Government-sponsored community development projects as poverty alleviation tools: evidence from Mdantsane, East London
- Authors: Gedze, Ntombebhongo
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11948 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005995 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Description: The study investigates whether government-sponsored community development projects in the township of Mdantsane, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, have achieved the intended goal of alleviating poverty among the beneficiaries. The specific outcomes of poverty alleviation are: improved income, acquisition of new skills, reduced dependence on welfare grants. Four urban farming projects were selected, namely: Buffalo City Organic Producers, Sakhisizwe Nursery, Lusindiso Farmer’s Trading Co-operative and Mbombela Co-operative. Focus group discussions and a mini survey were conducted with project beneficiaries, while relevant government officials were interviewed. Conceptual insights were drawn from community development theory. The findings showed that the broader context within which the projects occurred was characterised by a pro-poor social policy, relative availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and a measure of entrepreneurial potential amongst community members. However, while one of the projects showed some promise (in the sense that beneficiaries acquired new skills and had a generally positive attitude despite not enjoying any improved income status), all the others appeared doomed and trapped in dynamics such as: excessive government control of the management of the initiatives, ineffective project monitoring, and the mischaracterisation of the initiatives by both the government and the beneficiaries. A distorted sense of ownership and perverse community participation seemed to prevail, which in turn robbed the initiatives of their poverty alleviation potential. The study thus concluded that specific benefactor-beneficiary dynamics are crucial for the success of a given anti-poverty intervention. A robust pro-poor social policy, availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and local entrepreneurial potential do not in themselves bring about success; they must operate in a certain way and be undergirded by certain principles for them to become a powerful mechanism for alleviating poverty. It is against this background that the researcher offers some recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gedze, Ntombebhongo
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11948 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005995 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Description: The study investigates whether government-sponsored community development projects in the township of Mdantsane, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, have achieved the intended goal of alleviating poverty among the beneficiaries. The specific outcomes of poverty alleviation are: improved income, acquisition of new skills, reduced dependence on welfare grants. Four urban farming projects were selected, namely: Buffalo City Organic Producers, Sakhisizwe Nursery, Lusindiso Farmer’s Trading Co-operative and Mbombela Co-operative. Focus group discussions and a mini survey were conducted with project beneficiaries, while relevant government officials were interviewed. Conceptual insights were drawn from community development theory. The findings showed that the broader context within which the projects occurred was characterised by a pro-poor social policy, relative availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and a measure of entrepreneurial potential amongst community members. However, while one of the projects showed some promise (in the sense that beneficiaries acquired new skills and had a generally positive attitude despite not enjoying any improved income status), all the others appeared doomed and trapped in dynamics such as: excessive government control of the management of the initiatives, ineffective project monitoring, and the mischaracterisation of the initiatives by both the government and the beneficiaries. A distorted sense of ownership and perverse community participation seemed to prevail, which in turn robbed the initiatives of their poverty alleviation potential. The study thus concluded that specific benefactor-beneficiary dynamics are crucial for the success of a given anti-poverty intervention. A robust pro-poor social policy, availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and local entrepreneurial potential do not in themselves bring about success; they must operate in a certain way and be undergirded by certain principles for them to become a powerful mechanism for alleviating poverty. It is against this background that the researcher offers some recommendations.
- Full Text:
An assessment of the impact of local economic development on urban poverty alleviation: a case of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
- Authors: Mbeba, Roland D
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poor -- Services for -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11424 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/548 , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poor -- Services for -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Local Economic Development has in recent years, gained wide spread acceptance, as a locality-based response to economic challenges. It is now firmly on the agenda of many national and local government and key international agencies. Adopting a desk study approach, reviewing extensive literature on LED, the study sought to establish the impact of LED strategy employed by Buffalo City Municipality, and assess the extent to which it has alleviated poverty. The study shows that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) LED strategy has limited impact on poverty alleviation due to a myriad of factors, which reinforce and interact with each other thereby limiting development and trapping residents in poverty. The thesis argues that there is significant room for a paradigm shift from predominantly pro-growth to pro-poor LED, and the need to adopt a comprehensive LED strategy that seeks to include of both pro-growth and pro-poor strategies. Both cannot operate without the other in the bid to promote development in Buffalo City, mainly with Agriculture, Tourism, and SMME having significant potential to bring about local economic development. Moreover, the promotion of Private-Public Partnerships play an integral role in the socio-economic development of Buffalo City, and more so the participation of local people is even more fundamental, which will give them the opportunity to take charge of their own development. Therefore, the study suggests a new LED agenda, which is pro-poor, holistic, and moves away from ‘piecemeal’ project based LED activities, and adopts comprehensive economic programmes so that LED has significant impact on poverty alleviation.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mbeba, Roland D
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poor -- Services for -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11424 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/548 , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poor -- Services for -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Local Economic Development has in recent years, gained wide spread acceptance, as a locality-based response to economic challenges. It is now firmly on the agenda of many national and local government and key international agencies. Adopting a desk study approach, reviewing extensive literature on LED, the study sought to establish the impact of LED strategy employed by Buffalo City Municipality, and assess the extent to which it has alleviated poverty. The study shows that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) LED strategy has limited impact on poverty alleviation due to a myriad of factors, which reinforce and interact with each other thereby limiting development and trapping residents in poverty. The thesis argues that there is significant room for a paradigm shift from predominantly pro-growth to pro-poor LED, and the need to adopt a comprehensive LED strategy that seeks to include of both pro-growth and pro-poor strategies. Both cannot operate without the other in the bid to promote development in Buffalo City, mainly with Agriculture, Tourism, and SMME having significant potential to bring about local economic development. Moreover, the promotion of Private-Public Partnerships play an integral role in the socio-economic development of Buffalo City, and more so the participation of local people is even more fundamental, which will give them the opportunity to take charge of their own development. Therefore, the study suggests a new LED agenda, which is pro-poor, holistic, and moves away from ‘piecemeal’ project based LED activities, and adopts comprehensive economic programmes so that LED has significant impact on poverty alleviation.
- Full Text:
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