This research report aims to explore the potential of an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach in Leliefontein. Through the ABCD process, an inventory of the individual capacities of a sample group will be undertaken, as well as an inventory of the significant local associations, organisations and institutions, as well as their capacities. The objective will be to use the asset-mapping process to challenge negative community self-perceptions, enabling them to build new, positive images that empower and release latent potential. The information gathered will also be made available to the individuals, organisations, associations and institutions within the community, along with some ideas on how mutually beneficial partnerships can be developed. The key objective will be to assist the community of Leliefontein, to no longer regard themselves from a deficit mindset, but positively, as a community with tremendous resources, assets and relationships that can be harnessed for 4 community economic development. Asset-mapping can then be used by local organisations to build new relationships within the community, as well as relationships that harness resources outside of the immediate community.

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a better economic basis for the discussion on how much natural capital the current generation should be allowed to deplete. Chapter I uses overlapping-generations models to show the effects of different assumptions about which generation owns the stock of a natural resource on the distribution of intergenerational welfare. An increase in the share of the resource stock that is owned by the first generation, reduces welfare of later generations. If the first generation owns the full resource stock, intermediate generations have to be sufficiently wealthy to buy the resource from the first generation and sell it to later generations. This channelling effect can lead to a situation of resource abundance followed by rapidly increasing resource prices and scarcity. Chapter II show that the incompleteness of intergenerational insurance markets constitutes a market failure that leads to inefficient intergenerational investment decisions. Risks that increase from generation to generation would be under-insured by the current generation. Examples of excessive reduction of biodiversity, excessive natural resource depletion, and inefficiently low protection against global warming are provided. Chapter III analyzes the decision theoretical foundation of environmental choices under uncertainty. Since ambiguity and ignorance are important aspects of many environmental problems, subjective expected utility theory (SEU) has significant limitations as a normative decision making model. The use of SEU leads to a systematic bias against the conservation of natural capital. An alternative decision model is suggested based on the Dempster-Shafer belief-function theory and Choquet expected utility. The synthesis in chapter IV suggests that the costs of natural capital depletion are systematically underestimated in conventional analysis. To remedy the biases against future generations and the complete valuation of natural capital, a sustainability constraint on the economic activities of the current generation is proposed. This constraint requires compensation for natural capital depletion through functional substitutes. From this sustainability constraint, an operational sustainable supply rule is derived for determining shadow prices of natural capital depletion. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

According to the Bruntland Commission, sustainable development requires consumers in industrialized nations to reduce significantly their consumption of resources. This research brings a new perspective to the reduction of discretionary consumption, using both theoretical and empirical approaches. Demarketing programs have often been unable to achieve sustained reductions in consumption. It is argued here that they have incorrectly treated demand reduction as a variation on the usual marketing problem of building demand, when it is (1) more complex than typical marketing problems, and (2) essentially similar to clinical habit change problems. The dissertation reviews the literature on habits and automated processes, introduces the concept of “habit-like” behavior, and argues that reducing discretionary consumption can often be framed as a habit-change problem. The Prochaska and DiClemente (1984) Revolving Door Model of Behavior Change (RDM) describes how people change habitual behaviors in clinical situations. Study 1, an energy conservation (cold water laundry washing) survey (n=340), using a decisional balance framework, indicated that the RDM generalizes to demarketing situations and that it is consumers’ perceptions of the importance of disadvantages, not advantages, that influence consumption reductions. The research develops new theory to explain habit-like behavior changes. Based on previous theory and findings on automated processes, it is proposed that changing habit-like behavior proceeds in three steps: de-automation, volitional behavior change, and consolidation. Study 2 was a laboratory experiment (n= 117) in which two demarketing approaches (the traditional approach and the habit-change approach) competed in two situations (when the consumption behavior targeted for change was under volitional control, and when it was habit-like). Contrary to expectations, a persuasive message supplemented by limited practice of the new behavior was more effective when the old behavior was volitional than when it was habit-like, suggesting that the disadvantages of changing are more evident to people whose behavior is habit-like. There are two important practical implications: that (1) segmentation based on the RDM stages of change may be more powerful than other approaches; and (2) it is more important to address disadvantages of reducing consumption than to emphasize advantages. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Sustainable business practices are fundamental for the future of business, society and the environment within which business operates. In this journey, stakeholders provide a sustainability compass that must be consulted by companies in determining and realigning the business context to their legitimate needs. Businesses have constantly been accused of an imperious attitude towards stakeholders that manifests in one directional conversations designed to manage rather than engage and report objectively on the state of their relationship with stakeholders. Whilst much exploration has been conducted on stakeholder engagement, the cardinal objective of this research was to explore the role of this engagement in determining the gradation of issues in the businesses’ sustainability reporting process. A review of other significant scholarly material highlighted gaps in the realm of this broad subject that were used in the construct of the research questions. Data in this qualitative study was obtained from sustainability practitioners employed by companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This was achieved through content analysis of their reports and structured in-depth interviews that sought to understand the materiality concept through their stakeholder engagement process. The findings suggest that stakeholder engagement and materiality determination in particular is a complex area fraught with a lot of challenges as well as diversity in approach and purpose. The findings also suggested that the determination of the sustainability content is a unilateral process instituted and guided by the reporting entity with no involvement of other stakeholders beyond the data-gathering phase. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

This research is an analysis of security and good governance as prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development, a neglected element of research on NEPAD. Studies assume that security and good governance results in the stability and create a conducive environment for development; especially on the African continent. On this basis, it is assumed that the implementation of NEPAD by the African Union needed self-imposed security and governance pre-conditions. This study reflects on this assumption in order to establish its veracity in relation to NEPAD practices. It provides an analysis of the need for conditions as ascribed by Article 71 of the NEPAD’s founding document prior to developmental initiatives to ensure sustainability. This research delves looks into the connections and effects of security and good governance in the implementation of NEPAD in Africa. It does accept the fact that these are the major areas in which difficulties have emerged in some of the African countries since independence, conditions that have continued to worsen in some cases. Guided by the conceptual framework and a perusal of the history of grand developmental blueprints in Africa, this study draws from the analysis of primary and secondary documents available in the public domain including project reports and NEPAD statements to understand the security and good governance as preconditions to sustainable development. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted

Thesis advisor: Andrew K. Jorgenson / The United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda (2015-2030) urges nation-states to engage in concerted efforts toward building an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for people and the planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets offer a roadmap for policymakers to achieve this complex agenda. An essential component of the quest for global sustainability is to understand the synergies and potential tradeoffs between these economic, social, and environmental targets. The theoretical and empirical tools developed in the sub-discipline of environmental sociology are particularly helpful in this regard because it is dedicated to unpacking the connections among people, institutions, technologies, and ecosystems. The first portion of this dissertation considers some of the theoretical and empirical contributions of social scientists — and in particular environmental sociologists — to our understanding of sustainability. I also highlight the origins and value of the socio-ecological measure of sustainability used in this project, namely, the carbon intensity of wellbeing (CIWB). CIWB is a ratio of CO2 per capita/life expectancy. In the second portion of the dissertation, I engage development frameworks and macro-comparative sociological theories in two cross-national empirical investigations into the relationship between education and sustainability. Education is a social institution widely regarded as a useful mechanism for enhancing human wellbeing. However, much remains unknown about its relationship with global sustainability. To address this gap in our understanding, I assess the relationship between per capita rates of educational attainment and nations’ CIWB by estimating Prais-Winsten regression models using cross-national panel data from 1960 to 2010. In the first empirical investigation presented in chapter two, I hypothesize that gains in education may be associated with more sustainable societies, drawing on the ecological modernization perspective and Amartya Sen’s conceptualization of education as the expansion of human capabilities. In this analysis, I find that education played an important historical role in reducing nations’ CIWB. However, this relationship has mostly disappeared over time for nations located in most regions. Chapter three builds on the findings of chapter two by assessing how economic factors affect the interplay between education and CIWB. Two theoretical traditions concerning global integration inform this chapter: world society and world-systems perspectives. In my analyses, I find that the magnitude of the relationship between education and CIWB varies by nations’ levels of economic development. I also find that the relationship between per capita educational attainment and CIWB is moderated by national integration into the global economy, as measured by exports as a percentage of GDP. Notably, the nature of this relationship depends on nations’ level of economic development, in that further integration into the global economy enhances the beneficial relationship between education and CIWB for high-income nations. The opposite trend can be observed in the middle- and low-income nations, whereby further integration into the global economy ameliorates the predicted beneficial relationship between education and CIWB. In all, my research contributes to sociological understandings of sustainability and if — and under what conditions — population gains in educational attainment can strengthen both human and ecological wellbeing. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Due to climate change, fisher households who depend on fishing for their livelihood are faced with a number of challenges that include low productivity. There is now an acknowledgement internationally that fishers cannot depend on hunting fish when all other food producing sectors have adapted. How economic and feasible is it for fishers to consider aquaculture in the face of climate change? This dissertation investigates the economic viability of aquaculture as a climate change adaptation option in rural fisher communities of Zimbabwe. The southern lowveld district of Mwenezi was used as a case study in the economic evaluation of pond culture and cage culture as a climate change adaptation strategy from a baseline position. Data was obtained from secondary sources which include the private sector involved in aquaculture, civil society organisations and the fishers practising aquaculture in both Mwenezi and another district, Kariba. The cost benefit analysis method of economic evaluation was used to assess the economic viability of pond and cage culture forms of aquaculture. The net present value, internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio were used as the decision criteria. Two scenarios were considered depending on the type of funding for the initial investment - scenario one was built on donor funding support while scenario two relied on a bank loan with interest for financing. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to determine the extent to which different factors affect the economic viability of both pond and cage culture. Both pond and cage culture were found to be economically viable as climate change adaptation options in fisher communities of Zimbabwe. Cage culture was found to have a higher net present value under both scenarios when compared to pond culture. However, under scenario two, pond culture was found to have a higher internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio. The inconsistencies were due to the variations in the scale of upfront investments between pond and cage culture where the latter requires a higher initial investment. Key factors that affect the viability of aquaculture as an adaptation strategy in Zimbabwe include the market price of fish, the cost of fish feeds and the price of fingerlings. While these factors are primarily economic, there are other factors which may affect the viability such as the increasing frequency of natural disasters.

Thesis (M.M.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, 2006. / This study investigates the role of the community in participating in the development and rehabilitation of Lake Fundudzi. The premise of the study is that community is the cornerstone of the success of any development. Conserving the environment is not the only way of ensuring its heritage or managing its resources. The study specifically looks at the way the community interacts with its immediate environment, namely, the lake. It examines the types of benefits available to them. Chapter One introduces the problem statement, delimitations of the study, and significance of the study. Chapter Two reviews the extant literature, proffers an overview on what a wetland is, its function; it also provides different perspectives on Sustainable Development, including international and the local perspectives applicable to South Africa and the local area. Chapter Three proffers Research Design and Methodology i.e. Observations of stakeholders, and questionnaire as a research tool. Chapter Four presents research findings of the research done in the three villages. Chapter Five analyses and interprets the research findings. Finally, Chapter Six recommends and concludes the study.

Jackson, Mississippi is currently undergoing a revitalization movement in an attempt to revive its blighted downtown core. While physical development is crucial to revival of the downtown landscape, the cultural landscape must also be considered. I hypothesized that developers, business owners, and residents working or living in and around downtown Jackson would report differing desires, positions, and values concerning four elements of sustainable development: cultural, economic, political, and environmental. Ultimately, the hypothesis was refuted according to the quantitative data analysis. However, there were different understandings within the qualitative data where the substance of this research project can be found. These data serve as a “Dialogue of Values” (Blewitt 2008) and an indicator of concerns on which Jacksonians can focus as revitalization continues. This foundation of concerns also establishes a benchmark to measure future inquiries into the inclusion of sustainable development in Jackson’s revitalization.

I create new sructure, which is based on its surrounddings . This structure could work no matter wheather it´s build or not. I work on phase where the block near Koliště street and the one near Lidická street existe.