This thesis discusses the involvement of informally housed communities in shaping local government policies aimed at poverty alleviation. Involving the poor in the design of anti-poverty policies at local level is regarded as an invaluable opportunity that should be used by municipal governments to make poverty alleviation efforts more demand-driven and therefore more relevant to the people they are meant to benefit. The argument is that because the poor know about poverty first-hand, they would be in a position to revive local government's capacity to respond effectively to their needs. But this does not come without a price. Because of the complexity of public management, participative democracy is liable to slow down the process of governance. It may also become advantageous to the interests of some people or groups of people at the expense of others if attention is not paid to the representation and consideration of all the voices in the community–to name two drawbacks. For this reason, it is essential to the realization of an effective bottom-up approach to anti-poverty policy-making that certain conditions are in existence and practical issues of involvement are worked through. Accordingly, it is the intention of this study to focus on two particular areas (conditions and practical issues that would facilitate the process of involving informally housed communities in the design of local government policies that affect their lives), which are investigated with particular reference to the South African context. Drawing upon a series of field surveys and a broad selection of relevant works of scholars from both the international and local scene, the picture that emerges is that there needs to be a proper level of government's commitment, capacity and legally binding responsibility coupled with a healthy degree of community's motivation, ability and organizational capacity in order to involve the poor in local governance efficiently. The study has also found that there needs to be proper forms of involvement (the most relevant of which are identified as an ombudsman, public meetings and residents' committees) that are to be employed with attention to such issues as stakeholders to be engaged, degree of participation, timing of involvement and topics for which public debate may be sought. / Development Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Promoting household food security for many poor people globally and more so in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a challenge today. Ever rising poverty levels, an influx in the prevalence of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, reduced rainfall accompanied by changing climatic patterns, environmental bankruptcy, the complexities associated with urbanization, globalisation as well as technology shift in the agricultural sector and capitalistic market economies all play a role in the food security debate. This research has highlighted some of the factors that influence the food economy and related these to the household food security of poor informal settlement dwellers. Achieving household food security for poor urban households requires an integrated approach in terms of poverty eradication as well as deliberate efforts with regards to food production and distribution within a framework of ecological integrity, with an aim of empowering the poor and ensuring that their household food security is guaranteed. / Development Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Development Studies))

The perceived lack of progress by the Department of Human Settlements (“Department”) in meeting the increased demand for subsidised housing post-1994 is a ticking time bomb, given the repeated promises without any prospect of meeting the commitment to eradicate or upgrade all informal settlements by 2014. Despite ongoing delivery of subsidised housing, the backlog remained at 2,4 million households from 2005 to 2009, the indicator being the number of informal settlement households. The “Department” has acknowledged the existence of bureaucratic blockages throughout the housing delivery chain. Despite the urgency of the situation, there appears to be no research on the departmental factors hampering delivery under the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (“programme”) and finding a solution that would maximise delivery within budgetary constraints. This research assesses the suitability of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a Strategic Management Accounting performance measurement and management tool, for addressing the departmental factors hampering delivery (“factors”) under the “programme” and develops a conceptual framework to guide any future application of the BSC to the “programme”.The complexity of housing delivery and the proposed integration of the BSC call for a detailed literature study of the post-1994 national housing and “programme” documentation and that of the public sector BSC. The theoretical study will establish how and by whom housing delivery should be done, the “factors” and the BSC framework and translation process. This will serve as the basis for the assessment of the suitability of the BSC for addressing the “factors” and the development of the conceptual framework.This study revealed that the BSC is suitable for addressing seven of the eight departmental factors hampering delivery under the “programme” and partially suitable for addressing the remaining factor. The recommendation is that the BSC be applied to the “programme” according to the conceptual framework provided. This study has contributed to knowledge by: producing an overall picture of the national framework for the delivery of subsidised housing, presenting the BSC as a suitable performance measurement tool for addressing the departmental factors hampering delivery under the “programme”, and developing a conceptual framework for any future BSC application to the “programme”. / Accounting Sciences / D. Com. (Accounting)

The study focused on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality situated in Gauteng Province. The study aims to explore the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters in relation to social development. A qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews, focus groups, observations and public documents was used to explore the process of legalising of squatters in relation to social development. The researcher, based on the evidence from the respondents, public documents and the discussion of findings, concludes that there is a positive relationship between the process of legalising of squatters in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and social development as an approach. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters is in line with the South African legislations and social policies. The finding will add value to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Human Settlements, Non –governmental and Faith Based Organisations and other sector stakeholders working with informal settlement dwellers in the following ways: a) Helping the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the implementation of informal settlement policies and processes; b) Recommendations to policy issues; c) Advancement of knowledge. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

School readiness is a stage in a child's development when he learns easily and effectively. A child who is not yet ready for school on school entry is already at a disadvantage in the formal learning situation. This in itself can affect his school performance in the later years. The researcher, being a primary school teacher noticed that the children from the informal settlements that had no pre-school intervention arrived at school unready to learn. This investigation set out to evaluate the school readiness of children from an informal settlement without a pre-school programme. The school readiness of these children were compared against children from an informal settlement with a pre-school programme. Test and questionnaires were used to determine the five year olds' school readiness. The researcher used the idiographic method of research. The findings of the research were based on the interpretations of the tests and questionnaires. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This research surveys the Swiss missionaries' management of social transformation in South Africa (1873-1976). It has as its major focus the management of schools, hospitals and churches as the primary institutions of social change in society. The researcher's realisation that more often than not, the changes brought to bear on proselytes by the change forces take time to manifest themselves vividly induced him to extend the scope to include the dawn of the new political dispensation in this country in 1994. This need not surprise the readership as the triadic approach, which is synonymous with historial analyses compels researchers to avail readers of what happened in the past, present as well as what is likely to occur in future. In other words, readers will encounter the ethnic nationalism engineered by different change agents in this country and the repercussions thereof, and the schism within the Swiss Mission in South Africa/Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa that started in 1989 and became reality by 1991. Finally, the thesis also appraises readers of what should be done in periods of rapid social change. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (History of Education)

Nairobi is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa with an average of five hundred people coming to the city on a daily basis. More than seventy percent of these people end up living in the informal settlements. An appropriate model of theological training for church leaders needs to be developed, so as to equip them to work with congregations and communities within the informal settlements, to address the needs and potential of people living in the context of Kibera informal settlements and to bring about spiritual and material transformation in their midst. A qualitative and comparative study was undertaken and data was collected through semistructured interviews and focus group discussions. After interpreting the data, the researcher found out: The problems and needs of the community and challenges of church ministers in the informal settlements are enormous. It includes unemployment, poor housing and sanitation, and a general lack of resources to meet basic needs; as well as negative ethnicity, inadequate ministers‟ stipends and the dependence of church members on ministers.  The existing models of theological education have not effectively equipped church ministers to face these challenges in informal settlement ministry. The research study end by proposing a model that will enable church ministers‟ witness to the incarnation of Christ among marginalized people in the informal settlement of Kibera. This model of theological training will be informed by African, Freirian and Western approaches to education. It will aim to form, inform and transform the pastoral work of ministers in informal settlement contexts. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M.A. (Theology in Missiology: Specialization in Urban Ministry)

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Cape Town’s growing economy has benefited greatly from its natural resources. The city boasts the unique Table Mountain; Blue Flag beaches; and the distinctive fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom, all of which have contributed considerably to the revenue generated by the tourism industry. Even though the city’s economy appears robust, many people living in townships on the Cape Flats continue to face a reality of being trapped in a state of deprivation; unable to access those natural resources as a means to make a living; and unable to cope with shocks, trends and seasonality in a dynamic, vulnerable society plagued by inequitable distribution of wealth and environmental degradation. Yet, while access to financial, natural (and other) assets is limited, poor people can rely upon their social assets – or Social Capital (SC) in order to make a living. This case study explores the three types of Social Capital – (i) Bonding SC (between project beneficiaries), (ii) Bridging SC (between project beneficiaries and implementing agents) and (iii) Linking SC (between implementing agents and local government organs) – in an attempt to understand their impact on the livelihoods of project beneficiaries involved in the Khayelitsha-based Siyazama Community Allotment Gardening Association (SCAGA). This was done with the purpose of enabling development practitioners, government officials and local people to work together to plan sustainable initiatives that enhance peoples’ quality of life. Although case studies have been criticised by some authors as lacking scientific rigor and do not address generalisability, this study employed a case study approach due to its appropriateness when dealing with a small number of participants and the specific context of their complex real-life activities in great depth. By taking a post-positivistic stance, the researcher was able to appreciate the different constructions and meanings that people place upon their life experiences.

近年來在美國有一種”新興產業”崛起，部份非專利權實施者NPE，專門尋找實際生產商品或提供服務的知名企業為對象，以提出專利侵權訴訟的方式，加上持有法院核發之禁制令，威脅被告以達到強迫授權或合解的目的，一般稱之為「Patent Trolls」。 按專利制度的二大政策目標，一為提供發明人發明的誘因，一為鼓勵發明人揭露其發明技術內容，而Patent Trolls投機性授權模式所造成的問題，是否會破壞專利法之立法目的，而降低企業投資創新研發的誘因，乃值得觀注且為有待解決的議題。 故本文之主要目的乃從美國與台灣之專利改革與實務判決，探討Patent Trolls之解決之道。 / Recently there is a “new industry” in the U.S., some NPEs brought patent infringement suits against famous enterprises, which manufacture product or supply service and threatened with injunction, commonly called “Patent Trolls”. Among the two policy objects of patent law, one is giving the inducement to invent, the other is encourage inventors to disclose their inventions. Whether the problems caused by the opportunistic licensing models of Patent Trolls would cause damage to the object of patent law and decrease the driving force to invent of the enterprises is an issue worth observing and solving. Consequently, the object of this thesis is to discuss the solution of the Patent Trolls issues in light of Patent Reform and cases in the U.S. and Taiwan.

The study focused on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality situated in Gauteng Province. The study aims to explore the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters in relation to social development. A qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews, focus groups, observations and public documents was used to explore the process of legalising of squatters in relation to social development. The researcher, based on the evidence from the respondents, public documents and the discussion of findings, concludes that there is a positive relationship between the process of legalising of squatters in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and social development as an approach. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters is in line with the South African legislations and social policies. The finding will add value to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Human Settlements, Non –governmental and Faith Based Organisations and other sector stakeholders working with informal settlement dwellers in the following ways: a) Helping the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the implementation of informal settlement policies and processes; b) Recommendations to policy issues; c) Advancement of knowledge. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)