Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The success of policies aimed at economic development cannot be monitored
and evaluated without development indicators. These indicators are also crucial in
comparing levels of development across time and space so as to come a greater
understanding of the development process. Yet, economic development does not
mean the same thing to everyone. As a result, there exists a variety of indicators of
economic development. Five main classes of development indicators are
distinguished on the basis of the shift over time in our understanding of economic
development (Chapter 1). A distinction is drawn between indicators of national
income and economic growth (Chapter 3), employment, unemployment and
underemployment (Chapter 4), and poverty and inequality (Chapter 5). Social
indicators (Chapter 6) and composite indices (Chapter 7) of economic development
represent two futher classes of development indicators. These indicators differ in
terms of their content, method and technique, comparative application, simplicity,
clarity, focus, availability and flexibility. These main classes of development
indicators are evaluated with reference to these dimensions of measurement which are
described in detail in Chapter 2. There is no one indicator that can be described as an
ideal, all encompassing measure of economic development, at least not in terms of its
performance on these dimensions of measurement. Hence, the measurement of
development remains imperfect, but nonetheless makes an invaluable contribution to
the study of economic development. In fact, development studies will be impossible
without access to such a variety of development indicators.
Given the importance of development indicators in development studies, two
new composite indices of development are presented here to address two specific gaps in indicator research. Indices of Human Security (HSIs) and Inefficiency ratios are
developed to determine the extent to which countries have made progress on human
security as defined by the UNDP (Chapter 8). Progress is assessed in terms of both
effort and outcomes, as well as the extent to which efforts are actually translated into
outcomes. Indices of Reconstruction and Development (RDIs) are employed to
measure the extent to which the nine provinces of South Africa have made progress
on the development objectives described in the Reconstruction and Development
Programme (RDP) (Chapter 9). The measurement results suggest that there remain
substantial disparities in progress on both human security and reconstruction and
development. These new composite indices are also employed to determine those
development characteristics associated with progress on human security and
reconstruction and development. So, for example, disparities in human security are
associated with certain urban and population dynamics, as well as communications
capacity and infrastructural development. Progress on reconstruction and
development is associated with lower population pressure, higher matric pass rates,
less poverty and inequality, and more political representativeness at the provincial
level. The RDIs also underscore the extent to which progress on the RDP has not
materialised in rural areas. Furthermore, current provincial disparities in progress on
reconstruction and development appear still to be indicative of the racial dynamics of
development so characteristic of the Apartheid era. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is onmoontlik om sonder ontwikkelingsindikatore die sukses van beleid
wat gemik is op ekonomiese ontwikkeling te moniteer of te evalueer.
Ontwikkelingsindikatore IS ook onontbeerlik III die vergelyking van
ontwikkelingsvlakke oor tyd en ruimte om sodoende 'n beter begrip van die
ontwikkelingsproses te verkry. Ekonomiese ontwikkeling het egter nie dieselfde
betekenis vir almal nie. Gevolglik bestaan daar 'n verskeidenheid van
ontwikkelingsindikatore. Vyf hoofklasse van ontwikkelingsindikatore word
onderskei op grond van verskuiwings oor tyd in die interpretasie van ekonomiese
ontwikkeling (Hoofstuk 1). 'n Onderskeid word getref tussen maatstawwe van
nasionale inkome en ekonomiese groei (Hoofstuk 3), indiensname, werkloosheid en
onderindiensname (Hoofstuk 4), en armoede en ongelykheid (Hoofstuk 5). Sosiale
indikatore (Hoofstuk 6) en saamgestelde indekse (Hoofstuk 7) van ekonomiese
ontwikkeling verteenwoordig twee verdere groepe indikatore. Hierdie indikatore
verskil in terme van hul inhoud, metode en tegniek, vergelykende toepassing,
eenvoud, duidelikheid, fokus, beskikbaarheid en buigsaamheid. Hierdie hoofklasse
van ontwikkelingsindikatore word geëvalueer met verwysing na hierdie dimensies
van meting, wat in groter besonderhede in Hoofstuk 2 bespreek word. Daar is nie een
indikator wat beskryfkan word as 'n ideale, allesomvattende maatstafvan ekonomiese
ontwikkeling nie, ten minste nie in terme van die prestasie daarvan op hierdie
dimensies van meting nie. Gevolglik is die meting van ekonomiese ontwikkeling
onvolmaak, alhoewel dit 'n onskatbare bydrae lewer tot die studie van ekonomiese
ontwikkeling. Om die waarheid te sê, ontwikkelingstudies salonmoontlik wees
sonder toegang tot so 'n verskeidenheid van ontwikkelingsindikatore. Gegewe die belangrikheid van ontwikkelingsmaatstawwe In
ontwikkelingstudies, word twee nuwe saamgestelde indekse hier aangebied om twee
spesifieke gapings in navorsing oor ontwikkelingsmaatstawwe aan te spreek. Indekse
van Menslike Sekuriteit (MSls) en Ondoeltreffendheidsratio's word ontwikkelom te
bepaal tot watter mate lande vordering gemaak het in menslike sekuriteit, soos
definieer deur die UNDP (Hoofstuk 8). Vordering word gemeet in terme van sowel
pogings en uitkomste as die mate waartoe pogings werklik in uitkomste omskep word.
In Hoofstuk 9 word Indekse van Heropbou en Ontwikkeling (HOIs) gebruik om te
meet tot watter mate die nege provinsies in Suid-Afrika vordering gemaak het in die
bereiking van die ontwikkelingsdoelwitte wat uitgespel word in die Heropbou- en
Ontwikkelingsprogram (HOP). Die metingsresultate dui daarop dat daar wesenlike
ongelykhede bestaan in beide menslike sekuriteit en heropbou en ontwikkeling.
Hierdie nuwe saamgestelde indekse word ook gebruik om te bepaal met watter
ontwikkelingskenmerke ongelykhede in menslike sekuriteit en heropbou en
ontwikkeling geassosieer word. So, byvoorbeeld, toon dispariteite in menslike
sekuriteit 'n verband met sowel stedelike en bevolkingsdinamika as kapasiteit in
kommunikasie en infrastruktuur. Vordering in heropbou en ontwikkeling word ook
geassosieer met laer bevolkingsdruk, beter matrikulasieresultate, minder armoede en
inkomste-ongelykheid, en wyer politieke verteenwoordiging op provinsiale vlak. Die
indekse beklemtoon ook die mate waartoe vordering met die HOP nog nie in
landelike gebiede gematerialiseer het nie. Verder wil dit voorkom asof huidige
provinsiale ongelykhede in vordering met heropbou en ontwikkeling steeds
kenmerkend is van die rasse-dinamika agter ontwikkeling wat so kenmerkend was
van die Apartheidsera.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51995 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Booysen, Frederik Le Roux |
| Contributors | Van der Berg, S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Economics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 490 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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