The myth of a green economy and green jobs: what strategy for labour?
- Authors: Cottle, Eddie
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social policy Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59500 , vital:27620 , ISBN 9780868106106
- Description: This paper seeks to analyse the policy position of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to that of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in relation to the green economy and green jobs. It is argued that the ITUC position is consistent with the paradigm of the UNEP that the source of the ecological and jobs crisis lays within the problem of a lack of investment in appropriate alternative technologies and not that of capital accumulation and the nature of material production itself. It is further argued that both the ITUC and the UNEP’s paradigm is flawed on the basis of an assumption that technological efficiencies based upon alternative technologies will reduce the carbon footprint of countries. On the contrary this paper argues that the ITUC and UNEP failed to locate their perspective on a historical understanding of the contradiction of technological efficiencies as part of capital accumulation itself and the continuous expansion of production and secondly, that alternative energy production is still reliant of fossil fuels which will not lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, this paper argues that the ITUC does not have an alternative position as the notion of the ‘Just Transition’ is trapped within the existing social democratic, sustainable development paradigm which is committed to a system of capitalist growth. The paper argues that the only viable alternative is for labour to develop and struggle for an alternative eco-socialist society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Cottle, Eddie
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social policy Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59500 , vital:27620 , ISBN 9780868106106
- Description: This paper seeks to analyse the policy position of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to that of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in relation to the green economy and green jobs. It is argued that the ITUC position is consistent with the paradigm of the UNEP that the source of the ecological and jobs crisis lays within the problem of a lack of investment in appropriate alternative technologies and not that of capital accumulation and the nature of material production itself. It is further argued that both the ITUC and the UNEP’s paradigm is flawed on the basis of an assumption that technological efficiencies based upon alternative technologies will reduce the carbon footprint of countries. On the contrary this paper argues that the ITUC and UNEP failed to locate their perspective on a historical understanding of the contradiction of technological efficiencies as part of capital accumulation itself and the continuous expansion of production and secondly, that alternative energy production is still reliant of fossil fuels which will not lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, this paper argues that the ITUC does not have an alternative position as the notion of the ‘Just Transition’ is trapped within the existing social democratic, sustainable development paradigm which is committed to a system of capitalist growth. The paper argues that the only viable alternative is for labour to develop and struggle for an alternative eco-socialist society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Vice-Chancellor's welcome address: 2017 Graduation Ceremonies
- Authors: Mabizela, Sizwe
- Date: 2017-04
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7560 , vital:21273
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mabizela, Sizwe
- Date: 2017-04
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7560 , vital:21273
- Full Text:
Vice-Chancellor's Welcome address to New Students and Parents 2017
- Authors: Mabizela, Sizwe
- Date: 2017-02
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:21304 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7823
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mabizela, Sizwe
- Date: 2017-02
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:21304 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7823
- Full Text:
Spatial differences in stunting and household agricultural production in South Africa:(re)-examining the links using national panel survey data
- Otterbach, Steffen, Rogan, Michael
- Authors: Otterbach, Steffen , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Human growth -- South Africa Malnutrition -- South Africa Poverty -- Case studies Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59522 , vital:27622 , ISBN 9780868106342 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59522
- Description: One explanation for the increasing prevalence of stunting in South Africa over the past 15 years while other development indicators have improved is that Big Food retail chains have been contributing to a low quality diet across the country, particularly in poor urban households. We thus use nationally representative longitudinal data (2008–2014) to trace 6 years of stunting’s evolution among South African children, adolescents, and young adults aged 0–19, with particular attention to how the prevalence of under-nutrition differs between urban and rural areas and how the drivers of poor nutrition vary spatially. The results of our random-effects logistic regressions on the nutritional impact of household agricultural production suggest that, conditional on household income, subsistence farming is associated with a lower probability of stunting. Even more important, although under-nutrition retains a strong spatial component, once observable differences in living standards are controlled for, the higher tendency for children in deep rural households to suffer from (severe) stunting reverses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Otterbach, Steffen , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Human growth -- South Africa Malnutrition -- South Africa Poverty -- Case studies Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59522 , vital:27622 , ISBN 9780868106342 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59522
- Description: One explanation for the increasing prevalence of stunting in South Africa over the past 15 years while other development indicators have improved is that Big Food retail chains have been contributing to a low quality diet across the country, particularly in poor urban households. We thus use nationally representative longitudinal data (2008–2014) to trace 6 years of stunting’s evolution among South African children, adolescents, and young adults aged 0–19, with particular attention to how the prevalence of under-nutrition differs between urban and rural areas and how the drivers of poor nutrition vary spatially. The results of our random-effects logistic regressions on the nutritional impact of household agricultural production suggest that, conditional on household income, subsistence farming is associated with a lower probability of stunting. Even more important, although under-nutrition retains a strong spatial component, once observable differences in living standards are controlled for, the higher tendency for children in deep rural households to suffer from (severe) stunting reverses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Inequality, social comparisons and minimum income aspirations: Evidence from South Africa
- Posel, Dorrit, Rogan, Michael
- Authors: Posel, Dorrit , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social policy Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59510 , vital:27621 , ISBN 9780868106359 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59509
- Description: We investigate the formation of minimum income aspirations in South Africa, a country with high rates of poverty together with very high and rising rates of inequality. A number of empirical studies in both developed and developing countries have shown that income aspirations increase with the individual’s own income and with the income of others in their community, relationships which are explained by processes of adaptation through habituation and social comparison. However, the relationship between income aspirations and inequality has received far less empirical attention. We analyse the minimum income question (MIQ) asked in nationally representative household survey from 2008/2009 to test for evidence of aspirations failure among the poor in South Africa, and to investigate whether high levels of local inequality dampen or stimulate minimum income aspirations, and particularly among those living in poverty.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Posel, Dorrit , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social policy Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59510 , vital:27621 , ISBN 9780868106359 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59509
- Description: We investigate the formation of minimum income aspirations in South Africa, a country with high rates of poverty together with very high and rising rates of inequality. A number of empirical studies in both developed and developing countries have shown that income aspirations increase with the individual’s own income and with the income of others in their community, relationships which are explained by processes of adaptation through habituation and social comparison. However, the relationship between income aspirations and inequality has received far less empirical attention. We analyse the minimum income question (MIQ) asked in nationally representative household survey from 2008/2009 to test for evidence of aspirations failure among the poor in South Africa, and to investigate whether high levels of local inequality dampen or stimulate minimum income aspirations, and particularly among those living in poverty.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Rhodes University Library Report for the period 2015-2016 : maintaining the scholarly heartbeat in a time of disruption
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54313 , vital:26455
- Description: Disruption has been one of the key drivers for the reshaping of academic libraries over the years. New technologies; high cost of information resources and dwindling budgets; changing user profiles, learning styles and needs; demand for alignment to institutional imperatives and a demonstration of value to the academic project; new roles and new competencies for staff are identified as key disruptors for academic libraries. By adopting strategic thinking and strategic planning, academic libraries embrace disruption easily and become more adept to change. The Rhodes University Library (RUL) is guided by a Strategic Plan (2013-2015) which was adopted in 2012. This Plan takes into cognisance the trends and developments impacting academic libraries with specific reference to the librarian’s role in research, undergraduate student success, information literacy, new roles and competencies for librarians, and the library as place within the academic context. Therefore, the challenges presented by load-shedding and the #RUReferencelist, #Rapeculture and #Feesmustfall protests during 2015 and 2016 were seen as opportunities to review processes, reconsider and adapt practices and services through a participatory process of discussions and engagements. The RUL’ culture of learning and exposure to best practices and innovative thinking has been carefully nurtured to empower staff for optimal personal, institutional and user benefit. This report therefore highlights through its various strategies how the RUL has shaped itself within the context of national and local disruptions and added value to the teaching, learning and research endeavours of the University during 2015 and 2016.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54313 , vital:26455
- Description: Disruption has been one of the key drivers for the reshaping of academic libraries over the years. New technologies; high cost of information resources and dwindling budgets; changing user profiles, learning styles and needs; demand for alignment to institutional imperatives and a demonstration of value to the academic project; new roles and new competencies for staff are identified as key disruptors for academic libraries. By adopting strategic thinking and strategic planning, academic libraries embrace disruption easily and become more adept to change. The Rhodes University Library (RUL) is guided by a Strategic Plan (2013-2015) which was adopted in 2012. This Plan takes into cognisance the trends and developments impacting academic libraries with specific reference to the librarian’s role in research, undergraduate student success, information literacy, new roles and competencies for librarians, and the library as place within the academic context. Therefore, the challenges presented by load-shedding and the #RUReferencelist, #Rapeculture and #Feesmustfall protests during 2015 and 2016 were seen as opportunities to review processes, reconsider and adapt practices and services through a participatory process of discussions and engagements. The RUL’ culture of learning and exposure to best practices and innovative thinking has been carefully nurtured to empower staff for optimal personal, institutional and user benefit. This report therefore highlights through its various strategies how the RUL has shaped itself within the context of national and local disruptions and added value to the teaching, learning and research endeavours of the University during 2015 and 2016.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
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