Current ISER research projects
- Authors: Rhodes University, Institute of Social and Economic Research
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Employees Rhodes University -- History Rhodes University. Institute of Social and Economic Research Economic development -- Research -- South Africa Social change -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Manuscript , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2465 , vital:20294
- Description: Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Poverty in Duncan Village, East London: a qualitiative perspective
- Authors: Bank, Leslie John
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic conditions Urban poor -- South Africa Rural-urban migration -- South Africa -- East London East London (South Africa) -- Social conditions -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2003 , vital:20246 , ISBN 0868103209
- Description: East London is a minor coastal city with a fragile economy based largely on the food, motor and textile manufacturing sectors. Between 1945 and 1960 the economy of the city grew rapidly registering annual growth rates in excess of 10%. This growth was based on secondary industrialization in the manufacturing sector. However, since the inauguration of the homeland policy which wedged East London between two impoverished, self- governing homeland states, Transkei and Ciskei, the economy of the city has fared less well. Low annual growth rates were recorded throughout the 1970s and 1980s despite efforts by the Apartheid government to shore up the local economy by offering attractive industrial decentralization incentives in the region. The fragility of the city is not only based on its regional location, but on the absence of mineral and power sources and its distance from major metropolitan markets. Being situated in one of the poorest provinces in the country, East London's growth has always been limited by a weak local consumer market (Swilling 1987: 140). While the economic prospects for the city have recently improved with the dismantling of the homeland system and the centralization of the Eastern Cape's regional government in nearby capital of Bisho (30 minutes’ drive from East London), the city is still badly in need of major economic investment to cater for its rapidly growing population. During the past decade, there has been a massive transfer of population from rural to urban areas in the Eastern Cape generally. This occurred as a result of a softening of homeland borders in the mid-1980s, the removal of the influx control laws in 1986, as well as the deterioration of agricultural prospects in a region gripped by a crippling drought throughout the 1980s. These factors have ensured that East London became the tar-get of a sustained wave of rural-urban immigration. Dozens of new informal settlements have sprung up all over the city during the past five years, while the established townships within the city limits have become hopelessly overcrowded. The research for this project was conducted in East London's most congested township, Duncan Village. In 1995, it had a population of approximately 100 000 people. Between 1964 and 1979, Duncan Village was the target of massive forced removals. , Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Redistribution and taxation in South Africa : inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes University
- Authors: Gavin, Wesley J
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Taxation -- South Africa , Wealth -- Moral and ethical aspects , South Africa -- Economic policy
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:627 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020696 , ISBN 0868103292
- Description: Inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes University , Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Regional development planning in the Border-Ciskei-Transkei region: an examination of its implementation, effects and implications
- Authors: Nel, E L
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Regional planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Regional planning -- South Africa -- Transkei Regional planning -- South Africa -- Ciskei Rural development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1899 , vital:20237 , ISBN 0868103098
- Description: This paper examines the implementation and effects of regional development planning in the former Border-Ciskei-Transkei region of South Africa. State planning strategies were utilized for more than 30 years to further the ends of apartheid by trying to turn the black 'Homelands', into independent economic entities. In addition, the results of the dubious strategies applied and their implications receive particular attention. This is particularly significant in terms of the recent closure of numerous firms in the region as a result of exposure to market forces. The study aims to document and analyse what happened in the area, to detail the conclusions that can be derived from the experience and, by implication, to raise issues which future planners need to take into consideration. The experience of decades of politically-based planning of the economy led to a situation which subsidised inefficiency, encouraged exploitation and failed to leave a sustainable industrial base. Firms were drawn in by the incentives offered and not by inherent locational advantages. The weak economic linkages which resulted and the current disinvestment in the wake of the termination of incentives are an indictment against the policy. The saga of regional development in the Border-Ciskei- Transkei region vividly illustrates the need for future planners to take cognizance of key economic realities when contemplating such strategies. The new government should not repeat the mistake of attracting and subsidising industrial firms which have only tenuous links with the host economy and which require state support to operate profitably. Appropriate policies to assist the most needy remain an urgent necessity which the new government has yet to address properly. This study is based on surveys of manufacturing firms in the region which received state support, interviews with government and development agents, chambers of commerce and municipalities as well as a detailed review of published reports, academic articles and research projects. The time frame of the study extends from the early 1940s when the first attempts at regional development planning were made, through to 1993, the latest year for which data is available. This permits a broad sweep to be made of policies from the apartheid to the post-apartheid period. , Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Resettlement in the Border/Ciskei region of South Africa
- Authors: de Wet, Christopher J , Lujabe, Phumeza , Metele, Nosipho
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Relocation (Housing) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Relocation (Housing) -- South Africa -- Ciskei Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Population Rural population -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sada (South Africa) -- Social conditions Dongwe (South Africa) -- Social conditions Oxton (South Africa) -- Social conditions Whittlesea (South Africa) -- Social conditions Kat river (South Africa) -- History Citrus fruit industry -- South Africa Gqugesi (South Africa) -- History Fort Beaufort (South Africa) -- History Farmers -- South Africa Farmers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Upisdraai (South Africa) -- History Ilinge (South Africa) -- History Migrant labor -- South Africa Black people -- Relocation -- South Africa -- Ciskei
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2849 , vital:20335 , ISBN 0868103160
- Description: This paper presents the findings of part of a research project entitled "Population Mobility and Settlement Patterns in the Eastern Cape, 1950 to 1990", which was funded by the Human Sciences Research Council. The part of the project with which this paper is concerned, is the study of resettlement in the Border/Ciskei area of the (new) Eastern Cape Province. It involves two main foci: a) the Whittlesea district of the former Ciskei, where research was done in the resettlement area of Sada (where findings are compared with research done there in 1981) and Dongwe; and b) the Fort Beaufort area, where we looked at the two 'black spot' communities of Upisdraai and Gqugesi which were uprooted and moved to the Fort Beaufort township of Bhofolo in the 1960s, and at the establishment of black citrus farmers in the Kat River Valley in the late 1980s, on previously White owned farms which were bought out by the (then) Ciskei government. In the Conclusion, some important differences are suggested between resettlement in the Eastern Cape and in QwaQwa, one of the areas of South Africa that has been most severely affected by resettlement. Ways in which the South African material may be seen in terms of prevailing models for the analysis of resettlement, and may provide an input for the modification of these approaches, are briefly considered. , Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Rhodes University Institute of Social and Economic Research, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Rhodes University, Institute of Social and Economic Research
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- History Rhodes University. Institute of Social and Economic Research Economic development -- Research -- South Africa Social change -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Manuscript , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2508 , vital:20299
- Description: Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Rural and urban population trends in the Eastern Cape Province, 1936-1991
- Authors: Fox, R C , Tipler, D J
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Demography -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Population Rural-urban migration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Relocation (Housing) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Relocation (Housing) -- South Africa Rural population -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Rural population -- South Africa Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Growth
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2123 , vital:20257 , ISBN 0868103179
- Description: This study is an attempt to analyze the impact of apartheid policy on population trends, particularly geographical distributions within the Eastern Cape Province for the period 1936 to 1991. Rogerson and McCarthy (1992), in the most recent overview of geographical work, argued that there is scope for studies such as this which integrate spatio-demographic trends with historical and cultural geography. Accordingly, this study delimits population trends and examines the impact of state policy. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used as the main research tool for the storage and manipulation of spatio-demographic data. In terms of the impact of state policy, Christopher's (1994) Atlas of Apartheid provided a comprehensive outline of the historical context which forms the background to the period of study. His book shows how the geographical distribution of race groups within South Africa was largely brought about through the implementation of apartheid legislation. Horrell's (1978) Laws Affecting Race Relations in South Africa, 1948-1976 outlined the apartheid legislation at work during the period up to 1976. The geographical distribution of race groups within the Eastern Cape Province was influenced by a variety of legislative measures and policies from the creation of the reserve areas, through the restrictions on Group Areas, as well as various policies including influx control, border industry/industrial decentralization, forced removals and coloured labour preference. The most significant acts and policies which impacted on the Province are outlined below. , Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Small business development in Duncan Village: towards a new development framework
- Authors: Bank, Leslie John , Jekwa, Mandisi , Lujabe, Phumeza , Mlomo, Bongani
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Community Bank of Southern Africa (Firm) Duncan Village Hawkers Association Duncan village (South Africa) -- Economic conditions Duncan village (South Africa) -- History Duncan village (South Africa) -- Social conditions Peddlers and peddling -- South Africa Unemployment -- South Africa -- East London East London (South Africa) -- Economic conditions Unemployment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2036 , vital:20249 , ISBN 0868103225
- Description: The main aim of this research project is to explore the nature and extent of the informal business sector in Duncan Village and to consider what actions and interventions might stimulate growth and development in this sector. In order to achieve this objective we have organised this report around five main themes: the socio-economic context, a profile of small business operators, supply and marketing strategies, finance and training programmes, and community involvement. , Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
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- Date Issued: 1996
Southern African Journal of Gerontology, volume 5, number 1, April 1996
- Authors: Ferreira, Monica (editor) , Moller, Valerie , HSRC/UCT Centre for Gerontology
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Gerontology -- South Africa , Older people -- Care -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:8072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012865
- Description: [From Editorial] This issue comprises a transdisciplinary mix of interesting and relevant papers ranging from a community-development intervention, to gerontolinguistics, to guidelines for new legislation, to community services in China. The issue begins with an article on infrastructure and equity for the elderly, in which authors Ross, Lerer and Phillips investigate the attitudes of older residents of Elim, a village situated in South Africa's Western Cape province, towards electrification of their village and homes. The creation of basic infrastructure in historically-disadvantaged areas throughout South Africa is a priority under the government's RDP. However, in this case study of Elim, the utility company which provides electricity to the village failed to consult the elderly residents on the developmental intervention and the benefits which electrification might have for them. The majority of the older residents who were interviewed were consequently negative about this new energy source. The advantages which electricity has over other fuels have distinct health and other developmental benefits, and in rural households older members are important decision makers on energy use. The study's findings indicate that developmental interventions in ruralbased communities should include a social-marketing component targeting older members of the community. The article by Makoni on discourse practices in first-time encounters between old and young Xhosa-speaking women represents an exciting development in gerontological research in the Southern African region. As far as we know, this is a first report on a linguistics study in an older population in the region. In his analysis of the conversations, Makoni notes the sociohistorical background against which the old women try to retain status and respect. He points out that while the elderly are a marginalized group, the youth in South African society have become empowered through their contributions to the political changes, which along with other social changes are seen by some to destabilize traditional seniority respect norms. , In his article Van Dokkum makes out a case for the development of legislation to protect older South Africans against abuse. He uses examples of new South African legislation to deter child abuse and vast legislation in the United States to protect older Americans, in outlining a proposal for local activists to campaign for adequate protection of elderly citizens. Zhu gives us an update on a massive community social-services programme for older people being implemented in the People's Republic of China. The programme partly aims to assist an increasing number of older people who find that they are no longer able to live with kin and must live independently. The programme already serves a staggering proportion of China's 104 million persons aged 60 years and above, although it is estimated that it currently only meets 30 percent of the demand. pensions and household structure in Namibia by Adamchak published in SAJG Volume 4, No 2 (October 1995), and Adamchak's response are welcome additions to this number. The journal encourages debate on papers that it publishes, and the letters also reflect the development and growth of gerontology and research on ageing in the Southern African region. Finally, gerontolinguist Makoni reviews Hamilton's (1994) book in which the author analyses her conversations with Elsie, an Alzheimer's disease patient in a "total institution" (Goffman, 1961). The book contributes to understanding of losses and changes in language use in sufferers of this disease as the dementia progresses. Makoni proposes topics for studies on this subject which might be carried out in Southern African countries, where the majority of dementing older Africans are cared for within the community and not in a long-term care institution.
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- Date Issued: 1996
Southern African Journal of Gerontology, volume 5, number 2, October 1996
- Authors: Ferreira, Monica (editor) , Moller, Valerie , HSRC/UCT Centre for Gerontology
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Gerontology -- South Africa , Older people -- Care -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:8073 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012867
- Description: The October 1996 number of SAJG is a special issue on "Gender, ageing and empowerment in Africa." The guest editor of the special issue is Maria Cattell of Millersville University, Pennsylvania, USA, who has conducted substantial research on older Kenyans and more recently on Zulu grandmothers. Dr Cattell is the President of the global Association of Anthropology and Gerontology (AAGE). The issue will comprise research papers from authors in several African countries, and will provide valuable data and experience of ageing in Africa for transnational comparison.
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- Date Issued: 1996