for the poor, social casualities of modernisation process. The short cut has been to bail them out through relief handouts. Participatory development concept, is built on the belief that the world had the means to improve the situation of the poor through fair redistribution of wealth, technology, knowledge, and ideas accruing from modernisation. But this calls for the political will to address the issue of inequality, power imbalance and social injustice as a primary goal. Achieving economic growth and ensuring equitable distribution should, of necessity, be compatible. Participatory development approach is to be preferred as it is accommodative, open and creative, drawing heavily from life experiences of those involved. It also puts people at the centre of development process. It is a paradigm that seeks to empower people to assume full responsibility for their own development including the consequences of their decisions and actions. It has been established that management boards and staff are the main prime movers of strategic planning activities in an organisation. Strategic planning was appreciated by the organisational staff as an opportunity to converge their views and towards influencing organisational policy, a precious window of opportunity for them to participate in causing organisational change. Notably, donor partners generally played a minimal role in this regard. Ironically, community constituency played the least role in the planning activities owing to their often marginal disposition among stakeholders. The most satisfactory outcome of participatory strategic planning was the clarity in the future direction of an organisations and more refined planning with sense of collective responsibility. It can authoritatively be declared here that participatory strategic planning is significantly efficacious as a tool for organisation building, but under certain conditions discussed in the concluding Chapter of the thesis. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Like in many developing countries, youth development in South Africa is advancing towards becoming the central focus of government. The population figures illustrate a demographic dividend, or youth bulge as others would want to call it. A more pragmatic and aggressive approach to youth development for South Africa has never been more urgent than now. Municipalities by design are at the grassroots and the gateway for providing direct development interventions to the masses of the peoples of South Africa. Most of the municipalities in the country have started to take up this responsibility. There is, however, evidence that success in implementing youth development programmes is limited, owing mainly to the lack of performance management application at the local government level. This study is intended to explore a research problem defined as follows: “The absence of a tailor-made performance management for youth development leads to limited or no achievement of the set targets for youth development.” The study is started by exploring the literature on both the underlying areas of the study: youth development and performance management. Though youth development is a fairly new area, there has been progress in defining and conceptualizing both performance management and youth development in South Africa. Youth and youth development are defined respectively as young people between 14 and 35 years of age, and deliberate interventions to enable the youth to participate in the socio-economic wellbeing of the country and the world. Performance management is further defined as the process towards ensuring there is a concerted effort in the implementation of the predetermined plans. The researcher opted for the case study approach, using Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) as the case to explore the extent to which municipalities apply the prescripts and principles of performance management to the youth development programmes. The study sought to establish whether municipalities have performance management frameworks and systems, whether youth development matters are included and whether there are specific youth development performance measures in place. The literature shows that there is extensive work done on the area of performance management in local government in South Africa. The legislation compels all municipalities to have performance management systems and frameworks in place and adopted by the councils. The document review shows that in Nkangala District Municipality there is still a need to trickle down the application of the systems and framework. There is a need to ensure that youth development is included in the performance management process. Evidence from the study shows that there are still gaps to be addressed in as far as the district is concerned. Their application of the performance management framework and systems still needs to be cascaded to all staff members; the application must still be applied to youth development programme and youth development units. There is a need to align municipal planning with youth development. Youth participation still remains a challenge throughout the process of planning, implementation and reporting. Municipalities are suffering from attitudes that suggest that youths are simply recipients of hand-out products and services. Finally, the study suggest a Youth Development Performance Management Framework which will also integrate youth participation, monitoring and evaluation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Soos in baie ontwikkelende lande neig jeugontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika daarna om die sentrale fokus van die regering te word. Die bevolkingsyfers illustreer 'n demografiese dividend of jeug uitstulping (“youth bulge”), soos wat daarna verwys word. `n Meer pragmatiese en aggresiewe benadering tot jeugontwikkeling was nog nooit meer dringend vir Suid-Afrika as juis tans nie. Munisipaliteite, deur ontwerp, is op voetsoolvlak en die poort vir die verskaffing van direkte ontwikkelingsingrypings vir die meerderheid van mense in Suid-Afrika. Meeste van die munisipaliteite in die land het begin om hierdie verantwoordelikheid op te neem. Daar is egter bewyse dat sukses in die implementering van jeugontwikkelingsprogramme beperk is, veral as gevolg van die gebrek aan die aanwending van prestasiebestuur op die vlak van plaaslike regering. Hierdie studie is bedoel om die navorsingsprobleem gedefinieer as: “die afwesigheid van 'n pasgemaakte prestasiebestuurstelsel vir jeugontwikkeling lei tot beperkte of gebrekkige bereiking van die gestelde teikens vir jeugontwikkeling” Te verken. Die studie begin deur die literatuur te ondersoek op beide die onderliggende gebiede van die studie, jeugontwikkeling en prestasiebestuur. Hoewel jeugontwikkeling `n redelik nuwe gebied is, is daar vordering in die definiëring en konseptualisering van beide prestasiebestuur en jeugontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika. Jeug en jeugontwikkeling word gedefinieer as jong mense tussen 14 en 35 jaar oud en doelbewuste intervensies om die jeug in staat te stel om deel te neem aan die sosio-ekonomiese welstand van die land en die wêreld. Prestasiebestuur word gedefinieer as die proses om te verseker dat daar `n gesamentlike poging is vir die implementering van die voorafbepaalde planne. Die navorser het besluit op `n gevallestudie benadering, deur gebruik te maak van die Nkangala Distriksmunisipaliteit (NDM) om die mate waarin munisipaliteite die voorskrifte en beginsels van prestasiebestuur op die jeugontwikkelingsprogramme toepas te verken. Die studie poog om vas te stel of munisipaliteite prestasiebestuursraamwerke en stelsels het, of jeugontwikkelingsaangeleenthede ingesluit is en of daar spesifieke jeugontwikkeling prestasiemaatreëls in plek is. Literatuur toon dat daar uitgebreide werk gedoen is op die gebied van prestasiebestuur in plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika. Die wetgewing verplig alle munisipaliteite om prestasiebestuurstelsels en raamwerke in plek te hê en goedgekeur deur die rade. Die dokumentêre hersiening toon dat daar in die Nkangala Distriksmunisipaliteit steeds `n behoefte daaraan is om die toepassing van die stelsels en raamwerk te laat deursyfer. Daar is `n behoefte om te verseker dat jeugontwikkeling ingesluit word in die prestasiebestuursproses. Bewyse uit die studie toon dat daar steeds gapings is om aan te spreek met betrekking tot die distrik. Die aanwending van die prestasiebestuursraamwerk en stelsels moet nog afgewentel word na alle personeellede. Die aanwending moet nog van toepassing gemaak word op jeugontwikkeling en jeugontwikkelingseenhede. Daar is 'n behoefte om munisipale beplanning in lyn te bring met jeugontwikkeling. Jeug deelname dwarsdeur die proses van beplanning, implementering en rapportering bly steeds 'n uitdaging. Munisipaliteite ly onder gesindhede wat daarop dui dat die jeug eenvoudig ontvangers is van produkte en dienste. Die studie stel ten slotte `n jeugontwikkeling prestasiebestuursraamwerk voor wat ook jeug deelname, monitering en evaluering sal integreer.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

The study has established that modernisation development paradigm is currently governing the contemporary world of conventional development. Globalisation is the tool currently in use for modernisation, drummed up by the North, largely targeting the resources of the Southern hemisphere, through Structural Adjustment Programmes. Social welfare development interventions have been devised to provide safety-net for the poor, social casualities of modernisation process. The short cut has been to bail them out through relief handouts. Participatory development concept, is built on the belief that the world had the means to improve the situation of the poor through fair redistribution of wealth, technology, knowledge, and ideas accruing from modernisation. But this calls for the political will to address the issue of inequality, power imbalance and social injustice as a primary goal. Achieving economic growth and ensuring equitable distribution should, of necessity, be compatible. Participatory development approach is to be preferred as it is accommodative, open and creative, drawing heavily from life experiences of those involved. It also puts people at the centre of development process. It is a paradigm that seeks to empower people to assume full responsibility for their own development including the consequences of their decisions and actions. It has been established that management boards and staff are the main prime movers of strategic planning activities in an organisation. Strategic planning was appreciated by the organisational staff as an opportunity to converge their views and towards influencing organisational policy, a precious window of opportunity for them to participate in causing organisational change. Notably, donor partners generally played a minimal role in this regard. Ironically, community constituency played the least role in the planning activities owing to their often marginal disposition among stakeholders. The most satisfactory outcome of participatory strategic planning was the clarity in the future direction of an organisations and more refined planning with sense of collective responsibility. It can authoritatively be declared here that participatory strategic planning is significantly efficacious as a tool for organisation building, but under certain conditions discussed in the concluding Chapter of the thesis. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.