An analysis of alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development.
- Authors: Hlanti, Msawenkosi Madoda
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: National income -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Economic development -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Gross domestic product -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Economic policy , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1099 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013144
- Description: The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Hlanti, Msawenkosi Madoda
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: National income -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Economic development -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Gross domestic product -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Economic policy , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1099 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013144
- Description: The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Community development education: the integration of individual and collective consciousness for community well-being within a social development paradigm in South Africa
- Authors: Maistry, Savathrie
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Development Studies)
- Identifier: vital:11754 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/182 , Community development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa
- Description: This study focused on community development education and practice for the democratic and transformative South context. Social and community development are relatively new approaches to social welfare and community development is emerging as a discipline and profession to contribute to the goal of developmental social welfare. Community work, albeit to a minimal extent and not community development was viewed as a method of social work during apartheid. With community development being prioritized as an intervention strategy for poverty reduction by the national government, the gap in community development education needs to be addressed. The goal of the study was to develop an undergraduate curriculum framework for community development education that would produce a new generation of ethical community development professionals to contribute to the goal of developmental social welfare. The study focused on the integrated approach to community development education and practice; with education of the student as a whole human being as critical for community development in a transformative South Africa. To achieve its goal, the study identified three themes that were critical to the research: a conceptual framework, clarifying key terms; a curriculum framework for community development education; and qualities and ethics for a new generation of development practitioners. The qualitative study was based in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa and because of the lack of a referential framework for community development education, the researcher looked towards learning from India which has over fifty years of experience in social and community development education and practice. The state of Kerala established a social development approach in 1957 and was chosen as a learning experience. The state’s Kudumbashree Mission which aims at poverty alleviation through the empowerment of women was chosen as a case study. The integral and values based education system of Sri Sathya Sai University in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the community development education and practice of Loyola College in the state of Kerala were examined. The research design was exploratory, conceptual, descriptive and developmental in nature. The qualitative methodology best suited the nature of this study and a combination of methods to obtain data from a variety of sources across national boundaries was employed. The participants interviewed in both countries were purposively selected for their involvement in social and community development directly as target groups, practitioners, managers and policy makers. The research produced a philosophical and theoretical framework that is unitary and integral and aligned with the current social development policy to guide community development education and practice. The unitary and integral framework encompasses the individual within the family and community context and locates the various dimensions of development such as the social, physical, cultural, psychological, spiritual, political and economical dimensions within a unitary platform. The framework is dominated by the holistic and humanistic philosophies without negating the rational and pragmatic perspectives. In conclusion, the study conceptualizes community development as a natural process; the integration of individual and collective consciousness and an intervention. The outcome of the study is a recommended curriculum framework for community development education that would be of relevance to the Eastern Cape Province in particular and for the South African context generally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Maistry, Savathrie
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Development Studies)
- Identifier: vital:11754 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/182 , Community development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa
- Description: This study focused on community development education and practice for the democratic and transformative South context. Social and community development are relatively new approaches to social welfare and community development is emerging as a discipline and profession to contribute to the goal of developmental social welfare. Community work, albeit to a minimal extent and not community development was viewed as a method of social work during apartheid. With community development being prioritized as an intervention strategy for poverty reduction by the national government, the gap in community development education needs to be addressed. The goal of the study was to develop an undergraduate curriculum framework for community development education that would produce a new generation of ethical community development professionals to contribute to the goal of developmental social welfare. The study focused on the integrated approach to community development education and practice; with education of the student as a whole human being as critical for community development in a transformative South Africa. To achieve its goal, the study identified three themes that were critical to the research: a conceptual framework, clarifying key terms; a curriculum framework for community development education; and qualities and ethics for a new generation of development practitioners. The qualitative study was based in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa and because of the lack of a referential framework for community development education, the researcher looked towards learning from India which has over fifty years of experience in social and community development education and practice. The state of Kerala established a social development approach in 1957 and was chosen as a learning experience. The state’s Kudumbashree Mission which aims at poverty alleviation through the empowerment of women was chosen as a case study. The integral and values based education system of Sri Sathya Sai University in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the community development education and practice of Loyola College in the state of Kerala were examined. The research design was exploratory, conceptual, descriptive and developmental in nature. The qualitative methodology best suited the nature of this study and a combination of methods to obtain data from a variety of sources across national boundaries was employed. The participants interviewed in both countries were purposively selected for their involvement in social and community development directly as target groups, practitioners, managers and policy makers. The research produced a philosophical and theoretical framework that is unitary and integral and aligned with the current social development policy to guide community development education and practice. The unitary and integral framework encompasses the individual within the family and community context and locates the various dimensions of development such as the social, physical, cultural, psychological, spiritual, political and economical dimensions within a unitary platform. The framework is dominated by the holistic and humanistic philosophies without negating the rational and pragmatic perspectives. In conclusion, the study conceptualizes community development as a natural process; the integration of individual and collective consciousness and an intervention. The outcome of the study is a recommended curriculum framework for community development education that would be of relevance to the Eastern Cape Province in particular and for the South African context generally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
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