A case for institutional investigations in economic research methods with reference to South Africa's agricultural sector
- Authors: Mbatha, Cyril
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa Economic development -- Research -- Methodology Agriculture -- South Africa Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Agricultural productivity -- South Africa Agriculture -- Research -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:972 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002706
- Description: Economic development remains elusive for many world economies, but especially those of African countries. The current global inequalities in terms of GNP per capita and human living standards between developed and developing nations have ensured that the challenges of food insecurities are only some of the many negative experiences of underdevelopment in the African continent. Hence, delivery pressures are increasing on policy makers and researchers to provide tangible and timely economic solutions to the resilient state of underdevelopment. In the policy fights against the challenges posed by a lack of development in South Africa, the agricultural sector has in the past and continues in the present to play a central role. Such is the case because the majority of citizens rely on agricultural production activities for their livelihoods. For instance, even though the sector only contributed four percent towards the national Gross Domestic Product in 2006, in the Eastern Cape Province, more than seventy percent of the total population resided in rural areas. Moreover, in 2004 more than sixty percent of the national formal and informal employment levels were found in the sector. These economic indicators do not only reinforce the assertions that high levels of geographical and sectoral inequalities exist in the country’s economy, but they also illustrate the importance of the agricultural sector in public policy attempts, which are aimed at achieving food security alongside long-term developmental objectives. Some economists, especially the proponents of institutionalism, have argued that most of the recommendations to public policy interventions from mainstream economic research endeavours are not adequately helpful. The recommendations generally lack well considered and socially effective ideas, mainly because there remains some level of ignorance about the impacts that institutions have on economic and social systems. Some argue that this ignorance is reflected in (flawed) hedonistic and rationalist assumptions made about economic actors and in the methodological thinking of many research designs and economic analyses. The misuse of formal tools and statistical methods, for example, are some of the important factors, which have led to failures of the discipline of economics to provide effective policy solutions to problems of underdevelopment and poverty, especially in poor country environments. The thesis, having taken account of the majority of criticisms levelled against the classical and new-classical economic schools of thought, argues that the discipline as a whole lacks a paradigmatic integration of institutional and new-classical economic perspectives to offer appropriate guidelines for a methodology aimed at achieving socially responsive research outputs. The lack of this integration has resulted in a skewed selection of methods by economists, which are employed in research without a supportive and in-depth understanding of institutional and social factors. To support the thesis, a more effective and integrated framework for economic research is developed and presented with case study illustrations in a cumulative manner. The 20th century history of agricultural policies in South Africa, the agricultural and institutional case studies from the Eastern Cape Province alongside reviews of other agricultural studies are all used in presenting a case for rigorous institutional investigations in general economic research. These are also used in developing the proposed integrated framework, which aims to give guidance in developing research methods, which are more socially responsive. Having shown the usefulness of the proposed research framework, the thesis recommends that public policy interventions (at national and local levels) should aim to eliminate all types of institutions which have high associated transactional costs. The interventions should also encourage the emergence and growth of the types of institutions, which present the lowest costs to initiatives of economic development. In the primary case studies from the Eastern Cape Province, the insecurity of land tenure and the various local initiatives of business ventures are highlighted as two examples of the types of institutions, which respectively present high and low transactional costs to local initiatives of agricultural and economic development.
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The development potential of Kwazulu-Natal aquifers for rural water supply
- Authors: King, Georgina
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Aquifers -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Hydrology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4938 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005550 , Aquifers -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Hydrology -- South Africa
- Description: The supply of water to 'disadvantaged' areas of KwaZulu-Natal has in the past received low priority. Local government is now faced with supplying water to large, sometimes dispersed, rural populations. Groundwater has been utilised informally as a water supply for some years, but the impetus provided by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's White Paper has compelled those responsible for water supply to seriously consider groundwater as a sustainable option. The development potential or success of groundwater in its role as a reliable water supply is dependent on acceptance of the resource by the communities, appropriate level of service, yield sustainability and safe quality. Apart from the social aspects, the yield and groundwater quality characteristics of the aquifers under consideration must be used to determine the best hydrogeological features to target during exploration. A total of 993 borehole records, from a recent government drought relief programme, were used to compare the yield, water quality and best geophysical exploration and drilling techniques of the main hydrolithologies in rural KwaZulu-Natal. The results of comparative analysis shows that the competent rocks of the Natal Group and Natal Metamorphic Province and the karstic Uloa Formation of the Maputaland Group have the best overall potential for water supply. The unconsolidated sediments of the Maputaland Group also have good potential, but have some salinity problems. The Karoo Supergroup sediments and volcanics have moderate potential, with the argillaceous rocks having the worst potential of the Karoo rocks. The contacts between the Ecca Group shales and sandstone have the best potential of the Karoo Supergroup sedimentary hydrolithologies. Fractures clearly enhance the groundwater potential of most hydrolithologies, with fractured Dwyka Group tillites rated as having one of the best development potentials of all the hydrogeological targets in KwaZulu-Natal, despite the hydrolithology's poor water-bearing characteristics. Dolerite contacts with sedimentary rocks are commonly targeted features in groundwater development. However, the results from this research showed that, apart from the Natal Group's contact with dolerite, these targets have poor development potential. In general, contacts between different hydro lithologies. Health related quality was found to be adversely affected in argillaceous hydrolithologies, such as the majority of Karoo rocks which had high levels of sodium and chloride and Natal Metamorphic Province schists which had elevated sodium, chloride and fluoride. Crystalline and arenaceous hydrolithologies generally exhibited good quality groundwater. A comparison between the different geophysical methods for each target feature indicates that there are appropriate methods to use to detect anomalies related to water-bearing features. The large number of dry boreholes drilled in locations with recorded geophysical anomalies can be either a function of the water-bearing characteristics of the formation, human error or background noise. The cost of using the different geophysical methods vary considerably. The order of increasing cost is magnetics, VLF, EM-34, electrical resistivity profiling followed by vertical electrical sounding. Drilling has a large influence on the development potential of certain aquifers due to the high costs involved. Most of the secondary aquifers will require percussion drilling which is the cheapest method of drilling commonly used. Some very unstable formations within fractured or highly weathered rock may need ODEX drilling to enable drilling to advance. ODEX drilling in these conditions is very costly and can double the cost of drilling compared to air percussion. The unconsolidated sediments of the Maputaland Group can only be drilled by mud rotary or ODEX techniques. The relative costs of these two methods arer very similar with ODEX being slightly cheaper. Because of the high expense of drilling in the sands it is recommended that alternative sources, possibly from shallow hand-dug wells, be considered as appropriate methods of accessing groundwater. The aspects of groundwater yield and quality of aquifers, appropriate geophysical siting and drilling methods, together with social considerations will all contribute to the success of groundwater development in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
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