Leaving boxes behind : civil society and water and sanitation struggles in Durban, South Africa

Abstract: This article examines the complex space between the commodification and decommodification of water, showing how civil society leaves these ‘fictitious’ boxes behind in water and sanitation struggles. Drawing on Polanyi (1944), it looks at how the balance between what is commodified and what is not, can – and is – affected by the engagement between government and civil society in all its forms. In response to the local municipality implementing policy or introducing innovations, civil society in all its forms responds, and acts as a catalyst for significant policy shifts. Important changes in people’s lives can result from civil society engagement with the municipality through dialogue and negotiation alongside protest. It examines this engagement in four critical areas of water and sanitation in Durban, South Africa, namely connections and disconnections; water pricing, affordability and free basic water; dry sanitation and urine diversion toilets; and participation and citizen voice. Although constrained by structural realities, there is evidence that civil society agency can ‘make a difference’ in people’s every day lives, spurring us on to more extensive policy challenges to widen this space, while contributing to the development of counter hegemonic alternatives

Making community based adaptation a reality : different conceptualisations, different politics

Abstract: Community-based adaptation (CBA) is criticised for ignoring power realities and damaging the very communities it aims to assist. This paper shows how CBA is not a homogenous, technical practice but is itself a political endeavour. It suggests that there are five types of CBA, based on actors’ conceptualisation of communities, approach to development, and interest in either transition or transformation. It then focuses on how the “change agent” type of CBA can overcome this critique. It draws on findings from a three year, multi-disciplinary, participatory research project on water and CBA in four local communities in South Africa

Problematising Civil Society- on What Terrain Does Xenophobia Flourish

Is there a need to reconceptualise civil society organisations (CSOs) given the fragmented, uneven, varied and sometimes contradictory responses of CSOs to the May 2008 violence

State capture and institutional cascades : a case study of the Department of Water and Sanitation

Abstract: The South African state has been transformed since 1994, but not in the way that many people hoped or expected. In the 1990s and 2000s analyses—and protests-- focused on the incompetency, or ‘lack of capacity’, of the state, its skewed priorities toward elite interests and its failure to deliver services adequately or equitably. Events in the 2010s have shifted our purview to a more insidious reality: the transformation of the state through its capture. The devastating impact of state capture on its institutions is becoming increasingly visible. This article looks at how the first stage of state capture, or high level capture that corroded the ethos of governing, has cascaded through the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) through a second stage of capture. This stage undermines the operation of the DWS and its management and protection of water resources and provision of water services. Through an analysis of primary data including Parliamentary reports and information from access to information (PAIA) requests, three features of state capture in DWS are examined: securing control over the public service and weakening of controls, centralising control over institutions, and ‘shaking down’ regulation. Its aim is not to identify individuals involved and how they benefit, but to examine how these features have exacerbated the dysfunctionality of DWS that began in the 2000s. Finally it concludes by considering opportunities for systemic reform

Failed intentions? Meeting the water needs of people living with HIV in South Africa

Researchers, activists, practitioners and policy-makers have grappled with the challenge of providing people living with HIV (PLHIV) with an  adequate amount of safe water. Comprising 13% of the overall population of South Africa in 2018, 7.52 million PLHIV need water for drinking and  taking medication; preparing food; and personal hygiene and cleaning to minimise infections. This article examines the responses of the different stakeholders to this challenge and their impact on the water and health policy process. It finds that activists were able to emphasise the dimensions of the challenge; practitioners worked to implement provision more effectively within existing policy frameworks; and a range of stakeholders made a thoughtful and promising policy proposal for direct action, which the Department of Water and Sanitation ultimately failed to embrace. This article is based on an extensive review of academic research and publications by development agencies on HIV and water as well as engagement with policies and documents in the South African water sector related to water services delivery for PLHIV. While the widespread provision of antiretrovirals from 2004 has changed the context, the above findings are significant in understanding and reviewing the impact of various stakeholders on the water and health policy process. They raise questions regarding the effectiveness of NGO advocacy, the means of delivering improved services to specific populations, and the ability of a range of stakeholders to inform the policy approaches of government departments. Keywords: activist HIV multi-stakeholder targeting wate

Introduction to the Digital Humanities Summer Institute Colloquium Special Issue

This is the introduction to the DHSI Colloquium Special Issue. The DHSI Colloquium serves as a forum for emerging scholars to present their own research.This special issue showcases some of the research presented at the Institute in 2014

Introduction to the Digital Humanities Summer Institute Colloquium Special Issue

This is the introduction to the DHSI Colloquium Special Issue. The DHSI Colloquium serves as a forum for emerging scholars to present their own research.This special issue showcases some of the research presented at the Institute in 2014

National Survey of Stroke Survivors: Documenting the Experiences and Levels of Self-Reported Long-Term Need in Stroke Survivors in the First 5 years.Systematic Review:Factors Associated with Community Re-integration in the First 12 months Post Stroke: A Qualitative Synthesis.

Introduction In Ireland it is estimated that there are 30,000 persons living with residual effects of stroke.1 The Irish National Audit of Stroke Care, carried out in 2007, identified substantial deficits in a number of areas including discharge planning, rehabilitation, on-going secondary prevention, and communication with patients and families.2 The present study builds on the findings of the audit. It explores in detail the current needs of people post stroke in Ireland who are living in the community. It also provides a profile of many possible problems that stroke can cause. In addition it provides a comprehensive review of the literature. Aim This report contains two distinct pieces of research: Firstly, a systematic review and qualitative synthesis (metasynthesis) of the literature was conducted. The aim of the systematic review was to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to community re-integration in the first 12 months after stroke, from the perspective of persons with stroke Secondly, a national survey of stroke survivors who experienced their stroke up to 5 years previously was carried out. The aim of the survey was to document the experiences and levels of self-reported long-term need among community-dwelling stroke survivors in Ireland Methods of the National Survey Stroke survivors were recruited to take part in the survey primarily though the Irish Heart Foundation National Stroke Support Group Network and non-statutory organisations that provide support after acquired brain injury. The survey was also advertised online to a broader stroke population. A questionnaire was developed to assess respondents’ own perceptions of their recovery, community re-integration and on-going needs from existing validated questionnaires with the permission of the original authors.3 Data collection took place between June and October 2013. Main findings: Systematic Review Eighteen articles, using qualitative methodology, were included in the final review. Four primary themes that were perceived to act as barriers or facilitators to community re-integration for individuals in the first year after stroke were identified from the included studies: Primary effects of stroke Personal factors Social factors Relationships with professionals National Survey A total of 196 stroke survivors, aged between 24 and 89 years, responded to the surve Mobility difficulties were reported by eighty-three per cent of respondents. Emotional problems, fatigue, concentration and arm dysfunction were reported almost as commonly Of the 150 individuals with emotional difficulties only eleven per cent received psychological services Sixty per cent of respondents felt that their household finances were affected by their stroke. Thirty-six per cent of respondents reported paying privately for rehabilitation. Thirty-four per cent of respondents had to pay privately to adapt their home Over half of respondents needed help with personal care and two thirds needed help with household tasks since their stroke. Family provided most of this help Forty-two per cent of respondents who were in a relationship at the time of the survey felt that it has been significantly affected by their stroke Less than a quarter of respondents under the age of 66 have worked in a full or part-time capacity since their stroke, while sixty per cent of drivers have returned to driving Conclusions Stroke had a personal, social and economical impact on the lives of many respondents. Successful return to work levels after stroke, as reported, were particularly low. Emotional distress and fatigue were common and were barriers to many activities. Satisfaction with the level of help available for these problems was poor

Reactions to imagery generated using computational aesthetic measures

This article examines whether textural generation system imagery evolved with computational aesthetic support can be judged as having aesthetic attributes, both when knowing and not knowing its true origin. Such a generation, depicting a digital landscape, is offered to two groups of participants to appraise. It is hypothesized that there will be no statistically significant difference between the groups on their appraisal of the image. Results from statistical analysis prove to be consistent with this hypothesis. A minority of participants, however, do exhibit significant differences in their perception of the image based on its means of production. This article explores and illustrates these differences

Physical robustness and resilience among long-lived female siblings: A comparison with sporadic long-livers

Long-lived individuals are central in studies of healthy longevity. However, few pro-longevity factors have been identified, presumably because of phenocopies , i.e. individuals that live long by chance. Familial longevity cases may include less phenocopies than sporadic cases and provide better insights into longevity mechanisms. Here we examined whether long-lived female siblings have a better ability to avoid diseases at ages 65+ (proxy for robustness ) and/or survive to extreme ages (proxy for resilience ) compared to sporadic long-livers. A total of 1,156 long-lived female siblings were selected from three nationwide Danish studies and age-matched with sporadic long-lived female controls. Outcomes included cumulative incidence of common health disorders from age 65 and overall survival. Long-lived female siblings had lower risks of some but not all health conditions, most significantly, depression (OR=0.74; 95%CI=0.62-0.88), and less significantly hypertensive (OR=0.84; 95%CI=0.71-0.99) and cerebrovascular (OR=0.73; 95%CI=0.55-0.96) diseases. They also had consistently better survival to extreme ages (HR=0.71; 95%CI= 0.63-0.81) compared to sporadic long-livers. After adjustment for the diseases, the association with mortality changed only marginally suggesting central role of better physiological resilience in familial longevity. Due to their consistently better resilience, familial longevity cases could be more informative than sporadic cases for studying mechanisms of healthy longevity