1,720,956 research outputs found
The urban livelihoods of informal sector practitioners in Harare
No full textThesis(Ph.D.(Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023Street trading is critical for urban-based livelihoods, especially with increasing urbanisation and limited jobs in the formal sector. Vendingscapes are socioeconomically and politically contested lived-in spaces with repression and violent occurrences. Studies that look at street trading have tended to focus on the economic and monetary aspects of the sector. This study is unique because it investigates the value of the sustainable livelihoods approach, a framework commonly applied in rural contexts to explore street traders shaping their livelihoods within macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainties. The focus is on the lived experiences and responses to government brutality. The five sustainable livelihood approach tenets – the vulnerability context, assets, policies, institutions, processes (PIPs), livelihood strategies, and livelihood outcomes – were analysed from the street traders’ perspective. The study used a case study design with a qualitative approach. The data collection techniques included key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews to allow vendors to express their lived experiences, non-participant observation, systematic actions and behaviours measurement and archival data analysis, including policy analysis. Thematic data analysis occurred throughout the study, showing emerging patterns and relationships. The study concluded that street trading in Harare is thriving amid an intensifying everyday struggle. Vendors are becoming more uncertain and vulnerable as Zimbabwe sinks into socioeconomic turmoil due to foreign currency crises, increasing isolation, poverty, runaway inflation, tax evasion and unemployment, among many challenges that increase the vulnerability context and informality. Zimbabwe should enact informal sector-specific legislation as vendors show their agency by minimising the risks of arrest and confiscating goods. The study’s main contribution is a detailed analysis of vendors’ livelihood strategies that circumvent government brutality
Implementing integrated strategic plans in Free State municipalities
No full textThesis (Ph.D. (Public Administration and Management))--University of the Free State, 2013Afrikaans: Plaaslike regering in Suid Afrika vorm deel van 'n oorhoofse staatsbestelook bestaande
uit nasionale en provinsiale regering. Saam is huloorhoofse doelom die algemene
welsyn van die bevolikng te bevorder deur middel van dienslewering en
ontwikkelingsinisiatiewe.
Vir die doeleinde om dienste te lewer en ontwikkeling te bevorder, is plaaslike regering
van besondere belang, omdat dit die regeringsagentskap verteenwoordig met wie
landsburgers eerste in kontak kom. Die plaaslike sfeer van regering het fundamentele
transformasie ondergaan, beide vanuit 'n politieke sowel as strukturele oogpunt.
Addisioneel daartoe dat plaaslike regering demokratiese strukture geword het binne die
algehele demokratisering van Suid Afrika, het die benadering tot, asook die strukture
van munisipaliteite ook dramaties verander. Munisipaliteite, die organisatoriese
eenhede van plaaslike regering, het dus die doelom hierdie "nuwe" doelwitte van
plaaslike regering n ate streef binne 'n veranderde omgewing.
Een van die besondere veranderinge wat in in die bestuur van munisipaliteite ingestel
is, is die gebruik van 'n geïntegreerde strategiese benadering tot organisatoriese
beplanning. Dit is gefasiliteer deur wetgewende hervorming wat voorsiening maak vir
munisipaliteite om geïntegreerde ontwikkelingsplanne (GOPs) saam te stel, en dit saam
met begrotings en prestasiebestuurstelsels te gebruik, om dienslewering en
ontwikkeling binne hul areas van jurisdiksie te bevorder. Daarom verwysing na die term
geïntegreerde strategiese beplanning.
Die instelling van hierdie nuwe stelsel was egeter nie sonder uitdagings, met
ontevredenheid oor diensvlakke van munisipaliteite wat deur negatiewe verslagdoening
deur verskeie openbare rolspelers uitgespreek is, sowel as deur plaaslike
gemeenskappe wat hulontevredenheid deur protesaksie begin illustreer het. 'n Kritiese
vraag sentreer daarom rondom waarom daar so 'n hoë vlak van ontevredenheid oor
munisipale dienslewering is, ten spyte van wetgewende maatreëls om verbeterde
munisipale beplanning te bevorder.
Hierdie tesis het daarom ondersoek ingestel na die implementering van geïntegreerde
strategiese planne in munisipaliteite in die Vrystaat om vas te stel watter tipiese faktore
bygedra het tot die onvermoë van munisipaliteite om sulke planne te implementer.
Aanbevelings, op grond van die empiriese en literatuurnavorsing, is voorts verskaf, met
die oog daarop om die huidige stand van sake te verbeter, in die Vrystaat, maar ook in
die res van Suid Afrika.English: Local government in South Africa forms part of an overall state system also consisting
of national and provincial government. Together their main objective is to promote the
general welfare of the populace through service delivery and development initiatives.
For the purpose of delivering services and promoting development local government is
of significant importance as it is the state agency that citizens firstly come into contact
with. The local sphere of government has undergone fundamental transformation, both
from a political and structural point of view. In addition to local government becoming
democratic structures in line with the overall democratisation of South Africa, the
approach to and actual municipal structures also changed dramatically. Municipalities,
the organisational units of local government, have the task of pursuing the "new" goals
of local government within this changed environment.
One of the significant changes that have been introduced into municipal management is
the utilisation of an integrated strategic approach to organisational planning. This has
been facilitated by legislative reform that provides for municipalities to compile
integrated development plans (IDPs) and utilise it, together with budgets and
performance management systems, to promote service delivery and development in
their areas of jurisdiction. Therefore reference to the term integrated strategic planning.
The introduction of this new system has, however, not been flawless with dissatisfaction
about the service levels of municipalities being expressed through negative reporting on
municipal performance from a variety of public role-players as well as through local
communities illustrating their dissatisfaction through protest action. A critical questionUniversity of the Free Stat
The impact of local government restructuring on the functioning of the Kai !Garib Local Municipality
No full textDissertation (M.Pub. (Public Management))--University of the Free State, 2005The ultimate aim of government is to act on behalf of the citizens they serve. In doing so, governments have to render basic services and create an environment in which citizens can initiate endeavours to improve their living conditions. Government in South Africa was transformed in 1994 and the post 1994 government has since had the challenging task of providing services to citizens and eradicating the legacy of a previous system, characterised by disparities. / As far as direct responsibility for service rendering is concerned, local government has a particularly meaningful role, because it is the sphere of government people relate to most easily. In order to be able to meet the increasing challenges of governance, local government also underwent fundamental changes. 5 December 2000 heralded a new era for local government in South Africa, with the transformation of local government leading to the number of municipalities in the country being reduced from more than 800 to 284. These changes meant that many formerly independent municipalities have amalgamated to form new municipal organisations. Change in organisations invariably leads to conflict that, if not sufficiently dealt with can have a negative impact on the functioning of an organisation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of local government restructuring on municipalities with specific reference to the Kai !Garib Local Municipality in the Northern Cape. The study focuses on aspects such as the historical development of local government in South Africa, the legislative framework for the new system of local government in the country as well as the need for efficient organisational structures as a means to deal with potential ill effects of the restructuring of local government. Finally, empirical research is conducted at the Kai ! Garib Local Municipality in order to determine the views of role players in the Municipality, and finding solutions to potential problem areas.
___________________________________________________________________Die uiteindelike doelwit van 'n regering is om namens die burgers wat dit dien op te tree. Om dit te doen moet regerings basiese dienste lewer en 'n omgewing skep waarbinne burgers inisiatiewe van stapel kan stuur om hul lewensomstandighede te verbeter. Die regering in Suid Afrika is in 1994 getransformeer en die post 1994 regering het sedertdien die uitdagende taak om dienste aan burgers the lewer en om die nalatenskap van 'n vorige bedeling wat / gekenmerk is deur ongelykhede uit te wis. In terme van direkte verantwoordelikheid vir dienslewering, het plaaslike regering 'n betekenisvolle rol, omdat dit die sfeer van regering verteenwoordig met wie mense die maklikste kan assosieer. Ten einde die toenemende uitdagings van regering na te kan kom, het plaaslike regering ook fundamentele veranderinge ondergaan. 5 Desember 2000 het 'n nuwe era vir plaaslike regering in Suid Afrika ingelui met hierdie transformasie wat gelei het tot die vermindering van die aantal munisipaliteite in die land van nagenoeg 800 tot 284. Hierdie veranderinge het in baie gevalle beteken dat voorheen onafhanklike munisipaliteite saamgevoeg is om nuwe munisipale organisasies te vorm. Verandering in organisasies lei dikwels tot konflik wat, indien dit nie aangespreek word nie, 'n negatiewe impak op die funksionering van 'n organisasie kan hê. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die impak van die herstrukturering van plaaslike regering op munisipaliteite te ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na die Kai !Garib Plaaslike Munisipaliteit. Die studie fokus op aspekte soos die historiese ontwikkeling van plaaslike regering in Suid Afrika, die wetlike raamwerk vir die nuwe plaaslike regeringstelsel sowel as die belangrikheid daarvan om te midde van die herstrukturering doeltreffende organisatoriese strukture te vestig om moontlike negatiewe uitwerkings van herstrukturering die hoof te bied. Ten laaste is 'n empiriese ondersoek by die Kai !Garib Plaaslike Munisipaliteit onderneem om rolspelers by die munisipaliteit se mening rakende herstrukturering te bepaal en oplossings te vind vir potensiële probleemareas.
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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