1,720,970 research outputs found
The rural poverty trap: which way out for South Africa?
No full textRevolutionary movements in South Africa and elsewhere in the world were founded on the need to remove political systems that were considered as the root cause of poverty and suppression. Today, South Africa is a sovereign state and poverty remains. As much as poverty was part of the Liberation Movement agenda, it may be considered as a trap in South Africa where the gap between the rich and the poor remains very wide. The xenophobic attacks in May 2008 have been attributed to poverty. The discourse of rural development centres on fighting rural poverty. However, there is no commonly shared definition of both rural development and rural poverty. To further complicate the discourse, there is no consensus on how to measure both
phenomena. Fighting rural poverty demands wisdom for it involves the commitment of scarce economic and non economic resources in an environment that is beset with class struggle. The question is- which way out of the poverty trap? The paper recommends agro-based solutions among other measures
Democracy and rural development in post-apartheid South Africa
No full textThe research addresses the contentious link between democracy and sustainable rural economic development in post-apartheid South Africa. Historically, in 1994, the democratic state in South Africa inherited a legacy of high economic inequality between the urban areas (first economy) and rural areas
(second economy). Fifteen years into democracy: about 65% of the 48 million South Africans live in the rural areas; and 75% of the rural residents still survive under extreme poverty and are disconnected from the first economy. This paper argues that lack of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge keeps the rural residents out of the first national economy
A critique of modernization and dependency theories in Africa: critical assessment
No full textThe way states and development specialists rationalize how to commit economic resources to
development is influenced, to a greater extent by their level of persuasion towards specific
development theories. The discourse assesses the influence of modernization and dependency
theories on Africa’s development. The conclusion is that both theories have failed to help develop
Africa. The discourse pins hope on the African Renaissance theory of development
Performance management in parastatals: the cases of the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company and the National Railways of Zimbabwe
No full textThe Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) and the Zimbabwe National Railways (NRZ) are parastatals operating in the transport industry. Both organisations suffered a setback due to the economic structural adjustment programmes imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), hyperinfl ation, the
current brain drain and the effects of the liberalisation of the transport sector in Zimbabwe. In a bid to recover from this crunch, both organisations instituted performance management systems, which were borrowed from the public sector. Now the question is, “have these performance management systems improved the effectiveness of parastatals in Zimbabwe?â
Revisiting how knowledge economy of the centre sustains rural poverty and underdevelopment in Africa
No full textRural areas in Africa carry over 60 percent of the population in the continent. Yet they are the poorest parts of the world. Since a while now, the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals have been grappling with the problem of rural underdevelopment in Africa. Conventions have been signed; strategic plans have been adopted and set in motion and donations have been channeled to Africa to alleviate the plight of rural communities. Despite all the effort, rural poverty and underdevelopment continue to disfigure the continent, albeit some improvement. Why is it taking so long to heave the rural
communities out of poverty and underdevelopment? The theoretical discourse claims that the problem lies in the differences in the knowledge economies of the affluent communities (the centre) and the poor and sometimes desperate rural communities (periphery). The discourse concludes that merging the traditional
knowledge economies of Africa and that of the West is what would sustain rural development in the continent
Poverty and corporate social responsibility in Africa: a critical assessment
No full textThe desktop study is on poverty and underdevelopment, which continues to be a matter of concern in the developing world. According to Chen and Ravallion (2008), about 1.4 billion people (one in four) lived on less than $1.25 a day in 2005. The above situation is likely to worsen in Africa where governments are failing to eradicate poverty alone. Giant transnational corporations (TNC) are increasingly called upon to champion poverty reduction in the continent. Notably, of the world’s 100 largest economic entities, 51 are giant TNCs and the world’s 200 largest corporations have combined sales that are greater than the combined GDP of all countries in the world. This desktop research assumes that bodies corporate are the key institutions for eradicating poverty in Africa; and so are called upon to make a significant contribution to the society that they operate in and depend upon for their economic and financial might. More specifically, this paper examines the role of giant TNCs in poverty reduction in a continent that has high poverty levels but endowed with plentiful resources
Re-visiting the May 2008 Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa
Get PDFXenophobia is a latent or obtrusive dislike of foreigners. It is anti-social and destructive of property and life. Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which started around mid May in 2008 in the informal settlements of Alexandria claimed 62 lives. Thousands of foreigners were left homeless. What triggered the xenophobic attacks on foreigners? Better still, what can be done to stop xenophobia and xenophobic attacks in South Africa? This desktop research provides responses to these questions
Impact of the fast track land reform on rural poverty in Masvingo District in Zimbabwe
No full textThis study investigated the effect of the fast track land reform in addressing the poverty
crisis in Masvingo district. The study targeted those rural residents who did not benefit
land during the fast track land reform. The target population was the poor people who
live in Masvingo area. The study triangulated the qualitative and quantitative research
designs. The theoretical framework of the study is the revisionist theory which suggests
that rural agriculture is a solution to the poverty crisis in rural communities. The study
concluded that the agro-based land reforms in Zimbabwe did not reduce household poverty
in Mushandike. The study recommended, among other things, the application of the
sustainable rural development framework for analysis model to improve the livelihoods
of the farmers who did not move over to occupy new land in the resettlement areas
From modernity to dependency theories poverty still remains in Africa: which way now?
No full textPoverty is Africa’s greatest challenge. Seemingly, the continent’s anti-poverty strategies have failed. A basket of reasons explain this failure. Chief among them is that Africa’s anti-poverty strategies were and are still being informed by wrong theoretical foundations. The Modernization and the Dependence theories, among others have failed to heave Africa out of poverty. Now which way for Africa a continent that is endowed with rich resources like oil, minerals, land, forestry, scenery and human capital? This paper, pins hope on the African Renaissance theory of development
Rural banking for rural development in Zimbabwe
No full textRural poverty and underdevelopment in Zimbabwe are a result of colonialism, which emphasized urban development at the expense of rural development. The new political dispensation in the country has shifted towards improving the lives of people who reside in the rural areas. Despite a positive policy shift by President Mugabe’s government, the lack of finance remains one of the fundamental issues in rural development. The study investigated the opportunities and challenges for establishing rural banks in the country. This desktop research collected data from literature on rural development and financial intermediation. The findings of the study are that opportunities and challenges for establishing rural banks in Zimbabwe are social, political and economic in nature. Despite the challenges, rural banking deserves support from civil society , government and non-governmental organizations
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