scholarly journals The appropriateness of a realist review for evaluating the South African Housing Subsidy Programme

2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matodzi M. Amisi ◽  
Lochner Marais ◽  
Jan S. Cloete
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Housing Subsidy ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
The Poor

Conducting meta-reviews of government programmes has become common practice. In South Africa, the national Department of Human Settlements and the national Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation recently commissioned a team to review the extent to which the Housing Subsidy Programme had provided assets to municipalities and the poor and whether these assets had helped poor households escape from poverty. A realist approach was employed to conduct the review. We argue that, given the complex nature of housing programmes, the realist review methodology was an appropriate approach to follow in answering the review questions. We explored how the realist review method allowed us to work with the uneven and contested nature of the housing literature and how the review nonetheless enabled elucidation of the factors that had contributed to the expected outcomes. Because this case was the first time that this method was used in a government-commissioned evaluation of housing, there were some practical challenges involved in its use. Some of the challenges were related to the nature of the questions that were asked. At the time of the review, the Department of Human Settlements was in the process of reviewing the 1996 White Paper and, to inform this process, the Housing Subsidy Programme review included a copious number of questions set by the Department of Human Settlements and Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, which made the review rather large and, in some cases, complicated the analysis. In some cases, because the Departments wanted clear-cut answers, the commissioners perceived the theoretical strength of the method, such as offering explanatory instead of conclusive judgement, as a weakness. The paper reveals some limitations of the realist review method for evaluating the multifaceted outcomes of a complex programme, particularly the practical difficulty of dealing with large quantities of data. We do however consider this method to have potential for further reviews. Significance: Housing research in South Africa is uneven which makes any review process difficult. The review was unable to offer judgement on the effect that the Housing Subsidy Programme has had on the asset base of the poor. The review was useful for making clear which factors will help the Programme to achieve the intended outcomes and also for pointing out on what government should focus to build assets for the urban poor.

scholarly journals INNOVATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT NEXUS: PROSPECTS FROM RURAL ENTERPRISES IN SOUTH AFRICA

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tim Hart ◽  
Peter Jacobs ◽  
Kgabo Ramoroka ◽  
Alexandra Mhula-Links ◽  
Brigid Letty
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Innovation And Development

The purpose of South Africa’s White Paper on Science and Technology was to set South Africa on a path away from its historically exclusive and relatively dysfunctional National System of Innovation to one more inclusive in its representation and dealings with civil society, the private sector and the marginalised – particularly the poor. Despite the links of subsequent science, technology and innovation policies and strategies to development outcomes, the focus on the poor was notably overlooked. In the decade since the White Paper was released, the gradual and minimal ‘trickle-down benefits’ of innovation failed to address increasing inequality, unemployment and subsequent poverty across South Africa. Evidence from our study of four rural district municipalities, using a purposively designed snowball sampling approach, indicates that current innovation activities in these areas appear prominent in the service or tertiary economic sector. This evidence reinforces prevailing ideas that the service sector is an important area for innovation and development, while the primary sector, including agricultural activities, remains important but perhaps less than previously emphasised. The high number of public, private and non-profit enterprises innovating in the service sector delineates this sector as a crucial entry point for innovation linked development. However, several prevailing trends with regard to innovation networks and the diffusion of innovations exist as challenges across all three sectors. These obstacles need to be overcome if the innovation and development nexus is to be strengthened and lead to broader local socioeconomic development and economic growth.

scholarly journals Developing South Africa’s national evaluation policy and system: First lessons learned

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Goldman ◽  
Jabulani E. Mathe ◽  
Christel Jacob ◽  
Antonio Hercules ◽  
Matodzi Amisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Evaluation Policy ◽  
The Government

This article describes the development of the national evaluation system in South Africa, which has been implemented since 2012, led by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME, previously the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation) in the Presidency. It suggests emerging results but an evaluation of the evaluation being carried out in 2015 will address this formally. Responding to dissatisfaction with government services, in 2009 the government placed a major emphasis on monitoring and evaluation (M&E). A ministry and department were created, initially focusing on monitoring but in 2011 developing a national evaluation policy framework, which has been rolled out from 2012. The system has focused on improving performance, as well as improved accountability. Evaluations are proposed by national government departments and selected for a national evaluation plan. The relevant department implements the evaluations with the DPME and findings go to Cabinet and are made public. So far 39 evaluations have been completed or are underway, covering around R50 billion (approximately $5 billion) of government expenditure over a three-year expenditure framework. There is evidence that the first evaluations to be completed are having significant influence on the programmes concerned. The big challenge facing South Africa is to increase capacity of service providers and government staff so as to be able to have more and better quality evaluations taking place outside of as well as through the DPME.

scholarly journals Potential Benefits of Monitoring and Evaluation as a Tool in the South African Local Government Spheres

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Mle
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government

Public institutions exist for the public good and employ public officials to perform duties aimed at providing a better life for all. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 requires that the public service maintains a high standard of professional ethics, use resources efficiently and effectively, and provide services equitably.  When the new political dispensation came into being in 1994 in South Africa, the newly-elected government committed itself to ensuring a better life for all through the provision of services, for example water and electricity supply, sanitation, and houses, etc. To this end, policies and programmes were put in place. However, the challenge that faces the government is the implementation of these policies and programmes which largely remains unsatisfactory. Systems of reporting and performance are, in the main, weak. To address this short-coming, therefore, government came up with the concept of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of policies and programmes to the extent of creating a new department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency.  Key to the effective implementation of government policies and programmes is the introduction of a tool to ensure that such policies and programmes do not gather dust. This paper therefore, posits how such a tool can have potential benefits in the local government sphere and be a panacea to the ills of this sphere which is characterized by violent service delivery protests through which communities express their dissatisfaction at the non-delivery of essential services.  <br /><br />

Housing as a Basic Human Right: A Reflection on South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mziwandile Sobantu ◽  
Nqobile Zulu ◽  
Ntandoyenkosi Maphosa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Human Rights Discourse

This paper reflects on human rights in the post-apartheid South Africa housing context from a social development lens. The Constitution guarantees access to adequate housing as a basic human right, a prerequisite for the optimum development of individuals, families and communities. Without the other related socio-economic rights, the provision of access to housing is limited in its service delivery. We argue that housing rights are inseparable from the broader human rights discourse and social development endeavours underway in the country. While government has made much progress through the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the reality of informal settlements and backyard shacks continues to undermine the human rights prospects of the urban poor. Forced evictions undermine some poor citizens’ human rights leading courts to play an active role in enforcing housing and human rights through establishing a jurisprudence that invariably advances a social development agenda. The authors argue that the post-1994 government needs to galvanise the citizenship of the urban poor through development-oriented housing delivery.

scholarly journals Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sarah H Kehoe ◽  
Stephanie V Wrottesley ◽  
Lisa Ware ◽  
Alessandra Prioreschi ◽  
Catherine Draper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Life Trajectories

Abstract Objective: To determine whether food security, diet diversity and diet quality are associated with anthropometric measurements and body composition among women of reproductive age. The association between food security and anaemia prevalence was also tested. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) study. Food security and dietary data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Hb levels were measured using a HemoCue, and anaemia was classified as an altitude-adjusted haemoglobin level < 12·5 g/dl. Body size and composition were assessed using anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Setting: The urban township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants: Non-pregnant women aged 18–25 years (n 1534). Results: Almost half of the women were overweight or obese (44 %), and 9 % were underweight. Almost a third of women were anaemic (30 %). The prevalence rates of anaemia and food insecurity were similar across BMI categories. Food insecure women had the least diverse diets, and food security was negatively associated with diet quality (food security category v. diet quality score: B = –0·35, 95 % CI –0·70, –0·01, P = 0·049). Significant univariate associations were observed between food security and total lean mass. However, there were no associations between food security and body size or composition variables in multivariate models. Conclusions: Our data indicate that food security is an important determinant of diet quality in this urban-poor, highly transitioned setting. Interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition should recognise both food security and the food environment as critical elements within their developmental phases.

Strategic Management Teacher Performance Development to Improve Learning Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-345
Author(s):  
Abdu Syahid ◽  
Iim Wasliman ◽  
Hendi Suhendraya Muchtar ◽  
Nanang Hanafiah
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Teacher Performance ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Performance Coaching ◽  
Quality Of Learning ◽  
Performance Development

Strategy Management for Teacher Performance Development to Improve the Quality of Lessons is a response to the quality of learning that still needs to be improved, by developing teacher performance, is a solution to improving the quality of learning. Focus of the problem: How to Implement Strategic Management of Teacher Performance Development to Improve the Quality of Learning. Specific objectives of this study are to identify and analyze: (1) Internal and External Environments, (2) Formulation of Strategy Formulation, (3) Strategy Implementation, (4) Teacher Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Management, (5) Strategic Steps to Overcome Problems and Weaknesses. Research methods and procedures refer to the qualitative research approach. The theories that underlie this research are strategic management theory, performance coaching theory, higher order thinking learning theory and madrasah culture theory. The main findings of this study are: (1) The principal of madrasah has not analyzed and combined strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges into a strategic assumption conclusion that can be used as a basis for further strategic planning, (2) Strategy formulation is not based on strategic assumptions that maximize strength factors and minimizing the weakness factor by taking advantage of opportunities in facing challenges.

COVID-19 pandemic and the poor in the urban spaces of India with special reference to Mumbai

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujayita Bhattacharjee ◽  
Sanjukta Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socioeconomic Crisis ◽  
The City

PurposeThe lives of the poor in the urban spaces of India are filled with hardships. They live amidst poverty and struggle to survive within other problems such as insecure jobs, lack of proper housing, unsanitary conditions and low levels of health immunity. This vulnerable section of the population has been rendered furthermore vulnerable by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were never imagined before. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability of the poor in the urban settings of India with special reference to Mumbai in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in the study is based on the analysis of secondary data and content analysis of the existing literature. In addition to this, the study also makes use of certain narratives of the urban poor in Mumbai that have been captured by various articles, reports and blogs.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal how the urban poor of India, with special reference to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the worst sufferers of the socioeconomic crisis caused by the social distancing and lockdown measures imposed for combating the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study tries to explore the reality of the urban poor's right to the city in the wake of the pandemic.

A design methodology for the supply of subterranean water through the use of wind energy

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brett Richard Marais
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
White Paper ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Government

The Reconstruction and Development Programme adopted by the Government of National Unity is more than a list of the services required to improve the quality of life of the majority of South Africans. It is not just a call for South Africans to unite to build a country free of poverty and misery; it is a programme designed to achieve this objective in an integrated and principled manner. Based on the strategic objectives, as highlighted in the White Paper on Water Supply and Sanitation Policy, with regard to alleviating the chronic potable water shortages in South Africa, this thesis investigates a design methodology to supply potable water through the use of wind energy. The design focuses on small rural off-grid developments where grid electricity either has not or will not reach, and where renewable energy is the only viable option. This thesis provides an overview of wind energy and presents the fundamentals of wind power calculations. It also formulates an overview of the historic and present situation with regards to potable water supply, and reflects on the need for urgent intervention. The feasibility of using wind energy to supply potable water to rural communities in South Africa is explored in a case study. The various problem areas are identified and examined and a wide range of possible solutions are recommended. A final flow chart for the system design is proposed, thus ensuring comprehensive design methodology from which future design of similar systems can be based.

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