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This study analyses the conditions under which socio-technical systems transition to more sustainable configurations. It does so through an exploration of the City of Cape Town’s electricity distribution arrangements. This investigation is situated within debates on sustainable socio-technical transitions in general and the multi-level perspective (MLP) in particular. This study considers four themes that are important for understanding the conditions under which socio-technical regimes change - regulation, organisations, geographical context and scale. These themes structure an empirical study of an energy transition in a city (scale) in the Global South (geographical context) and an examination of the role of regulatory and organisational conditions in shaping sustainable transitions. In turn, the implications of this case for transition theories is explored. The site of the study is a local government in an African city, Cape Town. This southern geography offers unique conditions, particularly related to the ways in which the technical interacts with the social, in conditions where poverty and inequality are prevalent. In exploring the City’s electricity system, field-work was undertaken using a participatory, engaged and grounded theory approach. Notably, research was conducted within a knowledge co-production setting that involved spending three years in the City, embedded in its Energy and Climate Change Unit. This provided invaluable access to the tacit knowledge of practitioners and a unique view into the internal workings of the City. The results of this field-work have implications for sustainable transition theory. In the City, systemic tensions and contestation were prominent in relation to the incumbent electricity system. Notably, it was found that reconfiguration agendas, represented in the City’s Energy and Climate Action Plan, are disrupting developmental values, such as cross-subsidisation, which underpin the incumbent electricity system. Accordingly, regime reconfiguration based on environmental values competes with developmental values embedded within incumbent regime structures. This provides the basis for conceptualising socio-technical transitions as conflicts related to contested values. These value tensions are repeated across scales, manifested by contestation between urban energy autonomy and security on the one hand and national developmental transitions on the other. The presence of systemic value tensions in the City also has a bearing on the conditions and pathways for socio-technical transitions. In this regard, this study applies a constructivist approach to exploring socio-technical reconfigurations through identifying two broad energy trajectories that the City is able to pursue; a centralised or distributed trajectory. This informs a heuristic to explore the socio-economic outcomes of reconfigurations. It further identifies potential reconfiguration processes present in the City that forms the basis of alternative theoretical reconfiguration typologies that are cognisant of value contestations. Through evaluating formal rules that regulate the City’s electricity system, this study finds that regulatory systems are used as a tool to assimilate, codify and stabilise dominant value sets into socio-technical regimes. Further, it was found that separate City departments are aligned to divergent socio-technical values. Thus, competing values create contestation within organisations in framing transition processes. Overall, the study offers an alternative conceptualisation of socio-technical regimes as systems produced and reproduced through value contestation. By drawing on the case of the City’s electricity system, the study provides evidence to show that value tensions related to socio-technical regimes are played out in regulatory, organisational and political landscapes. The study thus argues that these competing value systems are integral in the co-evolutionary process of regime configuration and reconfigurations.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

The research is a practical theological exploration which analysed prophetic preaching in neo-Pentecostal Christianity during the socio-economic and socio-political crisis. At the centre of Pentecostalism is the notion of preaching and prophecy. In an attempt to understand prophetic preaching in these neo-Pentecostal churches the study examines the trends and behaviour of the neo-Pentecostal prophets and the critical aspect of how these ministries communicate the gospel to its adherents. The critical focus of the research is the question of whether the meaning of prophetic preaching refers to sermons that in some way predict the future or to preaching that addresses significant social issues and concerns. It also questions whether the adherents of these new ministries are inspired by the gospel of faith or are they driven by the socio-economic and socio-political crisis which may eventually not be accurate understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The research addresses the terrors and doubts of many people who are trapped between Christian belief and terror and reaction to the declaration of the prophetic gospel of prosperity by the neo-Pentecostal prophets particularly in Zimbabwe. The theoretical statement of this research is that there appears to be an understated renewal element in the theology of neo-Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwe as is evidently expressed through the movement of Christians from the traditional churches to these neo-Pentecostal churches in tendencies which reflect the fluctuating religious topography and the expression of African Christianity in general and Zimbabwean Christianity in particular. The research explores the landscape, influence and importance of neo-Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwean community in general. The identity and nature of neo-Pentecostal Christianity in its practical theological exploration discussed the origins of the neo-Pentecostal prophets, their churches and the sermons they preach and the dynamics that promote the growth of these ministries in the context of God’s plans for evangelism and the community in particular. Fundamental to this kind of Christianity are the similes of power and prosperity which are believed to be symbols of faith. The effect and impact of this type of faith expression in the socio-economic and socio-political scene has been fully reconnoitred. The primary methodology in this research is the qualitative method complemented by quantitative methods. A practical theological framework was used in the research especially with Osmer’s core tasks of practical theological interpretation, as it was used to interpret the unfolding trends of the phenomenon under exploration. The research discloses how people’s socio-economic and socio-political fears and hopes in the hub of life’s challenges lure them toward new ministries which promise to absolutely encourage a magnificent life with real results being received in the ‘here and now’. This study has reviewed how religion and politics interacted specifically in the Zimbabwean context and how they affect each other. It has also reviewed how religion especially neo-Pentecostal Christianity, has been seen as a platform of a lavish life in the environment of people’s desires and challenges. There is longing in neo-Pentecostal Christianity, for wealth and health as expressions of salvation and a faithful Christian life. Strangely, there is diminutive references to moral and ethical issues from the neo-Pentecostal prophetic preaching, it was noted that their preaching is centred on declarations, prosperity, prophecy, deliverance, health, and miracles. These themes are the pillars of prophetic preaching in neo-Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwe and they are considered as signs of being saved and to have received blessings from God. When one lacks these things and economic success one is regarded as demons possessed and it causes poor health hence one needs to be delivered from the bondage of Satan. Such teachings have accustomed the potential converts to seek after material things and values as acute features of the significance of salvation and the mission of Christ. The fundamentals of the research compared the Old Testament prophets’ prophetic preaching with that of neo-Pentecostal prophets and finds that neo-Pentecostalism preaching has failed to be prophetic in the sense of eighth century prophets like Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, and Elisha who rebuked the kings, merchants, and priests for their immoral practices. Prophecy as seen from the Old Testament prophets is described as a medium of communication between God and his chosen nation Israel; prophecy was meant to rebuke, challenge and change Israel’s attitude and follow the statutes and commandments of God which were the basis for their everyday living. Hence the research has noted that the neo-Pentecostal prophets failed to meet this standard set by the ancient prophets. The research went on to expose that neo-Pentecostal Christianity encourages in an indirect way of making disciples instead of the traditional way of faith response to the gospel proclamation. But does this neo-Pentecostal gospel alleviate poverty or does it have any relevance to edify one’s life to have a better relationship with God? The eight chapters of this research has embarked on these questions, pointing the way to the four elements of preaching as a new theory for praxis. These four elements ended up looking at the gospel of contentment as a response to a dependable Christian evangelisation that is alive and related to the meaning of salvation and bring this nation out of this socio-economic and socio- political crisis. The research concludes that the four elements of preaching and especially gospel of contentment is the panacea providing meaning and solutions to the varied human fears, corruption, economic and political meltdown of the country that portrays the provisional nature of human existence. This can be achieved when the church practices prophetic preaching as the men of the eighth century did. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

Published Article / A functioning ecological system results in ecosystem goods and services which are of direct value to human beings. Ecosystem services are the conditions and processes which sustain and fulfill human life, and maintain biodiversity and the production of ecosystem goods. However, human actions affect ecological systems and the services they provide through various activities, such as land use, water use, pollution and climate change. Climate change is perhaps one of the most important sustainable development challenges that threaten to undo many of the development efforts being made to reach the targets set for the Millennium Development Goals. Understanding the provision of ecosystem services and how they change under different scenarios of climate and biophysical conditions could assist in bringing the issue of ecosystem services into decision making process. Similarly, the impacts of land use change on ecosystems and biodiversity have received considerable attention from ecologists and hydrologists alike. Land use change in a catchment can impact on water supply by altering hydrological processes, such as infiltration, groundwater recharge, base flow and direct runoff. In the past a variety of models were used for predicting land-use changes. Recently the focus has shifted away from using mathematically oriented models to agent-based modelling (ABM) approach to simulate land use scenarios. The agent-based perspective, with regard to land-use cover change, is centred on the general nature and rules of land-use decision making by individuals. A conceptual framework is being developed to investigate the possibility of incorporating the human dimension of land use decision and climate change model into a hydrological model in order to assess the impact of future land use scenario and climate change on the ecological system in general and water resources in particular.

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This thesis describes and discusses a study conducted in a centralwest Bangladesh village, between March 1981 and January 1982, with a view to testing the hypothesis that intra-household allocation of food discriminates against women and children and that the discrimination puts the vulnerable members of the household at extra risks during periods when food and financial resources of households are scarcest. Intra-household allocation of food was studied by weighing the individual food intakes of household members for three consecutive days, at four different seasons covering periods of normal food availability, relative shortage and abundance of food. Nutritional status was assessed py consecutive measurement of weight (monthly) and height (quarterly). Information was collected on socio-economic status of households, people's perception of food needs (physiological) of individuals, household decision making and strategies in coping with shortage by structured and unstructured interviews and through personal observations. The sample consisted of 320 individuals in 53 households. Analysis of the study revealed lack of marked and consistent socioeconomic differentials in intake and outcome, but that highly significant seasonal differences did exist. The most important finding of the study is that although the intake of women and girls over 5 years was lower than that of men and boys over 5 years, the male-female differential did not generally exceed the differential between the two sexes that might be expected on the basis of body size and activity. Only in the 1-4 year age group was there a significant difference between energy intakes of males and females when corrected for body size. Furthermore, contrary to what has been generally postulated in the literature, (often based on qualitative information), women and children were not discriminated against during periods of food shortage, but were rather generally given preferential treatment in the allocation of available food. It is believed that the study adds to our understanding as to how seasonal fluctuations affect the food intake of 'poor' people in rural Bangladesh and how people cope with predictable cyclical periods of food shortage.

Children with reading difficulty experience stress in school and may develop negative socio-emotional adjustment. It is unclear what influences some students to experience externalizing patterns and others internalizing patterns. This study investigated the influence of the age of identification of reading difficulties on coping strategies and socio-emotional adjustment. 36 children (ages 9-12) from Winnipeg Schools and Child-Care centres completed measures of coping strategy and socio-emotional adjustment and their parents/guardians reported age of initial reading difficulty. Conditional processing analyses, using percentile bootstrapping, were used to examine mediating effects of coping strategies in the relationship between age-of-identification and socio-emotional adjustment. Results showed children who were identified with reading difficulties in Grade 2 or later were more likely to report using disengagement coping strategies but children identified with reading difficulties before Grade 2 were more likely to report higher internalizing patterns. Evidence for expected mediation by coping strategy was not found. These findings suggest that prolonged experience of reading difficulties is associated with greater risk of developing internalizing problems. Clarifying how age of identification of reading difficulty influences socio-emotional adjustment will help resolve theoretical debates and will help educators/clinicians to better serve students learning to read, and promote struggling readers’ healthy socio-emotional adjustment. / October 2016

En Chine, la croissance urbaine en périphérie des très grandes villes s'accélère dès les années 2000. La ville de Shanghai connaît alors une croissance spectaculaire qui opère de profondes mutations de ses tissus urbains. Elle devient une métropole émergente capable de moderniser sa physionomie urbaine, de mobiliser l'ensemble de son territoire municipal afin d'opérer un desserrement puis un redéploiement polycentrique de ses activités et de sa population vers ses villes nouvelles. Cette thèse de doctorat en géographie vise ainsi à saisir la transmission de modèles urbains internationaux, la production urbaine dans un contexte de forte intervention publique, ainsi que les recompositions territoriales et sociales en périphérie de Shanghai, au défi de son intégration au système métropolitain, à travers l'étude de ses villes nouvelles construites depuis 1999 dans le cadre de cinq programmes de redéploiement polycentrique. / At the beginning of the 2000's, suburban growth around Chinese big cities is accelerating. This spectacular growth greatly impacts urban fabrics. Shanghai becomes an emerging metropolis able to modernize its urban landscape, to mobilize the whole municipality territories, to operate a deconcentration then a polycentric redeployment of both activities and population towards new towns. This doctoral thesis in Geography deals with international urban pattern transmission, urban production in a context of huge public intervention, social and spatial changes in Shanghai new urban peripheries, challenging metropolitan system integration of the new towns built since 1999 in the framework of five polycentric redeployment programs.