3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Building capabilities, enhancing participation?: A study of the extent and limitations of youth participation in community development(2017) Pillay, Pearl GrabriellaThe role of youth in development in South Africa is of increasing concern to development practitioners. Figuring out how to maximise youth participation in a way that is meaningful is often difficult, particularly in national discourse around development. This is important because of the centrality of youth in demographic trends as well as the role of citizen participation in advancing democracy. Currently, the scope for meaningful youth participation in South Africa is limited because of access to opportunities for participation, and a perception of social status as a requirement for involvement in development; this, coupled by a lack of political will and the inability to adopt people-centred approaches to development mean that youth participation is often ignored in development processes. Within these contexts, this paper looks to assess whether there is a developmental environment which is conducive to meaningful youth participation. Through an analysis of field data obtained through interviews with youth in Tembisa as well as National Planning Commissioners, this paper analyses the scope of youth participation as it related to the National Development Plan. This data draws conclusions about youth perceptions of development, the National Development Plan and their role in national development. It also draws conclusions about the ways the National Planning Commission envisions the role of youth in the implementation of the plan, as well as their role in creating an enabling environment for youth participation. These insights are grounded in a theory of a democratic developmental state and the Capabilities Approach, assessing which approach to development would best create an environment for meaningful youth participationItem How can targeted private investment in land-use management maximise returns to capital and ecosystem infrastructure in South Africa?(2016) Maguire, Gray Garth MeriadecThis report examines the potential for private in commercial land-use activities to yield a positive return to capital as well as ecosystem infrastructure in South Africa. Intact ecosystem infrastructure in South Africa is concentrated in the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mpumalanga, all of which have a high prevalence of communal land-ownership and small-scale farmers. These areas are under threat of rapid degradation from poor land-use practices including over-grazing, over-harvesting of forestry products, alien encroachment and over-frequent burning resulting in soil erosion and degradation, decreased water retention and quality as well as denudation and biodiversity loss. As such developing effective strategies to respond to the drivers of land degradation is a critical task for ecosystem goods and services preservation. While the majority of existing state led strategies around sustainable land-use, land-reform and rural development in these areas have proven ineffective there are notable exceptions emanating from the state, NGOs and the private sector. This report analyses these examples in case study format, pointing out the key features of each case with regards to the enabling environment and primary outcomes from both a financial and ecosystem infrastructure returns perspective. Specific attention is also given to the development of effective social processes that have a proven track-record improving the social base that underlies effective socio-ecological systems. The end goal of the report is to provide a theoretical model designed for real-world application