Wits School of Governance (ETDs)
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Item Women’s social entrepreneurship: a bridge to social development and local economic growth in Gauteng, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Montse, Mmabatho Priscilia; Ngcobozi, LihleThe South African government and the private business sector have been unable to create employment opportunities that meet the population’s needs. In light of this, entrepreneurship has become an essential catalyst for growth in the small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) sector and a driving force behind the rapid expansion of social development (Li, Yaoqi, Huang, Songshan, Song, Lihong, 2020). It is in this context that social enterprises are a logical approach to bridging the economic gap. According to Canestrino, Cwiklicki, Magliocc and Pawelek (2020), the definition of social entrepreneurship is often unclear because of the lack of consistency, gaps in the literature and competing theoretical frameworks. Teasdale, McKay, Phillimore and Teasdale (2011), however, state that social enterprises often start off as community projects used by social entrepreneurs in their quest for change; the same authors also point out that these individuals are mainly active in the social and gender equality, human rights and environmental areas. According to literature, a social enterprise may describe a wide range of enterprises in different industries in the business, government and non-profit sectors. Social entrepreneurs are characterised by strong moral and ethical commitment, leadership, enthusiasm, a passion for meeting social needs and a sensitivity to environmental issues. While social entrepreneurship is developing, women’s leadership and entrepreneurship styles – which often lend themselves to socially conscious ways of doing business – are rarely explored (Davis & Abdiyeva, 2012). Women’s social entrepreneurship as a bridge between local economic growth and social development has been given little consideration. This study was conducted in this context of women’s leadership in social entrepreneurial activities and these activities supporting social development. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that women leading social enterprises has on the social development of their communities. By applying a gendered analysis, a feminist framework and entrepreneurship perspectives, the researcher sought to explore how female social entrepreneurs lead, empower others and contribute to local economic growth in their communities. The study adopted the interpretivism research philosophy and qualitative research approach, and used the interview research strategy. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants with extensive experience in this field. The data collected from these interviews were processed using thematic analysis. 9 Themes such as empowerment, leadership, mentorship and social development emanated from the participants’ understanding of their roles in society and indicate that women’s social entrepreneurship positively transforms society and sociocultural order. Overall, the participants highlighted that women can bring about social development through leadership and entrepreneurship and could have more impact if they received more support. It was found that the participating female social entrepreneurs' goals and objectives in establishing their enterprises were to bridge the inequality gap and create and improve accessibility to opportunities for women and minority groups. The findings of this study suggest there is a need to expand the scope of research on women's social entrepreneurship in the context of developing economiesItem Examining the extent which the SAIVCET support institute for TVET colleges in South Africa has accomplished its primary roles one to six(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Tutu, Bongiwe; Motsepe, DikgangThe National Development Plan (NDP) envisions South Africa’s economic transformation by focusing on higher education and skills development. Since its adoption in 2012, it has emphasised the crucial role of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as the major institutions to improve education, skills development and to enhance economic growth. Despite this realization, there are shortfalls that remain within TVET colleges, whereupon the NDP states, “the FET (TVET) system is not effective, it is too small and the output quality is poor” (NDP, 2012: 40). The Department of Higher Education and Training (DEHET) established the South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education and Training (SAIVCET) to support the TVET colleges. The SAIVCET was established on six primary roles and three implementation objectives. Using the qualitative survey research approach, adopting questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to gather and assess data, this research examines the extent to which the institute has accomplished the six primary roles and fulfilled the purpose behind its establishment. Through the purposive sampling of the research participants used, this research has found that the rationale and importance for the SAIVCET to strengthen the TVET and CET sector is unquestionable. However, research findings and conceptual analysis indicates that there have been challenges to the formal implementation of the SAIVCET. The institute was projected for 2012, however has yet to be established due to funding and governance constraints. As a result, SAIVCET has no governance structure. In the interim, a “SAIVCET Project” which is an informal body was formed to fulfil some of the functions and primary roles of the main SAVICET body. In a recent 2020/21 DHET Annual Performance Plan, the SAIVCET is still presented as a planned initiative, which has been projected for implementation in the period 2020 – 2025 (DHET, 2020: 10). In examining the primary roles of the SAIVCET support institute for TVET colleges in South Africa, this research has found that, the extent to which the SAIVCET, even as acting through the SAIVCET Project, fulfilled its primary roles is poor. The findings indicate that the SAIVCET has attained average to poor results in effectively fulfilling of its primary roles. Each of the primary roles received consolidated scores that are below average (below 50 percent) from the participants’ primary data. The conceptual framework and analysis further indicates the lacking impact of the institute, particularly under assessments of the Good governance framework and the Education policy implementation framework. This research recommends DHET uphold publishing annual reports to the functions and progress of the SAIVCET and SAIVCET Project, in order to enable public awareness and engagement on developments within higher education. Further, this research recommends a two-year progress review of the SAIVCET once it has been established. Further, this research study recommends coordinated efforts among various ministries, stakeholders, public and private sectors and higher education institutions, on the functions and resources for SAIVCET. Furthermore, this study recommends an institutional push for shifts in mind-sets, particularly among employers with bias when selecting candidates from higher education institutions and TVET colleges. Furthermore, this research recommends funding and resources, which are allocated without reservations, but for the sole purpose of advancing progressItem Assessing the South African National Health Insurance policy process from 2007-2019(2021) Mangwiro, Neville TazivaOver a decade has gone by since the National Health Insurance (NHI) policy was put on the policy agenda when the African National Congress (ANC) passed a resolution to implement it. However, much of the discussion has focused on the design/content of the NHI and little attention has been put on the policy process and how it may have influenced the policy outcomes from 2007 to 2019. The purpose of this research is to assess the NHI policy process to examine the relationship between the nature of the process and the resulting policy outcomes. Elements of a systematic rapid review were adopted to conduct this study. The study took the form of a qualitative exploratory case study. Data collection involved document review using search words and various rapid review inclusion and exclusion methods to select documents. A Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) was adopted for the study. The study found that the elitist (top-down) approach taken by the government has been the main reason for the design/content of the NHI policy. Furthermore, the policy proposals themselves are very complex, which naturally slows completion of the process as the technical barriers to implementation become apparent. In large part these technical barriers are reflected through wide-ranging contestation from a significant spectrum of stakeholders. Also, the consultation process failed to meet its objectives, a feature that pervades the entire policy process to date. It was concluded that the NHI has a long way to go and that a more participative approach should be taken