Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Economic assistance – Indonesia – Evaluation'

[Truncated abstract] As a developing country, Indonesia has been struggling with complex and contentious development issues since Independence in 1945. Despite remarkable economic achievement during the New Order period (1966-1998), poverty has persisted and the benefits of development have been unequally distributed. Social welfare — the system of social security to protect the well-being of the weaker members of society has received little attention in Indonesia, both from the state and from the scholarly community. The historical neglect of social welfare in Indonesia has begun to be addressed recently, with the Social Safety Net (SSN) initiative. SSN is a social welfare program that was launched by the government of Indonesia to mitigate the deleterious impacts of the economic crisis that hit the nation in 1997. This thesis aims to assess how the SSN accommodated the needs and aspirations of poor women, particularly those who live in rural areas. The rural poor deserve attention because poverty in rural areas is widespread and often intractable, and because poverty in rural areas tends to be more invisible than in urban areas. The urban poor are more visible, because they are “in the face” of the powerful every day, and they are more likely to be able to access agencies of power than the rural poor.

This research was undertaken to determine the profitability of investing research funds into the Three Strata Forage System (TSFS) project, a cattle production project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and carried out in the village of Pecatu, Bali. The purpose of the project was to increase the production of cattle and productivity of the traitional farming system by introducing different grass, ground ground legumes, fodder shrubs and trees, and changing the pattern of land allocated to these forages. A TSFS plot foregoes 0.09 hectares of crop production to produce 0.09 hectares of grass and ground legumes (strata 1), 2000 shrubs (strata 2) and 42 fodder trees (strata 3) on the perimeter of a 0.25 hectare crop field. Cattle are fed exclusively with forages obtained from the plot, in contrast to the traditional system where cattle are tethered on marginal land and fed with feed obtained from other locations on the farm. The TSFS researchers have claimed that the TSFS will "not only increase the quantity and quality of the forages, but it could also increase the stocking rate [of cattle] and carrying capacity of the land, increase the soil fertility, reduce the soil erosion, increase the firewood supply, increase the farm income, induce other on-farm activities, and induce better ecological balance of the environment" (Nitis et al, 1989). In this study, the claims made by TSFS project researchers have been evaluated using financial analyses. Using data collected from farms in Pecatu, Bali, the values of TSFS production inputs are estimated from local market prices and regressions estimating farm production relationships. The results of the financial analyses were then used to infer the social welfare effects of the TSFS. The results of the analyses show that the TSFS plot incurs negative returns, relative to a traditional crop field. Elements of the TSFS system, such as improvements to the local ecosystem, are believed to have a minimal effect on the final estimates of the profitability of the plot and are excluded from the analysis. The large negative returns of the plot indicate that there are resource allocation costs associated with the transfer of high value crop land to the low value forage production advocated by the TSFS. The grasses and ground legumes introduced by the TSFS project were not familiar to farmers in Pecatu. However, the farmers were willing to experiment with the new varieties, with varying degrees of risk averseness and success in adoption (in accordance to the findings of Antle and Crissman (1990)). The tree and shrub forages of the TSFS were already known to farmers in Pecatu; the introduction of the TSFS did not appear to affect the use of tree fodder resources but may have increased the use of forage shrubs. The results of financial analysis of individual project forages indicate farmers have preferences for specific forage species. While farmers agreed to participate in the TSFS project due to financial incentives, they found they could reduce the costs of the TSFS by adopting profitable aspects of the TSFS, using a more flexible approach to land allocations and choice of forage species. As the shrubs, grasses and ground legumes are well-known throughout Asia, it appears that the only new management techniques introduced by the TSFS are the planting arrangement and feeding system - and these aspects have resulted in negative returns. Therefore, any positive welfare effects associated with the project are due to an increase in the rate of adoption of the forages included in the TSFS - although these effects are not large enough to offset the losses imposed by an inefficient allocation of land and labour resources to forage production. Reviewing all resource allocation effects of the TSFS, and given the size of the payments needed to obtain farmer participation it is clear that the net welfare effects are negative. Notwithstanding the optimistic claims of the project literature, the forages produced by the TSFS regime are not valuable enough to match the profitable crop activities they are supplanting. There is evidence to suggest that TSFS researchers have been prone to misjudge the true costs and benefits associated with the TSFS plot. This arises not only as a result of overly optimistic claims of project benefits and understated project costs, but a pervasive disregard for the rationality of traditional farmers. For future research projects, it is recommended that the funding agency, IDRC, require ex ante economic analyses, to determine the true social costs and benefits of a proposed technology. In this way, projects of net negative social value can be identified and improved before research resources have been allocated to the generate an inefficient technology.
Land and Food Systems, Faculty of
Graduate

The study is conducted in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in Lukhanji Local Municipality. Eastern Cape has a population of 1 676 470. Source: Demarcation Board (www.demarcation.org.za),03 April 2009. The Province is made up of seven district municipalities which includes the following; Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Cacadu, Amathole, Chris Hani, Ukhahlamba, OR Tambo, Alfred Ndzo. It is comprised of seven local municipalities which are King Sabata Dalindyebo, Nyandeni, Qaukeni, Mbizana, Mhlontlo, Port St John’s, and Ntabankulu. Eastern Cape, according to Bradshaw Debbie et al (2000;4) has the second highest poverty levels in South Africa (47percent of households below the poverty line, which is based on imputed monthly expenditure of R800 or less) (SSA, 2000b), combined with the highest provincial unemployment rate (55 percent) in the country (SSA, 2003). This province is characterised by inequitable growth and development. As mentioned above, it has a high level of poverty. For this reason, strategies like Income generating projects (IGPs) have been formulated to address the need for improved livelihoods, better skills and self employment opportunities. Income generating project as a concept is a convincing strategy when looked at a distance however there is a need to evaluate the impact of Income generating projects (IGPs) through a scientific study to determine the evidence of speculations that Income generating projects are claimed to improve and sustain livelihoods of our people. In the light of the aforesaid, the researcher has endeavoured and undertaken a study on the evaluation of income generating projects. This was done to determine the extent to which income generating projects (IGPs) as a mechanism to alleviate poverty address this problem of poverty. Due to the broadness of the concept of the problem and the extensive nature of the geographical area of the Eastern Cape, the study was exclusively focused on the agricultural projects of Ilinge and Machibini Project in Lukhanji Local Municipality. For the purpose of this study, a combined method approach was used. In other words, the study applied both quantitative and qualitative research design in an attempt to gain an indepth understanding of the problem investigated. Both questionnaire and interviews were employed during gathering of data of the study and participants were project members, project leader and key informants as contributing builders and mangers of the projects. Findings revealed that there is lack of sustainability on income generating projects as the projects studied lost a high number of project members with a common complaint of lack of income to sustain project members during their membership on the income generating projects (IGPs). Lack of skills is considered to be a crucial contributing factor as one other project complained of total lack of training of project members.

International Aid or Official Development Assistance (ODA), especially its implementation and effectiveness, has long been and continues to be a vigorously contested matter amongst the stakeholders in the development arena. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ODA in two municipalities in the Eastern Cape – Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipalities – during the period 2005–2010. This period coincided with the introduction of the Paris Declaration (PD), an intervention intended to improve the ODA or Aid landscape globally. This was also the period during which the so-called service delivery protests in almost all municipalities in South Africa escalated. A diversified methodology including both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in this study while adhering to the evaluation framework of the Paris Declaration as recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This framework put special focus on the five principles of ownership, alignment, harmonisation, managing for results and mutual accountability. Of particular significance in this study is the special attention paid to the actual beneficiaries on the ground, namely the communities, which is contrary to most existing Paris Declaration evaluations. The research findings suggested that there had been no conscious efforts to implement the Paris Declaration in the two municipalities that were investigated. Furthermore, the prevailing weaknesses in governance, coupled with both administrative and operational paralysis in these two institutions, provided for less than fertile ground for this intervention to thrive.The findings also highlighted that ODA programmes were very poorly known by most stakeholders, especially the communities who were supposed to benefit directly from this assistance. These results also underscored the partisan nature of ODA and how it influenced the perceptions of the various key players. The success and future of ODA programmes in South Africa, particularly in municipalities, will largely rely on “Active Citizenry”. Although ODA’s contribution to South Africa seems negligible in monetary terms, its significance lies among others in the innovations, piloting, risk mitigation, catalytic initiatives and capacity development it introduces or generates and which need to be correctly exploited, implemented and maximised. ODA in South Africa should therefore focus at the local level, the municipalities, which represent the interface between the citizens and the state. To ensure that the ensuing innovations are optimally cascaded down in an organised and effective manner to where they are mostly needed, ODA should preferably operate at the strategic level in municipalities. This would in turn assist in counteracting the current high levels of poverty and inequality in the country. Study findings further suggest that South Africa should cease its current ambivalence regarding ODA and refrain from the so-called “Triangular” ODA in support of the rest of Africa. The demands in it’s own back yard are steadily mounting. This is clearly reflected by the continuous service delivery protests and instability in several municipalities in South Africa.

This study, evaluating income generating projects was conducted on four projects, of which two are in Middleburg that is forming part of Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality and another two are in Hofmeyer that is forming part of Tsolwana Local Municipality. Both these municipalities are in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Two of these projects are bakery projects and the other two are poultry projects. The study was explorative in nature as it was aimed at finding the reasons for the non-sustainability of income generating projects in this district municipality. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied. Both the explanatory and a multigroup post-test-only design research designs were used when conducting this study. This was due to the fact that the researcher was interested in evaluating income generating projects with the aim of finding out what leads to their failure, and also of finding out how can they be assisted to be able to sustain themselves. Five respondents from each project were willing to take part in the study and this led to a total of 20 respondents who participated through answering questions that were asked to them by the interviewers guided by the questionnaire which is appendix A of the paper. The results of the study indicated the following factors as the ones that are contributing to the non sustainability of income generating projects: Lack of market for the products; Lack of passion to volunteer from project members; Unnatural causes like storms, that ended up delaying the implementation of the projects; Minimal support from communities by buying their products mostly on credit or not abiding by credit terms when credit is given; Non payment of the project members; Lack of transport for the projects to transport their products to market. The key recommendation that was made was that another study needs to be conducted to verify as to whether these findings can be generalised to other projects in the same district. Additional recommendations are that project members need to be skilled on an ongoing basis, the funders should avail funding for the payment of the beneficiaries, beneficiaries need to be encouraged to volunteer and participate in all the activities of the project, all stakeholders need to ensure the availability of resources before the projects are implemented, and the projects need to have project committees that are made of knowledgeable people who are committed in seeing to it that the projects are sustained.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was embarked upon to evaluate the contribution which World Vision as agent and catalyst of development has made towards addressing social issues in Lesotho. Specifically, the study evaluates Taung Area Development Programme which is one of the World Vision community development programmes established to improve social conditions in the rural communities particularly, in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane and Qhalasi. The study seeks to investigate three important areas; 1. Participation: to assess whether the communities have been involved in the planning of the projects, identified their own priorities for the projects or used their lands and other resources to exercise control over their economic, social and cultural development. 2. Empowerment: to assess how the projects have strengthened the capacity of local communities. This includes the transfer of skills through training for the purpose of equipping people to engage in their own development. 3. Sustainability: to assess the long-term viability of the projects. Data was gathered through the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. To conduct both methods a snowball technique was applied. The data gathered was tabulated in graphs and pie charts. The results were then discussed and analysed in terms of the aims of this research. Regarding participation, the findings of the study revealed that to a large extent people were able to participate in the planning of the projects. People were able to identify their objectives and make a decision to embark on Income Generating Activities (IGA) such as raising poultry and pigs, sewing, and making baskets, candles and soap. The IGA enabled project members to feed and earn income for their families. The study further revealed that while certain people were able to participate in the planning of their projects, in development activities such as the building of feeder roads, people’s participation was minimal. This blueprint and top down planning approach allowed for little public participation. The study also found that World Vision’s religious involvement was appreciated for the moral support it provided. Another important issue the study brought to light was that people had an opportunity to use their indigenous knowledge in their projects. Regarding empowerment, almost all the respondents believed that World Vision played an important role by training people to handle various activities within projects. Apart from the training given, people also acquired different skills and knowledge. Most of the respondents acquired technical and economic knowledge, while others became skilful in farming and health matters as well as in handcraft. Empowerment in the Taung Area Development Programme has also manifested itself through the improved living conditions of the local people. The study found that infrastructure such as schools and roads have been established. As regards primary health care, respondents indicated that they had access to clean water due to the presence of a community tap. HIV/AIDS awareness, disease prevention campaigns and the building of toilets have contributed to improved living conditions in the Taung Area Development Programme. Though HIV/AIDS awareness and disease prevention campaigns were essential for primary health care, few people were knowledgeable about deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS. As a result there was still a need for World Vision to underpin the spread of HIV/AIDS awareness within the communities. Sustainability has been attributed to the long-term survival of the development projects and their future operation. The findings of this study confirmed that people in the Taung Area Development Programme were optimistic that the skills and knowledge they have acquired, and the projects themselves will generate resources and continue to operate after World Vision’s departure, especially with regard to IGA projects. The study results confirmed that people who mainly engaged in development activities such as at Qhalasi showed that they could only utilise their skills and knowledge to a small degree. The main conclusion reached by the study is that the Taung Area Development Programme as one of World Vision’s programmes has to a large extent transformed the lives of the local people. As a result of World Vision involvement in the Taung Area Development Programme, people-centred development is manifestly seen to promote the participation and empowerment of the people as well as the sustainability of the development projects.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bydrae wat World Vision as agent en katalisator van ontwikkeling gemaak het om sosiale kwessies in Lesotho aan te spreek te bepaal. Die studie, meer spesifiek evalueer die Taung Area Develoment Programme, wat een van World Vision se gemeenskapontwikkelingprogramme is wat gevestig is om maatskaplike toestande in landelike gebiede te bevorder veral in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane en Qhalasi. Die studie poog om drie belangrike areas te ondersoek; 1. Deelname: om te bepaal of gemeenskappe betrek was by die beplanning van die projekte, deur die identifikasie van hulle eie prioriteite vir die projekte, of die gebruik van hul grond en ander hulpmiddels om beheer oor hul eie ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele ontwikkeling uit te oefen. 2. Bemagtiging: om vas te stel in watter mate die programme die kapasiteit van plaaslike gemeenskappe versterk het. Dit sluit in die oordrag van vaardighede deur opleiding, om mense toe te rus om in hulle eie ontwikkeling betrokke te raak. 3. Volhoubaarheid: om die langtermyn lewensvatbaarheid van die projekte te bepaal. Data is versamel deur die gebruik van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data-insamelingstegnieke. Om albei tegnieke uit te voer was die sneeubal steekproeftegniek toegepas. Die data wat versamel was, is in grafieke aangebied. Die resultate was daarna geanaliseer en bespreek in terme van hierdie studie se doelstellings. Met betrekking tot deelname, het die bevindings van die studie bewys dat die betrokke mense in ’n groot mate bevoeg was om deel te neem aan die beplanning van die projekte. Mense was bevoeg om doelwitte te identifiseer en besluite te neem om inkomste-genererende aktiwiteite (IGA) aan te pak. Die aktiwiteite het pluimvee en varkboerdery, naaldwerk, en die maak van mandjies, kerse en seep ingesluit. Die IGA het dit vir projeklede moontlik gemaak om kos en ’n inkomste vir hulle families te verdien. Die studie het verder vasgestel dat, afgesien van die feit dat sommige mense bevoeg was om aan die beplanning van hul projekte deel te neem, die deelname in ontwikkelingsprojekte soos die bou van toeganspaaie, minimaal was. Die tipiese “van bo na onder’’ voorskriftelike benadering tot beplanning het min geleentheid vir publieke deelname toegelaat. Die studie het ook bevesting dat die godsdienstige betrokkenheid van World Vision, weens die morele ondersteuning wat dit bied, hoog gewaardeer was. Nog ’n belangrike aspek wat die studie aan die lig gebring het, was dat die mense die kans gebied was om hul inheemse kennis in hul projeke aan te wend. Met betrekking tot bemagtiging, het feitlik al die respondente geglo dat World Vision ’n belangrike rol gespeel het om mense op te lei om veskeie aktiwiteite binne hul projekte uit te voer. Benewens die opleiding wat ontvang was, het die mense ook verskeie vaardighede en kennis opgedoen. Die meerderheid van die respondente het tegniese en ekonomiese kennis opgedoen, terwyl andere in landbou en gesondheidsaangeleenthede en ook handwerk vaardig geword het. Bemagtiging in die Taung Area Development Programme is ook deur die verbetering in die lewensomstandinghede van die plaaslike bevolking geopenbaar. Die studie het ook gevind dat die infrastruktuur met die bou van skole en paaie verbeter was. Met betrekking tot primêre gesondheid, het die respondente bevesting dat hulle toegang tot skoon water gekry het deur middel van ’n gemeenskaplike kraan. Veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS bewusmaking, voorkoming van siektes en die bou van toilette het tot verbeterde lewensomstandinghede in die Taung Area Development Programme bygedra. Afgesien van veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS en siektevoorkoming wat vir primêre gesondheidsorg belangrik is, beskik min mense kennis van dodelike siektes soos MIV/VIGS. Dit blyk dus dat World Vision meer klem sal moet lê op die verspreiding van kennis van MIV/VIGS binne die gemeenskappe. Die langtermyn oorlewing van die ontwikkelingsprojekte sal aan volhoubaarheid gekoppel moet word. Die bevindings van hierdie studie bevestig dat mense in die Taung Area Development Programme optimisties was dat die vaardighede en kennis wat hulle verkry het, en die projekte, selfhulpmiddels sal genereer wat nog in werking sal wees lank na die vertrek van World Vision, veral met betrekking tot die IGA projekte. Hierdie studie bevestig dat persone wat hoofsaaklik betrokke was by ontwikkelingsprojekte soos by Qhalasi, net tot ’n geringe mate hulle vaardighede en kennis kon gebruik. Die belangriskte slotsom wat hierdie studie bereik het was dat die Taung Area Development Programme, as een van die World Vision programme, in ’n groot mate die lewens van die plaaslike mense getransformeer het. As gevolg van World Vision se betrokkenheid in die Taung Area Development Programme, word mensgesentreerde ontwikkeling nou gesien as bevordelik vir die betrokkenheid en bemagtiging van die bevolking sowel as die volhoubaarheid van die ontwikkelingsprojekte.

This research proposed to look at quality standards of evaluations in economic and financial respect undertaken on behalf of the European Commission in order to assess the performance of its development assistancein a policy-driven context. the research found that evaluation on the basis of an individual project is often flawed and lacks quality in terms of the applied evaluation method.

Germany’s position of power within the European Union disguises how impacted the German economy was by the 2008 Financial Crisis and Europe’s subsequent Sovereign Debt Crisis. Two of Germany’s major banks-Commerzbank and Bayerische Landesbank- suffered major losses and required emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) to survive. Walter Bagehot wrote the theory underpinning lenders of last resort (LLRs) in 1873 but how has the development of systemically important banks affected the usefulness of Bagehot’s theory? This paper aims to explain why Germany is in need of updated LLR recommendations through an analysis of the ELA Germany at large, Commerzbank and Bayerische Landesbank received. It also aims to empirically prove the stigma and public distrust of ELA through a regression of Commerzbank’s daily stock returns using an augmented Fama/French model. I find that Bagehot’s theory and recommendations are out of date for our current global financial sector. I cannot empirically prove any stigma or public distrust of Commerzbank, there is no relationship between Commerzbank stock returns and the augmented Fama/French factors.

Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the development of rural Zimbabwe since the time of its independence in 1980. NGO work in Zimbabwe currently takes place within the context of a tense and fluid political climate, an economy struggling to recover from crisis, international skepticism toward long-term donor investment in development, and global expectations about the methodologies and accountability measures carried out in intervention-based development work. In the light of the participatory methodologies and empowerment-based development frameworks that dominate the current global expectations for work within the NGO sector, this thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO working in Zimbabwe, namely, World Vision. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and explain the participatory methods, accountability and effectiveness of World Vision in Zimbabwe (with particular reference to Umzingwane District) and, in doing so, to deepen the theoretical understanding of NGOs as constituting a particular organizational form. World Vision is a large-scale international NGO that has a pronounced presence in Zimbabwe and it is specifically active in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South Province. The thesis argues that NGOs exist within a complex and tense condition entailing continuous responses to pressures from donors and states that structure their survival. Ultimately, in maneuvering through such pressures, NGOs tend to choose directions which best enable their own sustainability, often at the cost of the deep participatory forms that may heighten the legitimacy of their roles. World Vision Zimbabwe responds to donor trends, national and local expectations of the state and its own organizational expectations by building local government capacity in order to maintain the longevity and measureable outputs of its projects. In doing so, it redefines the concept of participation in pursuing efficient and practical approaches to ‘getting things done’. This compromises deep participatory methodologies and, in essence, alters the practices involved in participatory forms in order to maintain World Vision’s own organizational sustainability and presence in Zimbabwe.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examined the origins and development of theory-based evaluation (TBE) and the logic models associated with this approach. This was done in order to better understand the roots and evolution of these models which are currently used by donor agencies both nationally and internationally. It was found that logic models, which are used for both project management and evaluation, had their origins in a range of domains including management, education and curriculum design from as early as 1909. Early evaluators from the education, training and health sectors as well as contextual factors such as the professionalization of evaluation and an ever- increasing demand for accountability contributed significantly to the development of both TBE and its associated models. A systematic review of a large sample of logic models and logical frameworks was conducted in order to bring some order and clarity to the plethora of models facing stakeholders in the field of evaluation. It was discovered that four key types of logic models and two key types of logframes face developers and users of models but that the "branding" of donors of their particular demand for accountability, obscures this fact. In order to understand the experience of South African Non-Governmental Organisations when engaging with donors and their demands for accountability a survey was carried out of those organisations which were utilising a specialised form of planning tool. The findings of this study show that South African donors, like their international counterparts, mainly use the models associated with TBE to obtain standardised and focused evidence of results from projects albeit with a distinct scepticism about the actual necessity of some of the donor requirements. Most Non-Governmental Organisations view the donor requirements, such as the logic model and logical framework, as necessary in the funding relationship despite indicating that they find the models inflexible. The study not only makes a contribution to an under-researched area in programme evaluation, it also provides insights into an under-researched area of the South African Non-Governmental sector.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om 'n in-diepte begrip van die ontwikkeling van logika modelle ("logic models") en logika raamwerke ("logical framework") te ontwikkel ten einde die ervarings van Suid-Afrikaans nie-regeringsorganisasies met donateurs beter te begryp. In besonder was die doel om vas te stel hoe sodanige organisasies die vereistes rondom projekbeplanning, monitering, evaluasie en rapportering ervaar. Die studie het gevind dat die oorspronge van hierdie modelle, wat beide vir projekbestuur en evaluasie gebruik word, te vinde is in verskeie areas insluit bestuur, opvoedkunde and kurrikulumontwerp. Die eerste generasie evalueerders in opvoedkunde, opleiding en gesondheid sowel as kontekstuele faktore soos die professionalisering van evaluasie en die immer-toenemende vereistes van rekenpligtigheid het alles beduidend bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van logika modelle. 'n Sistematiese oorsig en ontleding van 'n beduidende steekproef van logika modelle en raamwerke is uitgevoer ten einde meer helderheid en sistematiek te kry in 'n domein waar daar uiteenlopende benaderings en modelle is. Daar is gevind dat vier sleuteltipes logika modelle en twee sleuteltipes logika raamwerke deur die meeste organisasies gebruik word maar dat verskillende befondsingsagentskappe en organisasies hul eie betekenis en inhoud aan hul logika modelle gee. Ten einde die ervarings van Suid-Afrikaanse nie-regerings organisasies te begryp is 'n opname uitgestuur aan alle organisasies wat hierdie raamwerke gebruik. Die resultate van die opname wys dat Suid-Afrikaanse befondsagentskappe, soos hulle internasionele vennote, veral modelle gebruik wat geasosieer is met teorie-gebaseerde evaluasie ten einde gestandaardiseerde en gefokusde getuienis van projektesultate te genereer. Die meerderheid Suid-Afrikaanse nie-regeringsorganisasies aanvaar die vereistes van donateurs alhoewel hierdie "aanvaarding" gepaardgaan met 'n duidelike skeptisisme oor die absolute noodsaaklikheid van somige van hierdie vereistes. Die meerderheid organisasies beskou donateur vereistes, veral wat betref die logika model en die logika raamwerk, as noodsaaklik binne die konteks van die befondsingsverhouding ten spyte van persepsies dat sodanige modelle some uiters rigied kan wees. Die studies maak 'n bydrae, nie alleen in area in programevaluasie waar daar weinig navorsing is nie, maar dit bied ook insig in die gedrag en persepsies van die Suid-Afrikaanse nie-regeringsektor wat programevaluasie praktyke betref.

The discussion of aid effectiveness continues to gain prominence in international development policy discourse and analysis. However, the question of why aid seems to be ineffective is far more complicated and remains largely unanswered. While the notions that aid drives donors’ interests and creates dependency are still relevant, this thesis confronts the problem, by examining the issues that influenced the operationalisation and effectiveness of aid programs in the context of Ghana’s Community-Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP) (2005-2011). By arguing that aid dependency and “aid as a concept” are different, the thesis makes the most basic assumption that ‘aid’ is not negative; albeit, in the knowledge that its focus on aid in Ghana will also bring to the fore the major issues that frame debate on international aid. Two theoretical themes emerged from the thesis. First, the thesis argues that the effectiveness of an aid program should be measured from the recipients’ point of view. This is crucial, as donors tend to use their aid to successfully achieve their strategic advantages, while not necessarily benefitting the recipient country, or those groups for whom the aid was designed to help. Second, in lieu of the instrumentality of international aid, the thesis found that aid effectiveness also depends upon the ‘externalities’ (programs, degree of dependency, motives, theories, concepts; social and politico-cultural factors) that drive it. This notwithstanding, most of the current mechanisms for achieving aid effectiveness, such as Results-Based Financing, Aid-Agenda Conferences and Program-Based Approaches, appear to pay negligible attention to these ‘externalities’. The researcher contends that these mechanisms are not enough for improving aid effectiveness per se. The thesis employed ethnographic research to investigate the outcomes of the CBRDP implemented in nine districts of Ghana. The findings suggest that, alongside the mechanisms mentioned above, prior attention must be paid to the political and cultural realities of the recipient country as well as the theories and complex concepts that drive aid programs (by staff at donor agencies). Such attention, the thesis shows, should focus on a clear and contextual conceptualisation of key terms such as ‘community’ and ‘empowerment’, while at the same time embedding strategies to manage unintended outcomes. Efforts at making ‘aid work’ would also require further critical discussion of the decentralisation theories that underpin aid programs, particularly, Community–Driven Development (CDD); in this regard the thesis found that the indicators that the World Bank uses in relation to CDD (referred to as high and low functioning intergovernmental systems), were far removed from the grounded realities of Ghana’s decentralised system of local and regional politics. The concept of ‘community’ is appealing, yet deceptive. Although a complex term, ‘community’ is often misused, and conceptualised only in the spatial sense, while it transcends the notion of territoriality to include an entity that has a: 1) Function that drives the group; 2) Opportunity for interaction; 3) Membership who identifies with and contributes to it; and 4) Culture that makes it distinct from others. Analysis of the empirical data presented in the thesis shows that the politico-cultural dynamics and population settlement and mobility patterns of the CBRDP beneficiary localities did not support interaction to the levels required for a coherent ‘community’ to exist. Put simply ‘community’ in the functional and geographic sense had to exist in the CBRDP beneficiary localities for the project to succeed. While the sense of ‘community’ can be developed, the World Bank and Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, who designed the CBRDP, ignored the need to nurture it in the recipient localities. As a result of this top down approach there existed no cohesive ‘communities’ to maintain the projects, and most of the CBRDPs were found to be in a state of complete disarray at the time of fieldwork. The term ‘empowerment’ is another complex concept the thesis examines to show how its many theoretical complexities can, if ignored, have dire outcomes for aid programs. Scholars disagree on whether empowerment is a process or an outcome or both, a dilemma which presents many challenges for measuring it. The fact that ‘empowerment’ is predicated on the concept of ‘power’ makes it even more complicated. The reason being that ‘power’ is not a neutral concept and cannot be shared in the simple terms portrayed in donor discourse; also ignored is the fact that ‘empowering’ one group may mean disempowering others, a situation that could lead to conflicts. These conflicts were self evident in the fieldwork and are present in the thesis. Despite these theoretical realities, empowerment appears to have been vaguely applied in the CBRDP as the project: 1) Had no working definition of ‘empowerment’; 2) Targeted women and vulnerable groups, although it was meant to empower the general population; 3) Measured ‘empowerment’ only in term of participation, ignoring the conditions that perpetuated ‘powerlessness’; and 4) Had no strategy in place to monitor unintended outcomes. Therefore, in their bid at ‘empowering’ Ghana’s local government officials (Assembly and Unit Committee Members in the quest for further decentralisation), the designers of the project were unaware that they were actually disempowering Traditional Chiefs, many of whom felt ostracised. Moreover, project designers were also oblivious of the fact that the local government officials did not function in isolation, but are part of a very complex socio–cultural system. These shortcomings led to clashes between Traditional Chiefs and the newly ‘empowered’ local government officials. As the designers and managers of the CBRDPs did not anticipate these eventualities, they had no plan in place to manage resulting conflicts, which have ended up in protracted legal battles, leaving the CBRDPs in a state of dereliction, some completely abandoned. The thesis brings to the fore the need for more concerted efforts at making aid effective, but at the same time arguing that all stakeholders need to pay closer attention to the use of nebulous theories and normative, yet complex concepts in aid-program designs. It underscores the essentiality for programs attempting to apply concepts such as ‘community’ and ‘empowerment’ to clearly define and conceptualise these terms within the confines of the political, social and cultural forces and social dynamics of beneficiary localities. If this were to happen development projects are more likely to receive community support and be more likely to be effectively maintained. The thesis below provides empirical insights into what becomes of aid programs that apply concepts and terms that are promoted by ‘development pundits’, but are at variance with the realities of the recipient country’s pervasive traditions, culture and indeed its success or otherwise in adopting Western notions of decentralisation (as was the case outlined in this thesis).

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the aftermath of the Second World War, the development challenges facing Third World countries - those that were independent, those emerging from colonialism and those still under colonialism - led to the proliferation of bilateral and multilateral development institutions. These institutions were intended to assist the developing countries in terms of the provision of both human (technical) skills and material resources as well as to formulate programmes that would promote co-operation for socio-economic development and transformation. If the enormous development problems facing Africa including poverty, hunger, disease can be alleviated, then multilateral institutions have a major role to play in its scientific and technological development as well as in helping to create the appropriate institutional mechanisms for regional and sub-regional co-operation in science and technology (S&T) in Africa. The United Nations system, including UN-affiliated institutions, has therefore come to represent the best hope of realising the dream of most developing countries in their quest for development, due to its institutional capacity to provide development assistance as well as influence the international development agenda which affects Africa. For example, among the institutions in this study, the World Bank Group remains the biggest donor organisation in terms of the funding of development projects and programmes. UNESCO has a leading role as the UN agency whose mandate relates directly to S&T development and peace. The ECA is the representative body of the UN in Africa and therefore able to influence the direction of development policy and programmes. Similarly, the need to develop also led African countries to establish their own regional and sub-regional institutions for co-operation to draw together both human and material resources. However, the development issues discussed and promoted in the developing world over the years have focused more on national income, terms of trade, market access and in recent times on structural adjustment and poverty reduction strategy programmes. But the most important aspect of the development process - the knowledge capability gap (in terms of S&T) - has been much neglected especially at the regional and sub-regional levels. Therefore, in using regional and sub-regional levels of analyses, the research project looks at the programmes supported by the following institutions: the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the World Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the African Development Bank (AIDB), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Thus the study uses a theorydriven evaluation based on INEXSK (INfrastructure, EXperience and Skills, and Knowledge) approach broadly, to investigate the extent to which these multilateral institutions live up to their stated goals of improving the knowledge base for development in the African continent. An important aspect of the study also entails a historical review of science, technology and institutional co-operation in Africa. Furthermore, an important outcome of the study reveals the lack of functional regional and sub-regional organisational frameworks to promote rigorous scientific and technological research and development in the African continent, except for a few centres and programmes supported by some multilateral and bilateral institutions including NGOs. In spite of many years of structural adjustment the World Bank's lending for S&T has marginalised African countries; while the AIDB support for S&T and regional programmes is woefully inadequate. This is a momentous task it has to address if the NEP AD Initiative is to be successful in the years ahead. To guide future initiatives the study draws on the lessons and experiences of the European Union's and the Association of South East Asian Nations' (ASEAN) regional scientific and technology co-operation programmes. The study advocates a knowledge-based development paradigm, which is transnational in approach, and it makes specific recommendations for regional and sub-regional programmes and strategies to promote the socio-economic development and transformation of Africa.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: OPSOMMING Ná afloop van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog het Derde Wêreldlande - dié reeds onafhanklik, óf besig om kolonialisme af te skud, óf nog steeds onder 'n koloniale moondheid se bewind - sekere ontwikkelingstruikelblokke en -uitdagings in die gesig gestaar. Dit het gelei tot die totstandkoming van verskeie bilaterale en multilaterale ontwikkelingsinstellings. Die doel met sulke instellings se hulpverlening aan ontwikkelende lande was drieledig: om tegniese vaardighede aan te bied; om materiële hulpmiddele te verskaf; en om programme, wat samewerking vir sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling en transformasie sou bevorder, te formuleer. Indien die las van die geweldige ontwikkelingsprobleme in Afrika (insluitend armoede, hongersnood en siektes) verlig sou kon word, het multilaterale instellings 'n belangrike rol om te vervul: om te help met, enersyds, die wetenskaplike en tegnologiese ontwikkeling van die kontinent, en andersyds die ontwikkeling van toepaslike institusionele meganismes vir streek- en sub-streeksamewerking in wetenskap en tegnologie (W&T). As gevolg van die Verenigde Nasies se institusionele kapasiteit om ontwikkelingshulp te verskaf, asook om die internasionale ontwikkelingsagenda te beïnvloed, verteenwoordig dié stelsel die beste hoop van die meeste ontwikkelende lande om hulle ontwikkelingsdrome te verwesenlik. Van die instellings wat by die VN geaffillieer is, en wat in hierdie ondersoek geëvalueer word, is die Wêreldbankgroep, die grootste skenkerorganisasie vir die befondsing van ontwikkelingsprogramme en -projekte. So ook het UNESCO 'n leiersrol as die VN agentskap van wie die mandaat direk betrekking het op die ontwikkeling van W&T. Die EKA is die liggaam wat Afrika verteenwoordig by die VN, en beïnvloed daarom die koers van ontwikkelingsbeleid en -programme. Die noodsaak om die kontinent te ontwikkel het ook gelei daartoe dat Afrikalande hulle eie streek- en sub-streekliggame, wat menslike en materiële hulpbronne bymekaar bring, begin stig het. Die ontwikkelingskwessies wat oor die jare in die ontwikkelende wêreld bespreek en aangemoedig is, het egter meer en meer gefokus op nasionale inkomste, handelsvoorwaardes, toegang tot markte en, in die afgelope tyd, strukturele aanpassings en armoede verligtingstrategie programme. Die belangrikste deel van die ontwikkelingsproses - die vernouing van die kennisgaping in W&T - is gevolglik afgeskeep, veral op streek- en substreekvlak. Hierdie navorsingsprojek analiseer dus, op streek- en sub-streekvlak, ontwikkelingsprogramme wat deur die volgende instansies ondersteun word: die Verenigde Nasies se Opvoedkundige, Wetenskaplike en Kulturele Organisasie (UNESCO), die Wêreldbank, die Verenigde Nasies se Ekonomiese Kommissie vir Afrika (EKA), die Organisasie vir Afrika-eenheid (OAE), die Ontwikkelingsbank van Afrika, die Suider- Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap en die Ekonomiese Gemeenskap van Wes-Afrikaanse State. Die navorsing gebruik 'n teorie-gedrewe evaluering gebaseer op 'n INEXSK ("INfrastructure, EXperience and Skills, and Knowlege") benadering, om te bepaal in watter mate hierdie multilaterale instellings hulle doelwitte, met betrekking tot die verbetering van die kennisbasis vir ontwikkeling van die Afrika-kontinent, bereik. 'n Historiese oorsig van die wetenskaplike, tegnologiese en institusionele samewerking in Afrika vorm 'n belangrike deel van die navorsingsverslag. Die navorsing dui ook op 'n gebrek aan funksionele organisatoriese raamwerke om op streek en sub-streekvlak streng wetenskaplike en tegnologiese navorsing en ontwikkeling aan te wakker en te bevorder. (Daar is darem 'n paar noemenswaardige uitsonderings van sentra en programme wat deur party van die bilaterale en multilaterale instellings ondersteun word.) Ten spyte van strukturele aanpassings wat oor baie jare plaasgevind het, het die Wêreldbank se lenings vir W&T Afrikalande gemarginaliseer; en die Ontwikkelingsbank van Afrika se ondersteuning vir W&T en streeksprogramme is heeltemal ontoereikend. Daar is 'n geweldige taak wat in die toekoms aangespreek moet word indien die NEPAD inisiatief hoop om suksesvol te wees. Die verslag gebruik die lesse en ervarings van die Europese Unie en die Vereniging van Suid- Asiatiese Lande se streeksamewerkingsprogramme vir wetenskap en tegnologie as rigtingwyser vir toekomstige inisiatiewe. Die verslag beveel 'n transnasionale kennisgebaseerde ontwikkelingsparadigma aan, en maak spesifieke aanbevelings vir streek en sub-streekprogramme en strategieë om die sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling en transformasie van Afrika te bevorder.

Although civil war affects all civilians, it impacts men and women in different ways, and it influences their gender roles and responsibilities. Comparatively little attention has been given to assessing the gender sensitivity of international organizations who implement post-conflict reconstruction programs. The different social, economic and political dimensions of war to peace transitions, and how they impact on gender relations, can shed some light on the complicated intersections of needs and interests in wartorn societies. An examination of the policies of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Bank reveals that there is relatively little gender mainstreaming within their post-conflict operations. This research finds that the lack of resources and coordination, the failure to build on local capacities, and a lack of commitment to gender mainstreaming are the main obstacles these organizations face. To improve the situation it is recommended that organizations develop and use a 'gender checklist' at all stages of project planning, implementation and monitoring to ensure increased gender sensitivity in post-conflict programming.

This master thesis aimed to design a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctancemachine (PMaSynRM) rotor for pump applications which were to be implemented inan existing Induction Machine stator. The machine were to be compared with a similarpermanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) with similar torque production in termsof cost and performance.This thesis goes through the theory of the Synchronous Reluctance Machine andthe Permanent Magnet assistance. A rotor was designed by utilizing existing design approachesand simulation of performance by use of finite element analysis. A demagnetizationstudy was conducted on the added permanent magnets in order to investigate thefeasiblity of the design.The final design of the PMaSynRM was thereafter compared to the equivalentsurface-mounted PMSM in terms of performance and cost. The performance parameterswas torque production, torque ripple, efficiency and power factor. Due to the lower torquedensity of the PMaSynRM, for equal torque production the PMSM had a 40% shorterlamination stack than the PMaSynRM.The economic evaluation resulted in that when utilizing ferrite magnets in the PMa-SynRM it became slightly cheaper than the PMSM, up to 20%. However, due to the fluctuatingprices of NdFeB magnets, there exist breakpoints below which the PMaSynRM isin fact more expensive than the PMSM or where the price reduction of the PMaSynRMis not worth the extra length of the motor. However, it was shown that the PMaSynRMis very insensitive to magnet price fluctuations and thereby proved to be a more securechoice than the PMSM
Detta examensarbete avsåg att designa en rotor till en permanentmagnetsassisteradsynkron reluktansmaskin (PMaSynRM) för pumpapplikationer, vilken skulle implementeras i en befintlig asynkronmaskin (IM) stator. Maskinen jämfördes ekonomiskt och prestandamässigt med en liknande synkronmaskin med permanentmagneter (PMSM) med jämförbar vridmomentsproduktion.Uppsatsen avhandlar teorin bakom synkrona reluktansmaskiner och konceptet kring permanentmagnetassistans. Rotorn designades genom användandet av befintliga designmetoder och simulering genom finit elementanalys (FEA). En avmagnetiseringsstudie utfördes på de adderade magneterna för att undersöka rimligheten kring designenDen slutgiltiga designen av PMaSynRMen jämfördes därefter mot den jämlika PMSMen i termer om prestanda och kostnad. De undersökta prestandaparameterarna var vridmoment, vridmomentsrippel, verkningsgrad och effektfaktor. Eftersom vridmomentsdensiteten i en PMaSynRM är lägre än hos en PMSM så visade sig PMSMen ha en 40% kortare lamineringskropp än PMaSynRMen vid jämnlik vridmomentsproduktion.Den ekonomiska utvärderingen resulterade i att vid användandet av ferritmagneter i PMaSynRMen så blev den något billigare än PMSMen, upp till 20%. På grund av fluktuerande priser hos NdFeB magneter, så finns det brytpunkter där PMaSynRMen faktiskt blir dyrare än PMSMen eller då kostnadsreduktionen för PMaSynRMen kan bedömas att vara för låg med tanke på den ökade längden och vridmomentsrippel. Däremot visades det att PMaSynRMen är väldigt okänslig för prisvariationer och därför visades vara ettkostnadsmässigt tryggare val än PMSMen

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Existing zakat research reports little information about the living conditions of Indonesian zakat recipients. This study examined the perceptions of zakat recipients at Rumah Zakat, a charitable institution, in Yogyakarta. Semi-structured interviews solicited seven economic empowerment and seven socio-health program respondents’ narratives. This data collection method incorporating multiple approaches to data analysis, including phenomenology, revealed that economic empowerment respondents with more education and spousal support could better subsist after utilizing Rumah Zakat’s interest-free loans. And, compared to individual efforts or group support, spousal support helped significantly with business growth. These respondents typically earned incomes above the national standard of poverty. As their businesses grew, four respondents planned to employ the jobless. In the socio-health program, respondents had minimal education and incomes that fell below the national standard of poverty. A Rumah Zakat clinic gave these respondents four to five years of free health care services; it also facilitated collaborative learning. Although the services lowered their expenses, three respondents requested food distribution in addition to health care. Respondents benefiting from both programs reported a significant positive impact on their home economies, health, and social lives. Thus, an integrative program offering assistance with micro-credits, health care, food security, and education would better serve the poor.

Ensuring a high quality of life for all children is essential for the future human and social capital as well as for sustainable economic growth and development. Hence, child wellbeing has gained much attention in recent years and has also been the ultimate focus of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, this thesis primarily focuses on the mental and emotional wellbeing of children, an important but often overlooked aspect of overall child wellbeing. Specifically, the thesis investigates whether harmful practices such as child labour and child marriage can have an impact on children’s mental health, issues that remain largely unexplored in the current economics literature. Additionally, the thesis provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of a social protection program in addressing such issues and ensuring child wellbeing. The thesis consists of three main chapters that examine three questions on child wellbeing, using longitudinal household data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS). First, the thesis examines the impact of early marriage on the mental health of girls in Indonesia. Employing several identification strategies such as fixed effects, coarsened exact matching (CEM) combined with difference-in-differences and instrumental variable approach, this chapter seeks to assess the causal effect between an early marriage of a woman and her mental health status later in life. The results reveal that early marriage has a significant effect on women’s mental health status. More specifically, women who marry early (i.e. by the age of 18 years) are more likely to be depressed as well as affected by severe depressive symptoms. Additionally, it is also found that a one-year delay in marriage decreases the probability of having severe depression. These findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity checks. Second, the thesis investigates the long-term effect of child labour on adolescent mental health. To address the potential endogeneity bias of child work, two instruments - minimum wage and the number of family-owned businesses by the household are employed. Considering the nature of the main outcome variable of interest – the mental health score, this study applies an IV-Poisson model to estimate the effect of child work on mental health. The results reveal that child labour has a substantial negative impact on a child’s long-term mental health status. Moreover, we find heterogeneity in the effect of child labour where working as a child for wages increases the mental health score, leading to depressive symptoms. On the contrary, there is no significant impact of working as a child in family enterprises on adolescent mental health. This study further shows that religiosity and social capital can play a role in mediating the adverse long-term effects of child labour on mental health. Finally, the thesis evaluates the impact of one of the largest subsidised food programs known as ‘Raskin’ (or rice for the poor) in Indonesia on the labour supply and schooling of children. The main identification issue arises from selection bias due to non-random distribution of the subsidy and unobserved heterogeneity. To address this, coarsened exact matching (CEM) with the difference-in-differences (DD) estimator is implemented. Given that engaging in labour market activities and attending school is a joint decision competing for the child’s time, the study uses a bivariate probit model with a matched double-difference approach to estimate the effect of Raskin on the likelihood of child labour supply and school attendance. The results reveal that the subsidised rice program in Indonesia is effective in decreasing the probability of working for boys though there is no impact on the outcomes of girls. Specifically, it is found that the Raskin program significantly reduces the likelihood of working for boys who engage in both working and schooling. These findings provide an important policy implication on how social protection tools can indirectly influence the wellbeing of children.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Economics, 2020

This thesis aims to provide a coherent theoretical framework to guide the development of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) information systems within international aid agencies. The thesis applies soft systems methodologies (SSM) to explore the research question and to develop conceptual models. The theoretical basis for the M&E framework proposed is drawn from a transdisciplinary review of three academic fields: information systems,organisational effectiveness and project management. It is argued that inadequacies in the operationalisation of M&E systems arise from divergent epistemological and ontological assumptions about the nature of information and its role within organisations that are concerned with effecting social change. The M&E framework proposed seeks to resolve the dilemma posed by these divergent assumptions. This involves a M&E information system (i.e. MEIS) that is novel in terms of its scope, purpose and application. Firstly, the scope of the proposed MEIS takes in the entire aid organisation, going beyond the dominant, conventional approach, which is project-centric. This enables alignment of project strategies with organisational mission. Further, it aims to promote the institutionalisation of lessons learned within projects (conceived as 'social experiments') for organisational learning, thereby enabling informed debate about the effectiveness of the organisation in fostering sustainable development. Secondly, the purpose of the proposed MEIS has been defined as being concerned with promoting organisational success. The critical success factors of learning and accountability are identified, and the role of M&E in encouraging responsive management decision-making and critical inquiry and reflection is described. Thirdly, the application of the proposed MEIS involves a modified logframe. The '3D-Logframe' serves as a conceptual basis to address limitations found with the conventional two-dimensional logframe matrix when employed for M&E purposes. The proposed M&E framework was developed out of iterations of action in the field and reflection. Further research will involve applying the framework in its entirety.

This thesis aims to provide a coherent theoretical framework to guide the development of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) information systems within international aid agencies. The thesis applies soft systems methodologies (SSM) to explore the research question and to develop conceptual models. The theoretical basis for the M&E framework proposed is drawn from a transdisciplinary review of three academic fields: information systems,organisational effectiveness and project management. It is argued that inadequacies in the operationalisation of M&E systems arise from divergent epistemological and ontological assumptions about the nature of information and its role within organisations that are concerned with effecting social change. The M&E framework proposed seeks to resolve the dilemma posed by these divergent assumptions. This involves a M&E information system (i.e. MEIS) that is novel in terms of its scope, purpose and application. Firstly, the scope of the proposed MEIS takes in the entire aid organisation, going beyond the dominant, conventional approach, which is project-centric. This enables alignment of project strategies with organisational mission. Further, it aims to promote the institutionalisation of lessons learned within projects (conceived as 'social experiments') for organisational learning, thereby enabling informed debate about the effectiveness of the organisation in fostering sustainable development. Secondly, the purpose of the proposed MEIS has been defined as being concerned with promoting organisational success. The critical success factors of learning and accountability are identified, and the role of M&E in encouraging responsive management decision-making and critical inquiry and reflection is described. Thirdly, the application of the proposed MEIS involves a modified logframe. The '3D-Logframe' serves as a conceptual basis to address limitations found with the conventional two-dimensional logframe matrix when employed for M&E purposes. The proposed M&E framework was developed out of iterations of action in the field and reflection. Further research will involve applying the framework in its entirety.

Xue, Cheng.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-167).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstracts and appendix also in Chinese.

This dissertation examined whether or not microcredit, the provision of small loans to people usually excluded from mainstream financial institutions, demonstrably improved health for typical borrowers in Indonesia. The underlying idea behind microcredit is that loans will increase borrowers’ income and lead to positive changes in their lives, including their health. However, microcredit may actually be harmful to borrowers’ health because of stress associated with repayment obligations, extra working hours needed to start a business and tensions caused by shifting power dynamics in the household. Moreover, for some borrowers, a loan may facilitate increased spending on so-called temptation goods that are damaging to health, such as tobacco and processed foods. Previous research has not adequately explored these competing positive and negative pathways linking microcredit and health. The project consisted of three parts: a systematic review and two empirical papers. The systematic review synthesized the scientific literature related to individual microcredit loans, health-related temptation spending, psychological stress and self-reported health outcomes in adults. The empirical papers estimated the causal effect of microcredit on household expenditures on tobacco and processed foods, and individual psychological distress and self-rated health. Both empirical papers used data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey, a longitudinal study that followed more than 7,000 households over 21 years. After adjusting for confounding, people living in borrowing households had levels of psychological distress and self-rated health that were similar to people living in non-borrowing households. These predominantly null findings were relatively robust across multiple models. Microcredit households did spend substantially more money on tobacco than non-borrowers. This difference was driven by households with male borrowers. Still, tobacco spending ultimately did not affect health outcomes. Based on empirical evidence from this dissertation along with findings from other studies, policymakers and practitioners should recalibrate their high expectations of microcredit as a socially transformative intervention. At the same time, fears about the unintended health consequences of microcredit may have been exaggerated. Reliance on longitudinal data generated insights into microcredit and health that could not be established from randomized controlled trials.

In recent decades, important policies and programs-including nine-year compulsory education, pro-poor programs and the improvement of teacher quality-have been implemented to improve the availability and quality of schooling in Indonesia. However, to date, comprehensive research on the equity of the outcomes of these policies across the many schools and districts in Indonesia has never been conducted. This study aims to carry out a comprehensive analysis of education outcomes in Indonesia, covering the changes and patterns of education resources, the trends, patterns and determinants of school progression, and the patterns and determinants of student performance as measured by national exam scores. Survival and multilevel analyses are applied on a novel dataset constructed from a number of secondary datasets gathered from various sources. These secondary datasets include administrative data on schools, teachers and national exams, as collated by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC), the National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS), the National Labour Force Surveys (SAKERNAS), the Village Census (PODES) and the administrative data on education finance from the Ministry of Finance. This study finds a continuous improvement over time in education progression, both in administrative data and household survey data. The equality of education survival across communities, for example, between urban and rural areas, between males and females, and across socio-economic statuses of the community, has been improving. However, the results also reveal that Indonesia still faces serious problems in school discontinuation. The decision to continue schooling is found to be affected not only by individual and household characteristics but also the characteristics of the districts in which the children reside. Gender is an important factor in school continuation, but the effect of gender varies across districts. Socio-economic characteristics of households measured by parents' education and economic status play an important role in determining school continuation. Against expectation, this study finds a trivial association between student continuation and education resources when measured by budget allocation and the availability of schools at the district level. Analyses of student performance suggest that student performance measured by national exam scores at junior secondary school in four tested subjects (Indonesian language, mathematics, science and language) varies across schools and across districts. Student performance is affected by the gender of the students and the effect varies across schools and districts. Students from higher socio-economic families perform significantly better than those from lower socio-economic families. Students perform even better if the schools have a larger proportion of students from higher socio-economic families. Unexpectedly, controlling for parental characteristics, school input has only a small influence on student performance. There is also a contradictory result that the budget for education allocated by the district government is negatively associated with all performance, except Indonesian language. Levels of gender development at the district level have a significant influence only on maths performance, but it is the performance of males, not females, in Indonesian language and English that is more influenced by the level of gender development in the labour market.

Foreign aid is publicly motivated by a moral obligation to help the poor and develop underdeveloped countries. Donors have invested more than US$2.3 trillion in foreign aid, but despite this significant investment, 3 billion people are still living on less than $2 a day, 840 million are hungry, 10 million children die from preventable disease, and 1 billion adults are illiterate. This study focuses on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth and development of underdeveloped countries. It was found that many variables influence growth and development and that cross-country regression analysis is an inappropriate method to measure the effectiveness of aid. The methodology is too generalist, and treats foreign aid as a homogenous entity that works equally in all countries in all types of environment and across all times. There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology for measuring the effectiveness of foreign aid.
Development Studies
M. A. (Development Studies)

In the 1990s, Brazil and Mexico were pioneers in the implementation of conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs), which since have benefitted an estimated one billion poor families around the world. However, the initial evaluation strategies pursued by each state were different: Mexican officials partnered with US economists to implement an RCT evaluation, while Brazilians used a combination of statistical simulations and qualitative studies and aimed to secure the generation of policy knowledge to domestic experts. Based on eighteen months of participant observation in Mexico City and Brasília, 100 interviews with political and academic elites, content analysis of 400 policy documents, and historical-process tracing methods, this dissertation explains why these two similar countries, implementing the same policy, took different routes to assess the merits of CCTs, and what unintended consequences followed from these choices. I demonstrate that a key factor to achieve the legitimacy and political viability of CCTs is the knowledge regimes that states create to implement and evaluate these programs. The dissertation shows that while knowledge regimes tend to be understood as technical or apolitical machineries, they are inherently shaped by the politics of legitimation of CCTs and they produce unanticipated consequences for the ways that states combat poverty in the long-run. Only by taking into consideration the role that knowledge production plays in securing the political viability of CCTs, I argue, we can assess the politics and consequences of these programs, and how they relate to poor families on the ground.

This research focuses on assessing the extent to which the Principles of Aid Effectiveness were followed and translated into action by taking the General Education Quality Improvement Programme (GEQIP) in Ethiopia as an example. Outcomes of the secondary reviews conducted on the selected government institutions and development partners documents demonstrate that these Principles are taken as overarching strategies to guide the undertakings on GEQIP. The study attests that a number of factors influence the realization of aid effectiveness in Ethiopia. These include, at the recipient level, existence of strong national development plans while demanding improvement on absorptive capacity. At the level of development partners, compliance with pledges made on the provision of resources and better coordination is needed. A common country framework to guide the aid effectiveness process including mutual accountably is important. The study most importantly identifies that beyond sector specific reviews, emphasis should also be given to assess the contribution of the Principles of Aid Effectiveness for efficient delivery of support to the GEQIP.
Development Studies
M.A. (Development Studies)

The traditional theories of development concentrated on stimulating economic growth and ignored the social aspects involved. Despite the massive injection of donor funds, the situation of the poor deteriorated. The projects in Tembisa are an example of this, as the community was not involved in the assessing of needs or designing of interventions and were only the implementers. The evaluation offers an alternative developmental paradigm that has been used with success in other similar circumstances – the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The SLA contends that urban communities should become planners, initiators and executors of local development in order for any transformation to occur. Urban communities have to change their behaviour and attitudes, be willing to accept change, and to take ownership of the projects. The facilitators, NGOs and government have to be willing to unlearn their traditional ways, listen, and accept that they are not the only experts in the field.
Development Studies
M.A. (Development Studies)

The roles of non-profit organisations in South Africa have evolved, leaving these organisations with an increased role to play in service delivery and community development. The purpose of the current research was to assess the effectiveness of non-profit organisations in the City of Tshwane to render services to communities by evaluating the Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Livelihood Programme for the period of 2015 to 2018. This research adopted a qualitative approach. Purposive sampling was used to identify participants in the study according to time in the programme and the number of years non-profit organisations have been receiving funding from government. Using semistructured interviews and document analysis, this study found that, despite the efforts of the Gauteng Department of Social Development to decentralise services, poverty levels in South African communities remain high. This study further found that, although national, provincial and local poverty alleviation or sustainable livelihood programmes have been established, these programmes have been insufficient in making an impact in job placements and poorly reflect poverty reduction challenging communities. While non-profit organisations still face a plethora of challenges with regard to limited funding, capacity challenges and a lack of meaningful training and support, these organisations have however shown to be effective in achieving poverty alleviation in terms of the Sustainable Livelihood Programme outcomes in addition to meeting the needs of the poor. This success has been achieved through the offering of skills development programmes to the youth, implementing government food security interventions, fostering entrepreneurship skills, and promoting access to information on social development opportunities in communities. This study recommends that, for government to see considerable results and a change in the fight against poverty alleviation, there is a need to establish one national and uniform poverty alleviation programme that could be implemented across all spheres of government. In addition, this study concluded that, in strengthening the usefulness of non-profit organisations, there is a need to extend the current role played by the NPO Directorate, not only where staff capacity is concerned but also to introduce a functional model for managing the funding of all NPOs in South Africa.
Public Administration and Management
M. Admin (Public Adminitration)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
A sizeable body of research has attempted to examine the interaction between government spending and private giving known as the crowd-out effect. Most researchers reported that increases of government spending cause decreases of philanthropic giving to different types of nonprofits. However, few studies have attempted to indicate the interaction between government welfare expenditures and private giving to human service organizations even though human service organizations are the most sensitive to the changes of government spending. Additionally, the estimated crowd-out effects with a simple crowd-out model have been criticized for potential endogeneity bias. This paper investigates the total effect of federal government welfare spending on state government expenditures and philanthropic giving to human service organizations (known as joint crowd-out). I used the 2005 wave of the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study (COPPS) to estimate the effect of federal human service grants on state government spending on, and donations to human services. From these reduced-form estimates I infer the levels of simple and joint crowd-out. I found that indicate federal spending on public welfare crowds out private giving to human service organizations while holding control variables constant in the donations equation. However, federal government spending on public welfare crowds in state government spending on public welfare.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
In 2008, grassroots NGOs formed 13 alliances in response to the need for emergency relief and post-disaster recovery after the Sichuan Earthquake that occurred in West China and killed approximately 87,000 people. These alliances served to raise and deliver relief materials, train and supervise volunteers, promote information sharing, and assist victims with mental health and livelihood recovery. However, all alliances were terminated within less than four years. Although plenty of scholarship discusses how corporate alliances evolve or fail, few studies focus on interorganizational collaboration among nonprofits. To explore how NGOs developed collective actions in China’s adverse sociopolitical environment, the author performed three years of observation in four coalitions and interviewed 60 alliance leaders, employees, and volunteers. This paper identifies four types of termination these NGO alliances experienced: three of them failed at their very births, five self-disbanded shortly after the end of emergency aid, three dissolved due to failed institutionalization, and the remaining two evolved into independent organizations. Tracking their life cycles, this study finds four main factors accountable for their terminations: political pressure, funding shortage, short-term orientation, and leadership failure. In particular, the repressive NGO regulation regime and limited funding sources fundamentally restricted all alliances’ capacity and sustainability. Further, the transient nature of disaster relief efforts and the conflict between disaster management and planned work areas contributed to the short-term orientation among alliance members and, thus, led to the closure of some alliances shortly after they provided emergency relief. In addition, though generally exempt from internal rivalry that often undermines inter-firm partnerships, NGO alliances of all types were confronted with leadership challenges—partner misfits concerning resources, strategy, and mission; flawed governing structures, and undesired individual leadership. The four factors interplayed and led to alliance dissolution through different combinations. The paper points out that, in addition to environmental uncertainty, leadership failure has become a major challenge for nonprofit collaborations.