Masters Degrees (Development Studies)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/6663

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 30

Are men missing in gender and health programmes? An analysis of the Malawi human rights resource center, a non-governmental organisation in Malawi.
(2010) Nkosi, Chimwemwe Nyambose.; Skinner, Caroline.; Ballard, Richard James.
Literature has shown that the involvement of men in gender and health programmes remains unclear on the ground (Esplen, 2006:1; Rivers and Aggleton, 1999:2-3). This has been happening in the midst of claims to have moved from the Women in Development to the Gender and Development framework which calls for the involvement of men in gender and development work. Furthermore, it has been argued that where literature exists, the work is generally based on studies done in developed countries and the relevance of such findings to the developing world still remains unclear (Abraham, Jewkes, Hoffman and Laubsher, 2004:330; Connell, 1987:235-236). This study therefore attempts to fill this gap by looking at the work of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Center, one of the non-governmental organisations working on gender and health programmes in Malawi. A qualitative approach was used. Six project staff and eighteen project beneficiaries were interviewed to assess their perceptions and experiences. The study found out that men involvement continues to be minimal and unclear in gender and health programmes. Although there is awareness of the importance of men’s involvement this was not implemented effectively. The few men that were involved continue to be intimidated and humiliated by both men and women. The issues of masculinities and patriarchal also continue to shape gender inequalities in the area under study. All these discourage most men from active participation in such work. Furthermore, the few that are involved meet a number of barriers which deter them from greater involvement. Such barriers according to this study include, among other things, cultural barriers, lack of men’s own space where they can discuss their own gender related issues, the view held by some gender activists that gender is equal to women’s issues and men resistance to change considering the benefits accrued by being men. All these have impacted on the way people, especially men, view gender and health programmes. The study further found that although men are regarded as the main perpetrators of violence, not all men are as such, some do acknowledge the effects of the practise. Furthermore, some men also do experience violence. According to the study findings, this is an area which has also continued to be overlooked by most developmental agencies. In Malawi, this is also exacerbated by the fact that there are no specific programmes that target men’s welfare. Nevertheless, the study argues that men’s involvement is crucial in gender and health work. In areas where men were involved positive indicators were noted and reported. The indicators include improved communication within most families, peaceful family coexistence, happy families and changes in sexual behaviour. All these give hope regarding the reduction of HIV/AIDS and development as a whole. This suggests that where gender equality is to be achieved, men need to be actively involved, both as partners and victim of gender and health related violence. When implementing such programme, there is also need to acknowledge that not all men are violent, some are actually willing to join the fight against the malpractice.
Aspirations for higher education : evidence from youth living in Kenneth Gardens municipal housing estate (Durban)
(2015) Mseleku, Zethembe.; Ballard, Richard James.; Diga, Kathleen.
Inadequate and unequal access to higher education has been identified as a major development issue internationally. This issue has received practical attention from different stakeholders in an attempt to increase youth participation and to promote equal access to higher education. However, it has been recognised that such attention was not adequate to ensure access to higher education for the majority of deserving youth. Similarly, in South Africa, limited access to higher education for the majority of youth remains a major development problem. This study was conducted at Kenneth Gardens which is the municipal housing estate in Durban KwaZulu-Natal. Most youth at Kenneth Gardens lack higher education. As a result, higher education is one of the possible aspects making youth vulnerable to non-participation in the economy. It thereby remains critical that the public, private and civil society sectors cooperate to develop appropriate strategies to improve youth access and participation in higher education. The enhancement of competences and skills for young individuals can contribute to development. There are many practical barriers that hinder youth to participate in higher education. This study goes beyond looking at these practical obstacles which hinder youth from accessing higher education. More specifically, the study explores the lesser known factor of “lack of aspirations” for higher education. This study demonstrates that although it is important to address practical barriers such as providing funding for higher education, increasing the number of tertiary education institutions, strengthening the capacity of primary and secondary education to prepare learners for higher education, increasing youth aspirations for higher education is very critical for youth to access higher education. The major finding from this study is that lack of aspirations is one of the major obstacles that hinder youth from accessing higher education. Aspiration for higher education is one of the main drivers for youth to become motivated to access higher education. This suggests the need to implement effective programmes that aim at increasing youth aspirations for higher education.
Attitudes towards new green technologies : a study of households using solar water heaters in low income RDP houses in Kwandengezi Coffee Farm, eThekwini Municipality.
(2013) Nxumalo, Omega Sibusiso.; Ballard, Richard James.
Within the international context, energy has become a central factor in our everyday ways of life. There is increasing dependence on energy resources such as electricity to improve people quality of life. In developing countries, many people still do not have access to energy due to several challenges that have hindered infrastructural development and economic growth. At the same time, there is a growing interest in the protection of the environment and addressing issues of climate change. Green technologies such as solar water heaters are identified as technologies that meet the need of both its end-users and the environment through the provision of hot water. Access to 'hot water' is seen to be an important element resulting in an improved quality of life. In addition, several methods of heating water are explored to assess the attitudes and perceptions that people have towards solar water heaters. The dissertation involved in-depth interviews with residents from low income RDP houses in Kwandengezi Coffee Farm and government officials from eThekwini Municipality involved in the solar water heater programme for low income communities. The interviews revealed that renewable energy interventions such as the solar heater programme for low income communities contribute significantly to an improvement in people‘s quality of life. The availability of solar heaters allows people to enjoy hot water at a free cost, hence an improvement in the quality of life. The research further revealed that such renewable energy interventions can contribute to a reduction in negative environmental impacts, hence facilitating the acquisition of hot water with less dependence on electricity resources.
Business transformation in Durban : perceptions of black entrepreneurs in the context of black economic empowerment.
(2013) Mudenda, Peter Mulinda.; Ballard, Richard James.
The ANC government’s quest for economic transformation in the post-apartheid South Africa came up with black economic empowerment policy. Equal participation in the economy especially for the previously disadvantaged was one of the stated aims of black economic empowerment. This study discusses black entrepreneurs’ perceptions of business transformation in Durban in the context of lack economic empowerment. Qualitative interviews were conducted with fourteen black entrepreneurs that were indentified and located through purposive and snowball sampling methods. The study found out that while there is an appreciation of BEE policy and the transformation that has already taken place, there is also a healthy criticism, discontent, skepticism and impatience over the pace of transformation and implementation of BEE policy.
The child support grant and rural womens’ livelihoods a case study of Umsinga.
(2016) Wiese, Makhosazana Noxolo.; Ballard, Richard James.
There is a body of literature that locates social protection at the centre of poverty reduction. Other discourses see social welfare as creating dependency. In the literature, that links social protection to poverty reduction, social grants are seen as a means of addressing poverty and vulnerability, as they provide safety nets for the poor. The South African Child Support Grant is a well-known example of this as it contributes significantly to household income in a majority of households, especially those whose substantial source of income is made up of social grants. The grant is targeted at children who live in poor households and was introduced in 1998. This study uses the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) as a framework for exploring whether and how the child support grant can facilitate access to a wide range of livelihood options and opportunities in rural extended family homesteads. The thesis explores a wide range of literature on social protection starting from the earlier debates on welfare to current works on social protection as part of development policy globally and in the South African context. It also explores the concept of agency and of households. The study was conducted in Msinga, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal using interviews and a focus group discussion with some of the women who receive the grant. In exploring the main research question, the study found that women spent most of the grant money on consumable goods, but also invest some of it on acquiring productive assets. It also found that the grant has generally had positive outcomes for the livelihoods of the women who participated in the study.
Choices of degree or degrees of choice? : a sociological analysis of decision-making in tertiary education.
(2013) Gausdal, Lars.; Ballard, Richard James.; Freund, William Mark.
Dominant theories on choice of higher education, such as the rational action theory, view prospective students as rational consumers operating in an educational and vocational marketplace. This approach is founded on the assumption that young people are logical, self-interested and utility-maximising beings, and that choice of career or field of study is the outcome of a technically rational process. A growing number of studies are, however, challenging the central assumption of this approach. Recent studies on educational and vocational choice-making indicate that aspiring students may not be as calculating as the dominant research and policy discourse suggests. They emphasise that the decision-making process is, in fact, far more complex and unpredictable than traditionally assumed by the conventional models. As a result, there have been calls for the need to develop an alternative approach. The pragmatic rationality model by Hodkinson and Sparkes is one example. This study employs an unconventional approach to the logic of choice-making. Instead of drawing up a quantitative assessment of a large sample of students – the most common method of inquiry in this field of research – it uses case study research to investigate, in depth, how students from two specific vocational disciplines made their choices. The research is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 26 first-year students in the Civil Engineering and Social Care programmes at the Durban University of Technology and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study explores the applicability of the pragmatic rationality framework in the South African context, and investigates its potential impact on higher education policy. The analysis finds that there are general processes by which all the students had been affected, summed up in the framework of pragmatic rationality. The endorsement of this approach can be read as an implicit rejection of the rational action theory and the dominant assumption of aspiring students as rational agents. Although pragmatically rational decision-making was detected throughout the sample, the students were found to have made very different kinds of choices within very different types of circumstances. These differences were identified particularly in the levels of knowledge upon which the students had based their decisions. The observations made in this study are useful in terms of developing a more accurate understanding of educational and vocational choice-making in South Africa.
'Coloured' identity and reflections of the 'other' in community discourse : a case study of Wentworth.
(2008) Meadows, Briana R.; Ballard, Richard James.
This project explores the persistence of racial frameworks amongst Coloureds in Wentworth, Durban, using perspectives from discourse analysis as a methodological and theoretical framework. In-depth focus groups and interviews with Wentworth residents were conducted to investigate the continued socio-political relevance of such frameworks in the context of their own identity as 'Coloured', especially where these relate to residual racial hierarchies of the colonial era. Three sample groups were utilised to reflect the community's socio-economic spectrum, which enabled a class-based discussion of the way 'Colouredness' and ideals such as national reconciliation may be reflected by different socio-economic groups.
Daily news and daily bread : precarious employment in the newspaper distribution sector in Durban South Africa.
(2014) Nnaeme, Chibuikem Charles.; Ballard, Richard James.
The outsourcing of newspaper distribution seems to be a source of precarious employment for newspaper contractors and their employees. The labour market experiences of workers in precarious employment due to labour outsourcing have been a source of debate in the literature on the relationship between informal and formal work since the early 1970s. The three main theoretical schools that contribute to the debate include: dualism, structuralism and legalism. In an attempt to contribute to the debate, the research explored the effects of outsourcing newspaper distribution on the labour market experiences of newspaper distribution contractors and their employees in Durban. Structuralism and value chain analysis were used as theoretical frameworks since both give extensive attention to concepts such as labour outsourcing. The major finding from the research was that the interview respondents are exposed to precarious employment conditions irrespective of whether respondents were contracted or not due to outsourcing distribution in Durban. This is because the contractors and their employees experience the same degree of lack of employment benefits, employment security and severe working conditions.
Do large retailers displace small informal retailers? : the case of Pick n Pay in Kwa-Mashu.
(2015) Madlala, Thabani T.; Ballard, Richard James.
Purpose – This thesis presents a study of large retailers and spaza shops in the township of KwaMashu, South Africa. The aim is to explore the effects of the new large retailer of Pick n Pay on spaza shops. The core research questions are: Are there any links between the spaza shops and Pick n Pay?, Does Pick n Pay stimulate or displace spaza retailing?, Have spaza shop owners lost markets for their goods as a result of the entry of Pick n Pay?, How do spaza shop owners respond to the entry of Pick n Pay? Methodology and findings – The research documents the experiences of current and former spaza shop owners on which data was collected. The core findings confirm that spaza shops in close proximity to Pick n Pay are more likely to be prone to negative impacts – specifically on consumer volume, stock size, and profits – compared to those in outlying areas. In a competitive market spaza shops are vulnerable on prices. Very few of the spaza shops have adopted business strategies in response to the larger competitor. The findings confirm that Pick n Pay’s presence has provided some benefits to local shops in the form of easy access to supplies and reduced transport costs.
Engaging top-down development in the Eastern Cape : a case study of the Xolobeni Mineral Sands Project.
(2011) Wilson, Matthew.; Ballard, Richard James.; Freund, William Mark.
A longstanding trend in development studies literature has emerged that emphasizes the importance of addressing issues of power in all facets of development, including in the planning and design of development interventions. While top-down planning reinforces the view of the poor as impotent, powerless actors whose well-being is dependent upon the actions of others through concentration of decision-making power in the hands of those who take on the role of trustees, popular participation in planning empowers the poor by viewing the poor as competent, rational actors who are better suited to improve their own lives than any external expert. This research report analyzes the power dynamics involved in an attempt by an Australian mining company (Mineral Commodities Ltd) and the South African government to implement a mining project in the Xolobeni area of the Wild Coast of South Africa. The issue of popular participation has always been a large part of the debate of whether to approve the mining license. Opponents of the project claim that the process discouraged and even prevented local participation, while supporters claim variously that either sufficient local participation did take place or that local participation was unimportant because the project would improve the lives of local residents regardless of how much participation took place. This report aims to analyze the power dynamics that came into play throughout the long fight over the proposed mine and draw out whatever lessons can be learned regarding South Africa’s development process.
An explorative study of young people's ecological citizenship in Durban, South Africa.
(2013) Jonusaite, Milda.; Ballard, Richard James.
In the context of growing concern for the potential impact of climate change, climate governance mechanisms are employed by nation states aiming to influence environmental actions of various actors. Promoting green behaviour of individual citizens is one of the current climate governance approaches. Furthermore, increasing attention is given towards the younger generations, as they will have to bear the consequences of climate change. Empowering young people to act against climate change is, therefore, important. This study aims to explore whether ecological citizenship among young people in Durban, South Africa, could be a valuable component of climate governance. It will do so by: 1) exploring how young people conceptualise climate change, 2) how they understand and experience citizenship, 3) whether they possess features of ecological citizenship. This research consists of a qualitative study based on semi-‐structured interviews with eighteen young individuals. The conceptual tools of practice theory and citizenship, that incorporate aspects of ecology and youth, are utilised for understanding the empirical study. The findings suggest that young people in Durban have a vague understanding of climate change-‐related concepts. Furthermore, it shows a gap between the understanding and the experience of citizenship. The youth comprehend citizenship with its features of rights and obligations; however, their experience of citizenship is largely dominated by detachment from politics, a sense of exclusion, and a lack of authentic opportunities to play out citizenship activities. Lastly, everyday practices of young people reveal a limited range of environmentally friendly actions accompanied by a moderate sense of agency in relation to environmental problems. This study shows that in order for young people to be able to act as ecological citizens, there are several structural constraints that need to be transformed into opportunities. This research suggests that there is a need to: 1) enable citizenship options for young people, 2) establish practical alternatives for sustainable behaviour. This study argues that providing such structural opportunities has the potential to develop young citizens that can act in an environmentally friendly way, without providing any guarantee for green behaviour. However, the potential for such behaviour is nevertheless greater with structural opportunities, rather than constrains.
An exploratory study of social networks amongst Pakistani migrants in Durban.
(2006) Jinnah, Zaheera.; Ballard, Richard James.
No abstract available.
Exploring the gains of local businesses within the hospitality industry during an event: the case of the Top Gear Festival.
(2014) Drysdale, Roisin.; Ballard, Richard James.
Top Gear is a long-running television programme now shown in over 50 countries with international versions of the show created. It has recently branched away from television and started live stunt shows and weekend car festivals. The Top Gear Festival, a weekend long event with a circuit race, live stunt shows and car exhibitions took place in South Africa for the first time in 2011 in Johannesburg and was then contracted to take place in Durban for three consecutive years. Events such as the Top Gear Festival are being favoured by urban managers to be used as a mechanism to promote the economy and development especially within the tourist industry. This study aimed to investigate the impact the Top Gear Festival had on the hospitality industry in Durban. Following the occurrence of the 2013 event, an interview was conducted with the eThekwini Municipality and data was collected from hotel and restaurants managers and owners. From the data it was found that many businesses believed their restaurant or hotel was busier over the festival weekend and experienced positive impacts due to increased patron numbers and higher turnovers. However, despite this, it was also found that whilst hotels were almost full over the festival weekend compared to a normal weekend in June, restaurants appeared to suffer and were not as busy.
Ideology and agency in protest politics: service delivery struggles in post-apartheid South Africa.
(2011) Ngwane, Trevor.; Bond, Patrick Martin.; Ballard, Richard James.
My aim in this dissertation is to explore the manner in which protest leaders in the post-apartheid context understand themselves and their actions against the backdrop of the socio-historical, political and economic conditions within which protests take place. The aim is to contribute to the debate around the nature of the challenge posed by protest action to the post-apartheid neoliberal order. The study uses an actor-oriented ethnographic methodology to examine at close range the nature of the protest movement in working class South African townships focusing on the so-called service delivery protests. In the quest to understand the action, forms of organisation and ideologies characteristic of the protests, and their significance for post-apartheid society, I use concepts and insights from the literature on social movements, discourse theory and, in particular, Gramsci's ideas on hegemony. The latter helps me to define and assess the threat posed by the protests to the dominant order which I characterise as neoliberalism or neoliberal capitalism. The conclusion that I come to is that the protests are best understood in the context of the transition from apartheid to democracy: its dynamics and its unmet expectations. They represent a fragmented and inchoate challenge to the post apartheid neoliberal order. Their weakness, I argue, partly derives from the effects of the demobilisation of the working class movement during the transition to democracy. It will take broader societal developments, including the emergence of a particular kind of leadership and organisation, for the protests to pose a serious challenge to the present order. The experience of the struggle against apartheid suggests the necessity of a vision of alternatives to inspire, shape and cohere struggles around everyday issues and concerns into struggles for radical society-wide alternatives. Protest action was linked to imagination of a different way of doing things and organising society. Without this link, it is likely that the protest movement will be increasingly isolated and contained with some of its energy used negatively, for example, in populist chauvinism, xenophobic attacks, mob justice, and other forms of anti-social behavior that are becoming a worrisome feature of post-apartheid society. Nonetheless, it provides hope and the foundation for a different future.
"In-between" : a study of domestic workers' children who have been informally fostered by their mothers' employers.
(2015) Morrison, Alice Ruth.; Ballard, Richard James.; Mottiar, Shauna.
This research explores the subjective experiences and life stories of 4 domestic workers’ children who were informally fostered by their mothers’/grandmothers’ employers in South Africa. Using a narrative thematic approach to analyse the semi-structured interviews conducted with each participant, the research sought to develop an understanding of the experience of being informally fostered, and how it may have shaped their understanding of themselves and their place in society. Themes related to notions of ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ dominated the interview data and hinted that essentialist notions of race and culture still dominate social discourse in South Africa. A key finding of this research was that receiving unconditional support and acceptance from both their biological and their informal fostering families was important. Perceived or actual abandonment from either of these parental systems potentially resulted in significant threats to self-esteem, sense of personal agency, identity, and security of belonging. Another important finding was that the colour of the participants’ skin led them to question whether their identity, their sense of belonging, and their ‘ways of being’ were ‘natural’ to them or divergent as they differed from South African society’s essentialist expectations of black identities.
Infrastructure development in economic crisis and recovery : the rail cargo sector in Zimbabwe since 2000.
(2014) Takundwa, Dianah Rumbidzai.; Robbins, Glen.; Ballard, Richard James.
The study sought to investigate infrastructure development in economic crisis and recovery, with specific regard to the rail cargo sector in Zimbabwe since 2000. The research was prompted by firstly, the need to assess the current situation of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), secondly, to examine the root cause of the challenges being faced by the National Railways of Zimbabwe and lastly, to review the plans going forward to resolve the challenges. In the study, a sample of 17 respondents was selected. Questions were used to guide the interview schedule. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and was presented and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings were then interpreted in relation to research objectives and questions. The research findings showed that most of the challenges that were being experienced by the National Railways of Zimbabwe were as a result of the economic meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy. It is evident from the findings that the rail cargo in Zimbabwe can be improved if the parastatal can be given autonomy to run the day to day operations without political interference from the government. The results further suggest that the National Railways of Zimbabwe can be in a position to breakeven or become financially viable if the government, who is the major shareholder, opens up lines or credit and helps secure strategic partners who will bring in capital. In light of the above findings, the study recommends that the government explore more private sector participation and private concession options as this will help the National Railways of Zimbabwe improve its current challenges. Secondly, the 1997 Railway Act has to be signed and officialised so as to enable the organisation to operate commercially. Thirdly, the staff composition and the election of the Board of Directors should be revisited so as to engage to stakeholders in promoting transparency, integrity and efficiency. Lastly, the National Railways of Zimbabwe needs to revive its Railway Motor Services Private Limited because it will help the organisation to cut down on competition from the road sector.
Mining for development? : a socio-ecological study on the Witbank coalfield.
(2011) Filitz, John Karl.; Valodia, Imraan.; Ballard, Richard James.; Witt, Harald Andreas.; Freund, William Mark.
Coal mining on the Highveld has historically served, and continues to serve as an indissoluble cog in South Africa’s development. The study contends that the inherent speculative character of coal as a finite resource results in bearing costs beyond the financial sphere. These costs at some stage of the mine life-cycle have to be accounted for. By using a Polanyian interpretation of double movement and crisis, the study argues that the manner in which natural factors such as coal have historically been inscribed in the production process, alongside labour and technology, to a large degree determine the character of productive relations in a particular society. More fundamentally, it is argued, this interaction between capital, society and nature determines the extent to which the State is able to perform its role of counter-movement against the over-exploitation of society and nature. This is demonstrated by situating the development of a former coal mining village, Rietspruit colliery, within the necessary historical phase of South African development – as hinged upon the accessibility and availability of coal, in particular from the Witbank coalfield. It is however, in a post-coal mining context that the study alludes to the unintended social costs arising from coal-led development, arguing social costs and inequality as evident at Rietspruit colliery, as effectively institutionalised. This is due to the historic function of the State vis-à-vis facilitating mineral extraction. On this basis, the study calls into question recent sustainable development discourse such as the Department of Minerals and Energy’s Sustainable Development through Mining (2009) (SDM) initiative. The study argues the notion of mineral extraction and coal mining in particular, serving as the means de jour for achieving sustainable development, as flawed. This is illustrated at Rietspruit colliery by reflecting upon the manner in which a post-mining sustainability plan was implemented. The core issue concerns the dis-embedding of social costs related to mining, including mine closure, from the necessary historical, socio-political and socio-ecological context. Compounded by a poorly enforced regulatory environment, this approach views mine closure, including the social aspects of mine closure, in a de-politicised, technocratic manner of rationalising closure as cost-effectively as possible. It is here that the utility of the socio-ecological approach is made evident, by opening up the discursive space for social justice discourses relating to the social costs of coal mining, to find common ground with discourses concerned with environmental activism.
NGO's, donors and human development : a case study from Mozambique.
(2008) Puig, Josep.; Ballard, Richard James.
During 1990s, the 'renaissance' of civil society in the Third World and the birth of thousands ofNGOs provoked a debate about their critical role, linked to the end of the Cold War and the 'triumph' of the Westernized, capitalist system, which has steadily expanded its model throughout the world, proclaiming the merits of democratization and the free market system. According to Commins (1999) "the major global institutions and most powerful bilateral donors want NGOs to serve as the front line for global welfare". Donors offered funds, and thousands of NGO were born worldwide. Through their projects and the movement of expatriates to developing countries, many replicated Western culture and acted as welfare providers, losing sight of their independence and critical position unto both market and state. Development apparatus have been institutionalized globally. A high concentration of development assistance exists in the Third World. "One finds identical development institutions, a common discourse, way of defining problems and pool of 'experts' ... " (Ferguson 1990: 8). At least theoretically, many organizations are moving toward a more participatory development, recognizing indigenous knowledge. Yet, the complexity of the relationships between donors, organizations and partners, and the rigidity of the bureaucratic procedures imposed, oftentimes exclude the voice of the locals (Marsden 2004). In Mozambique, relationships with international financial institutions emerged in 1987 with the Structural Adjustments Programs (SAP). Subsequently, it experienced a rapid economic growth while inequalities and foreign debt increased. Yet, in contrast to the birth of numerous NGOs, human rights organizations and civil society groups in other African countries during the 1990s, civil society was still non-existent there. This dissertation explores crucial issues identified in the functioning of development projects in the local context. Once identified, these can be integrated into future projects, strengthening their impact and increasing their efficiency. Some are: participation in the decision-making processes before and during project implementation, program evaluation, relationships between NGOs and the public sector, and the integration of local culture and values in adapting the programs to the regional context.
NGOs and development in the third world : assessing NGO policy orientation in Angola's post-conflict reconstruction and development process.
(2008) Teka, Zeferino.; Ballard, Richard James.
This study explores the role of NGOs in Angola's post-conflict reconstruction and development process. The study was motivated by a perception obtained from a preliminary literature acquaintance and events that pointed to the developing of a centralised, state-led model. As a result, NGOs were facing funding crises and political pressure which were obstructing their participation in the process. Thus, the study sought to investigate the substance of these trends and how NGOs were responding to them. The study finds that the current policy dynamics underlying the process supports the perception that a centralised, state-led model is developing. At the same time, NGOs are shifting their engagement from emergency work to a development paradigm; they are focusing their activities on rural development and civic awareness; and they are lobbying for the opening of the public space. NGOs believe that they can contribute a unique socib-economic and political capital to the process which neither the public sector nor the private sector can. For this, they argue that the process should be participatory to enable openness and accommodate the contributions of all social actors. However, they believe that the government should playa leading role because of the need to create the infrastructural basis the country lacks to rebuild and develop.
NGOs and social development : an assessment of the participants' perceptions of the effects of World Changers Academy's life skills education program, eThekwini Municipality.
(2009) Momo, Gillo Lekane.; Ballard, Richard James.
In South Africa, young people are faced with many challenges such as HIV/AIDS, unemployment, poverty, and access to secure education and skills. In that context, NGOs involved in youth development, through their social intervention programs, can serve as platforms that can help to mitigate some of these social scourges. This research was set out to assess the participants’ perceptions of the effects of World Changers Academy’s life skills program. World Changers Academy (WCA) is a local NGO that operates in the eThekwini Municipality with the aim of empowering young people for life success through life skills-based education. Data were collected through interviews and a focus group discussion at YMCA, Durban and at WCA’s Leadership Centre in Shongweni. According to the findings, many participants perceived that the program was beneficial because it has helped them to increase their knowledge, to develop values and good attitudes, to acquire some job preparation skills, and some other critical skills that will potentially help them to cope better with the challenges they faced regularly.

Browse

Browsing Masters Degrees (Development Studies) by Author "Ballard, Richard James."