Browsing by Author "Casale, Daniela Maria."

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An analysis of the extent of migration and its impacts on the sending household in a rural area in South Africa.
(2014) Dzomba, Armstrong.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
The aim of this study is to analyse the extent and nature of labour migration and its impacts on the sending households in a rural area in South Africa, namely Agincourt, Mpumalanga. This is achieved through a quantitative analysis of a cross-sectional dataset from the 2007 temporary migration module of the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Results indicate that most temporary migration in this area is related to the need to work elsewhere, i.e. labour migration, and that labour migrants are more likely to be men rather than women. Consistent with expectations, temporary labour migrants appear to maintain close ties with sending households, evidenced in three key features of migrants` behaviour, namely: method of communication with the household; pattern of return; and propensity to remit cash and goods to the household of origin. A number of the factors investigated here differ by the gender of the migrant, and whether children were left behind in the household by the migrant. The effect of labour migration on additional household composition changes, such as the co-migration of children, appears negligible in this sample, contrary to expectations. Interestingly, the study finds that a large percentage of migrants leave children behind in the sending households, and that more female migrants compared to male migrants leave behind at least one child in the household. These children tend to be cared for within the household by another female relative. These findings underscore the need for more inter-disciplinary and in-depth research on labour migration, yielding more refined results particularly on the impact of migration on the health and well-being of children left in the sending household.
Computer literacy, employment and earnings : a cross-sectional study on South Africa using the National Income Dynamics Study 2008.
(2013) Govindasamy, Preston-Lee.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
In this study I explore the extent of computer literacy in South Africa, the correlates of computer literacy, and the relationship between computer literacy and labour market outcomes, namely the probability of employment and earnings among working-age South Africans. I use data from the first wave of the National Income Dynamics Panel survey of 2008, the first national household survey to collect information on computer skills. This study focuses on computer literacy as it has become an integral skill in today’s world of fast technological change. Understanding the unequal distribution of this form of human capital and the benefits it affords those in the labour market, is important particularly in South Africa, where there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor. I find that the distribution of computer skills in South Africa tends to mirror existing inequalities; females, Africans, those with low levels of schooling and those living outside of formal urban areas, for instance, are less likely to be computer literate. Further, I find that there is a positive association between computer literacy and the probability of employment among working-age adults, and a positive relationship between computer literacy and earnings among the employed in South Africa. These associations hold after controlling for a variety of demographic, human capital, family background, and in the case of the earnings regressions, job characteristics. The results also suggest that, as would be expected, those who are highly computer literate do better than those who have basic use skills. I also consider the limitations of my methods and the data I use, and the implications of the results for education and skills development policy in South Africa.
Economic job factors affecting nurse emigration from South Africa : a cross-country comparative analysis of working conditions among nurses.
(2009) Egerdahl, Karina.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
For almost fifteen years, South Africa has been a target for developed countries' active recruitment of nurses and other healthcare professionals to their healthcare systems. South Africa is now a leading source of nurses for the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This study investigates the underlying factors behind nurse emigration from South Africa by examining the differences in the economic job factors between South Africa and the UK, the US, and Australia, the three countries where the highest percentage of South African nurses are emigrating to. The economic factors investigated include wages, salary advancement for experience and length of service, hours worked, and employment-based benefits such as pension benefits, medical aid/health insurance benefits, and paid leave. Although not a focus of the empirical work, other job factors, such as poor working conditions in South African hospitals, as well as broader societal factors influencing nurse emigration, are discussed. The study was motivated by the fact that although the underlying factors that are causing South African nurses to leave for greener pastures have been identified, there exists limited empirical literature on the shortcomings of working conditions. As emigration of nurses are driven by forces present in both sending and receiving countries, a cross-country comparison of these factors leads to a greater understanding of nurse emigration from South Africa. In turn, a greater understanding can lead to effective policies improving the working conditions for South African nurses and thus improving retention. By using comparative secondary data from 2006, the findings reveal that the main difference in economic job factors lie in wages, both average wages and the possibility for salary advancement over the lifetime, and working hours. The differences in access to employment-based benefits were less significant, as benefits in South Africa tend to be high among nurses as in the comparison countries.
Evaluating the impact of low-cost housing on beneficiaries at Kwamathukuza, Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2011) Kakaza, Nomfundo Sandra.; Posel, Dorrit Ruth.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
Informed by the sustainable livelihoods (SL) approach, this project investigates whether the impact of the KwaMathukuza housing project has gone beyond meeting the basic human need for shelter to have a broader positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of the occupants. In so doing, the research also considers if the housing project (and the relocation of people to these houses) had any negative effects on the livelihoods of the households. The main methods of data collection in the study are qualitative structured interviews with a sample of beneficiaries and semi-structured interviews with various key informants. The main findings are consistent with what has been found by studies on low-cost housing in South Africa. The following challenges remain: under-funding; and anti-poor policies such as the Elimination and Prevention of Re-emergence of Slums Act (EPRSA) of 2007; failure to deliver on targets set; poor quality of houses; top-down approaches that do not resolve problems; challenges in acquisition of suitable land; beneficiaries selling their houses without the knowledge of the Deeds Registrar; and delegating housing delivery to the private sector.
An exploration of the correlates of long-term unemployment in South Africa using national survey data, 2001-2007.
(2009) Coulson, Luke.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
This dissertation provides an empirical analysis of the correlates of long-term unemployment in South Africa using national survey data from 2001 and 2007. Within the South African context, very little research relating to the length of unemployment spells has been conducted. The negative implications of long-term unemployment necessitate a clearer understanding of the factors that affect this phenomenon. Of particular interest to this study is the impact of human capital variables, measured by education and previous work experience, on the length of unemployment spells. The results indicate that in 2001 a degree or diploma was the only level of education that reduced the probability of long-term unemployment amongst the strictly unemployed. By 2007, no level of the education had an effect on the probability of long-term unemployment. These results raise serious questions about the ability of formal South African education qualifications to act as a proxy for human capital and thus the productive capacity of individuals. In contrast, having previous work experience significantly reduced the probability of long-term unemployment amongst the strictly unemployed in both 2001 and 2007. These results suggest that relative to education, previous work experience is a more accurate and thus acceptable measure of an individual’s productive potential amongst prospective employers. Finally, given the variety of negative effects associated with long-term unemployment such as crime, poverty as well as human capital depreciation, it is important that steps are taken to reduce the phenomenon. A short discussion is provided on the implementation of a wage subsidy which could be targeted towards the unemployed most prone to long-term unemployment; this would help these individuals to secure employment and thus gain valuable work experience. It is this work experience which will play a critical role in determining the future employment prospects of individuals within the South African economy.
Female employment and gender : a case study of female garment workers in Dhaka district, Bangladesh.
(2015) Bradfield, Justin G.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
The impact of female employment on societies where women have traditionally been confined to domestic roles is a dynamic characteristic of a changing global labour landscape. The literature and feminist discourse on this subject note that, for women, the impact has been both positive and negative. In Bangladesh these changes are taking place rapidly, and in so doing, challenging the traditional fabric of a society which until comparatively recently was characterised as culturally and religiously conservative, predominantly rural and deeply paternalistic. This study aimed to contribute to an evolving perspective of this rapidly changing dynamic and what it means for women living and working in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, a mega-city of over 16 million people. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the impact of wage employment on working women by engaging with female garment workers in two communities, Mohammadpur and Savar, in Dhaka District. Its three main objectives were to: 1) Identify more generally, the positive and negative impacts of employment in the ready-made garment sector on the lives of female garment workers in the research sample, and to provide a context for the more specific objectives outlined as follows; 2) Understand more specifically the consequences of this employment for these women, documenting in particular, changes or shifts in gender relations, and the norms, decision-making ability and status of these women within the household; 3) Understand the impact of waged labour on women’s perceptions of their position/status within their community. In particular the study documents the changing cultural, economic and social impacts on these women, both in their respective communities, and more importantly on their status and bargaining power within the household itself. This is an often underreported area of study. Therefore, it is hoped that the study will provide new insight into how these women are coping with rapid change, and what this means for the future status, equality and welfare of women, albeit within a narrow research window. Since Bangladesh is projected to challenge China as the world’s leading manufacturer of ready-made garments within the next couple of decades, the implications for women and traditional values and attitudes toward working women in Bangladesh are important. The research consisted of four phases: identification of suitable candidates for the research study, the subsequent development of the questionnaire and methodology for approaching the participant interviews, a qualitative interview phase with participants from two separate factories (located in two separate districts of Dhaka), and finally a process of triangulation of the data to ensure credibility and accuracy. This was particularly important, since the interviews were translated from Bangla to English and conducted remotely via an experienced research assistant. Through the employment of a constructivist paradigm, the researcher was able to source rich data that was used to test existing theories on the impact of the garment industry in Bangladesh on women. The study found that employment in this sector had largely been beneficial for the participants, resulting in tangible improvements in their quality of life including improvements in the overall ability of the household to save, and to enjoy a better diet including meat and fish. These material improvements often translated into an ability to renegotiate decision making and power relations within the household. However, this should be contextualised within a sobering reality, which is that many women have little choice but to work long hours, for minimal pay, in often dangerous working conditions and without the prospect of the formalisation of their labour or attendant welfare benefits. Therefore, this study argues that while the ready-made garment sector has indeed enhanced the socio-economic status of women, which is empowering, these gains remain fragile, and easily reversible as political and economic conditions within the country, and indeed the forces of globalization, have the ability to unseat these small but positive implications. Hard won freedoms therefore come at a tremendous cost for female garment workers in Bangladesh.
Gender differences in self-employment characteristics in post-apartheid South Africa : a detailed analysis of the self-employed.
(2010) Gordon, Steven Lawrence.; Casale, Daniela Maria.; Posel, Dorrit Ruth.
This study investigates gender differences in South African self-employment, focusing particularly on earnings differences. The study identifies a large earnings gap in favour of men in self-employment, and it explores how the determinants of female and male returns to self-employment differ. Using a combination of descriptive and econometric methods and data from the Labour Force Surveys for 2001-2007, I find that female self-employment is more likely than male selfemployment to exhibit characteristics that are associated with low returns. The female self-employed tend to work part-time, be home-based, have own account enterprises and work in unskilled occupations in the informal sector. The data also suggest the presence of gender discrimination among the self-employed which may be the result of consumer discrimination and discrimination in access to credit or product markets. Focusing on the non-agricultural informal sector, I construct a more detailed gendered profile of the self-employed using a household survey from October 2005, namely the Survey of Employers and the Self-Employed. This survey captures a wealth of information on the self-employed and their businesses which is not available in the Labour Force Survey data. The analysis reveals that, in comparison to men, women are more likely to enter self-employment out of necessity, spend less starting a business, have poorer access to transport and report lower overheads. In light of the key constraints identified particularly by women in self-employment, the analysis suggests that assistance with marketing, better access to raw materials/supplies, provision of an alternative location, and better access to credit markets would help improve the profitability of their businesses.
The impact of employment on the health of South African children aged 6 to 60 months : a quantitative analysis of the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study.
(2012) Holst, Eirik Schmidt.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
This study’s main aim is to investigate the impact of adult household members’ employment on the health of children aged 6 to 60 months, with a particular focus on whether the gender of the employed adults matter. The study uses South African data from the nationally representative National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), and children’s health will be measured using the two anthropometric indicators height-for-age and weight-for-age to indicate stunting and underweight respectively. The sample consists of about 1700 children, and both descriptive and econometric analysis are utilised to show correlations between child health outcomes and employment. The econometric analysis was performed using a logit model, and results show an association between employment in the household and child stunting, while no association is found between employment and child underweight. The main finding of the study is that living in households where one or more women (and no men) have employment reduces the likelihood of children being stunted. No health gain is found for living in households with only employed men, or living in households where both men and women have employment, relative to living in households where no one has employment. These results are robust to controlling for household expenditure per capita and a variety of other household characteristics. Employment thus seems to have a positive impact on children’s health, but the effect is only present in households where only females have employment.
Informal sector taxation : the case of Zimbabwe.
(2014) Dube, Godwin.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
The economic crisis in Zimbabwe has had a profound impact on the labour market. As job opportunities in the formal sector have shrunk due to the contraction of the economy, the informal sector has been showing rapid growth. This contraction of the economy has also had a negative impact on the government’s ability to collect tax revenues. It is within this context that this study seeks to analyse the Zimbabwean government’s recent attempts to collect taxes from its large informal sector. The study draws on conventional tax theory from the public economics literature to inform the evaluation of the informal sector tax system. The study also draws on the political economy approach to taxation (and the state failure literature in particular) given that this analysis occurs in Zimbabwe, a failing state. The three main objectives of the work are as follows: 1) To describe the informal sector tax code in Zimbabwe and to explain how it relates to the broader tax system in the country, as well as to analyse the rationale for its introduction; 2) To investigate the challenges and successes in implementing the taxes in the informal sector in the context of the economic and political crisis; and 3) To analyse the informal tax system in terms of equity and efficiency. Given the lack of reliable official (quantitative) data on Zimbabwe, this study is primarily based on documentary evidence and qualitative work. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 16 key informants from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, academia and business organisations. A total of 47 informal sector operators from four activity classes (i.e. transport operators, flea market operators, hairdressing salons and cottage industries) were also interviewed. The findings presented in this thesis indicate that there have been some successes in taxing the informal sector in Zimbabwe. However, the study shows that informal sector taxes have been poorly administered. The findings also show that informal sector taxes are generally inequitable visà- vis formal sector taxes. Furthermore, the implementation of presumptive taxes has induced changes in behaviour among those in the informal sector in their attempts to evade these taxes, resulting in economic inefficiency. Given that very few academic studies on informal sector taxes in Zimbabwe have been conducted, it is hoped that this work will begin to fill the gap in the Zimbabwean context, as well as to contribute to the small but growing literature on informal sector taxes in developing countries more generally.
Investigating the well-being of rural women in South Africa.
(2010) Casale, Daniela Maria.
In this Focus piece we explore differences in the well-being of men and women in rural and urban areas. We use quantitative data from a nationally representative household survey in 2008 to measure income poverty and access to services in the households that men and women live in. In addition, we complement this analysis with a range of subjective measures of well-being collected in the survey, which allow us to identify differences in the lived experiences of men and women within their households. We find that, according to both the objective and subjective measures of well-being that we explore, African women living in rural areas are the most disadvantaged group in South Africa.
The linkages between informal savings and credit mechanisms (stokvels) and commercial banks.
(2016) Zondi, Meluleki Derick.; Mottiar, Shauna.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
In low-income countries such as those found in Africa the financial sector is often divided into two parts; the formal and informal sector. Previously the latter was believed to cater for that segment of the population whose financial status did not allow them to participate in the formal financial sector. However as this study and other studies indicate, this is not entirely true. In South Africa particularly, informal financial mechanisms such as stokvels prevail alongside more formal financial institutions. This study’s aims were to investigate the reasons why stokvels prevail as a credit and savings mechanism despite access to commercial financial services. In addition, to trying to understand the benefits derived from stokvel participation, this study aimed to uncover the inter-linkages between the commercial banking sector and informal savings schemes, and the constraints that limit greater participation in formal savings schemes. Open-ended in-depth interviews were used to gather data from 15 participants, both females and males in stokvel groups. The interviews were transcribed and the study objectives were taken as guiding themes. The study was conducted in KwaXimba, a rural village in the Valley of Thousand hills, Cato Ridge, Durban. The study found that there are interactions between stokvel groups and commercial banks in the form of monetary flow. According to these findings, the dominant inter-linkages between stokvels and commercial banks occur in the form of savings mobilization, in which stokvel groups save their funds with commercial banks for a period of time (usually a year). In addition, this study reveals that linkages in the form of credit flow are non-existent; as none of the participants reported having received a loan from a bank or seeking a bank loan. Therefore, the direction of linkages is one-sided from a less formal to a more formal financial institution. With regard to the benefits of belonging to a stokvel group, participants cited various benefits some of which confirmed what is already known. The two most cited benefits were forced/collective saving and socializing/companionship. The less prominent benefits of stokvels included high returns on loans and the absence of bank charges. The study found that one of the two most cited constraints to adopting formal financial mechanisms was unemployment. The second most cited constraint was participants themselves, five participants in this sample argued they did not see the need for a bank account because they were either unemployed or preferred stokvels.
The rise in female labour force participation in South Africa : an analysis of household survey data , 1995-2001.
(2003) Casale, Daniela Maria.; Posel, Dorrit Ruth.
In the 1990s nationally representative and detailed household survey data became available for the first time in South Africa, opening up opportunities to examine some of the key movements in the labour market especially. This thesis investigates one of these: the continued and dramatic rise in female labour force participation that has occurred in post-apartheid South Africa over the period 1995 to 2001. The rise in women's participation, also referred to as the 'feminisation' of the labour market, is a phenomenon that has been observed and analysed in many countries around the world, and yet has remained largely undocumented in South Africa. The 'feminisation' that has been recorded in the international literature generally refers to the rise in women's share of the labour force coupled with a rise in women's share of employment. What is striking in the South African case, however, is that over the period under review here regular employment opportunities in the formal sector of the economy have been indisputably limited, and yet female labour force participation has continued to increase. The increase in participation has translated mainly into a rise in unemployment and in generally low-paying forms of self-employment in the informal sector. This raises the question why so many more women chose to enter the labour market over this period in spite of their dismal prospects, a question that is explored as far as possible in this study given the constraints imposed by the data available. This thesis is presented in three main parts. The first part consists of a review of the economic theory of female labour supply and a review of the international literature on the trends, causes and consequences associated with the rise in female labour force participation over time. The second and largest part of the thesis consists of an empirical analysis of the factors driving the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa. The broad trends in the labour force between 1995 and 2001 are documented, some of the supply-side correlates of labour force participation are explored descriptively, and then the determinants of the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa over this period are tested more thoroughly in a multivariate regression and decomposition analysis. The final part of the study turns to the question of what the rise in female labour force participation has 'bought' women in terms of access to employment and earnings for those women who did have work in the period under review.
Sowing the seeds of food sovereignty or cultivating consent? The potential and limitations of Johannesburg’s community gardens.
(2017) Kesselman, Brittany.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
This thesis investigates the benefits and challenges of participating in community gardens in Johannesburg. More specifically, it seeks to understand whether and how urban community gardens contribute to food sovereignty, with the aim of identifying ways to enhance their contribution. For this research, six components of food sovereignty were considered: 1) access to sufficient, healthy and culturally appropriate food; 2) sustainable livelihoods and local economies; 3) environmental sustainability; 4) food system localisation; 4) empowerment and food system democratisation; and 6) gender equality. This research adopts a constructivist approach and a comparative case study method. In addition to an extended period of participant observation, the research utilises a unique array of research instruments adapted from various disciplines, including key informant interviews, an informal survey of community gardens in Johannesburg, a food diary exercise, food/life history interviews and semi-structured interviews with garden participants. The thesis finds that the community gardens do contribute to food sovereignty, though their contribution to the six elements is uneven and faces many obstacles. Some of the more unique challenges identified by this research include: 1) the role of culture and worldviews; 2) the restrictive impact of the neoliberal rationality underpinning support for the gardens—whether from government, non-governmental organisations or the private sector; and 3) conflicts and a climate of suspicion amongst gardeners which inhibit knowledge sharing, development of critical consciousness and social mobilisation. This research represents a contribution to both the urban agriculture (UA) and food sovereignty scholarship. Applying the food sovereignty framework to community food gardens in Johannesburg enables a more multidimensional and multi-scalar analysis of the gardens than previously found in South African literature on UA. At the same time, this research highlights a number of unexplored issues within the food sovereignty literature, such as: the challenge of defining ‘culturally appropriate’ food; the potential contradictions between culturally appropriate foods, sustainable livelihoods and agroecological production methods; and the role of race and gender inequality. This approach also revealed that the material benefits of UA (e.g., food security, income) are limited by the context of marginalisation, while its transformative potential can only be realised if support for UA has transformation as a principal objective.
The male marital earnings premium in the context of bride wealth payments: evidence from South Africa.
(2010) Casale, Daniela Maria.; Posel, Dorrit Ruth.
This study explores the nature of the male marital earnings premium in the context of a developing country in which the payment of bride wealth is practiced. We use data from the South African Labor Force Survey of September 2004 and the Labor Force Survey Panel (2001–4), the first national panel available in South Africa. We show that a robust and positive premium to marriage in cross‐sectional estimations is substantially reduced after controlling for individual fixed effects. Furthermore, we find evidence of an additional source of endogeneity created by the positive selection of men into marriage with faster earnings growth in the initial periods of the panel. Our results are to be expected if the payment of bride wealth or ilobolo, by a prospective husband to the bride’s family, is a significant constraint to marriage among black men in South Africa.
Who gives to international charity : a profile of individual donors in the USA.
(2009) Erickson, Anna Ruth.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
A small proportion of American charitable donors give to international causes. Aid to developing countries constitutes a large part of this charitable sector. By studying donors who make contributions to causes outside the US, we may better understand the factors which shape public concern for global poverty and inequality, and which influence the will for redistribution. While a substantial amount of research has investigated the determinants of overall giving in the US, little is known about the determinants of giving to specific causes, especially international causes. With the data set, “Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001,” this study uses econometric regression analysis to estimate the predictors of giving to international causes and compares them to the determinants of giving to other causes such as health, education and the arts. My main hypothesis is that educational and religious institutions influence people to identify with and donate to individuals and causes in the developing world. This is based on the theory in altruism studies that people behave prosocially when they identify others’ interests as indistinct from their own. The results of econometric analysis support the idea that education and religiosity are significant predictors of giving to international causes, but suggest that other mechanisms are more influential. Of the predictors included in the regression model, youth volunteering has the largest effect on the likelihood that someone gives internationally, both compared to other predictors in the model, and compared to the effect of youth volunteering on giving to other causes. The size and significance of the effect of each variable vary by cause, confirming that there are unique determinants for giving to different charitable sectors. For giving to international causes, the results suggest that being foreign born, having volunteered in one’s youth, belonging to a non-religious group, attending religious services frequently and having a four-year college degree or more are all significant factors. These variables may represent mechanisms for identification, as well as other factors that motivate charitable giving such as individual personality characteristics.