The urban land question : management and access for the urban poor in post apartheid South Africa

The premise of the thesis is that the developmental use of urban land should be ethical, fair and promote social justice. Using multiple research approaches and mixed methods this thesis examines the urban land question in South Africa and particularly Cape Town where land distribution and ownership are inequitable. The thesis unpacks land redistribution, land tenure reform and land restitution within this context. It is argued that the South African Constitution commits government to protect the property rights of those who currently own property and at the same time redistribute land to those who have been dispossessed and explores what this tension means for urban land redistribution and reform using the freedoms approach developed by Amartya Sen as a conceptual framework and as alternative to the neo-classical model. The main findings of the thesis can be summarized as follows. a) The thesis demonstrates that there is no logical reason why the freedoms approach cannot be extended to include urban land. b) The entitlements and endowments that urban land could bestow on the urban poor are shaped by how the State invests in land through the instruments of land planning and land use management which call for a significant role for the State as custodian of public land to not only make explicit the land asset register under public ownership but also instill trust in the poorer sectors of urban society. c) A two track system of land planning and land use management may be more appropriate in the post apartheid South African city, one stream for market driven land and one for targeted public land programmes that directly address urban poverty provided that the State is able to make strong connections between the philosophical and the technical aspects of land and land use management systems. d) As a two track system is suggested the land use management system requires to be reframed. To facilitate land redistribution and reform in urban areas of South Africa therefore, the thesis suggests that a deliberative and systemic planning approach needs to be adopted that is intervention focused. Only when the State assumes a more critical interventionist role in public land programmes would it be possible to obtain social justice and the principles of the good city in the South African urban context. e) Gaining access to and control over land resources beyond the market is possible but limiting for the majority of the urban poor when land and housing debates are conflated. This conflation results in other land debates being silenced yet these have the potential to offer alternatives to the neo-classical model of land and land use management as well as promote a wider role for public land than just housing

Effect of welfare and economic performance on good governance outcomes in Pakistan

Abstract. The paper undertakes a detailed analysis of economic progress and welfare measures in determining good governance outcomes in Pakistan. There is evidence that inequality stifles the capacity of political, economic and social governance by creating an elite class that protect their economic and political interests and undertake legislation primarily to the benefit of ruling elites. Furthermore our results also suggest that economic development empower the economically and socially excluded groups of the society and give them more voice in favor of policies that are representative of the issues like accountability against corruption or favoritism.Keywords. Governance, Welfare, Economic development.JEL. D60, D61, D63

A clash of rights in the legal and spatial planning contexts: The case of the Philippi Horticultural Area

The Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) is often referred to as Cape Town’s ‘food basket’, providing over one-third of Cape Town’s fresh vegetable produce. Located in the heart of the Cape Flats District, the PHA is surrounded by some of the poorest and most densely populated suburbs in the Cape Town metropolitan region. The agricultural area has come under increasing development pressure in recent years, caught in the midst of the ongoing battle between urban development and housing delivery, on the one hand, and the protection of agricultural activity, on the other. This article evaluates the arguments for and against the development of portions of the PHA against secs. 24-27 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 relating to rights associated with the environment; property; housing; healthcare, food, water, and social security. The article seeks to determine whether a balancing of these rights can be achieved within the PHA, and whether portions of the PHA can be developed in a manner that protects and enhances the cultural and environmental integrity of the area, while also allowing urban development to accommodate new and existing communities. We argue that issues related to food security, environmental well-being, and access to land and development are inextricably linked and cannot be dealt with in isolation. Instead, a more holistic approach is needed, which takes a balanced view of these issues and embraces the spirit of the Bill of Rights (as contained in Chapter 2 of the Constitution) in an all-encompassing manner. Given that the PHA faces enormous challenges such as rampant crime, illegal occupation of land, and so on, we take the position that a balancing of rights is not only the most appropriate strategy for the PHA from a legal point of view, but also crucial to its very survival. We, therefore, argue that a symbiotic relationship must be cultivated between urban and agricultural land uses, through appropriate urban development articulated in a spatial framework that provides clarity as to how urban development can assist in protecting productive agricultural activity. In this way, the role of the PHA as Cape Town’s ‘food basket’ can be better conserved for current and future generations

The impact of bank governance on the quality of accounting information (A field study on a sample of Sudanese banks in Gadarif State)

The purpose of the study is to assess how a sample of bank employees in the state of Gedaref perceived the impact of bank governance, including both internal and external procedures, on the accuracy of accounting information. Adopting the stratified random sampling approach, the study population consisted of (52) bankers. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical analysis, simple and multiple regression analysis, and the descriptive analytical survey approach, which was employed at the study. The findings revealed that there is a relationship between the level of bank governance application and the quality of accounting information and that this level is high. Additionally, there is a medium correlation between the use of governance mechanisms and the quality of accounting information, with external governance mechanisms being used more frequently than internal ones. There are no differences between the application levels of internal and external governance mechanisms or between the quality of accounting information levels that can be attributed to the nature of the bank (public, private, or joint). The findings also revealed disparities in the implementation of governance that can be ascribed to the banks board of directors regular meetings as opposed to irregular ones. In light of the findings, the study suggests activating bank governance mechanisms as one of the ways to improve the quality of accounting information, concentrating on external mechanisms of governance as being more influential in this regard, and strengthening the aspect related to the administrative ownership of executives in the banking sector as a way to improve the application of internal governance mechanisms

Obstacles of Administrative Creativity Among the Principals of Public Schools in Amman City from their Point of View

The aim of this study is to identify the obstacles of administrative creativity among the principals of public schools in Amman City from their point of view. With that, the descriptive survey methodology was adopted. The sample of the study consisted of (105) male and female principals selected randomly. To achieve the objective of the study, a 30-item questionnaire distributed over (3) areas was formatted.The results of the study showed that the obstacles of administrative creativity among the principals of public schools in Amman City from their point of view for various fields were at a medium degree, where the field of environmental obstacles ranked first, followed by the field of organizational obstacles in the second place, followed by the field of personal obstacles in the third and last rank.The results showed that there were statistically significant differences for both sex variable in favor of males and experience variable in favor of those with more than ten years of experience.In the light of the researcher's findings: Work to link social and cultural institutions in the community in order to unite efforts to contribute to raising awareness of community members of the importance of creativity and innovation in school work, and organize programs and training courses to develop creativity skills. Promote positive communication at all levels to facilitate proposals for the development and improvement of performance, and the need to provide integrated administrative staff in each school to reduce school workload and provide an opportunity for creativity and innovation. Keywords: Administrative Creativity, Obstacles, Principals, Amman City. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-36-04 Publication date: December 31st 201

The Level of Implementing Governance at Public Jordanian Universities from the Faculty Members’ Perspective

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على مستوى تطبيق الحاكميَة في الجامعات الأردنية الرسمية من وجهة نظر أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية. وتكوّن مجتمع الدراسة من العاملين في هذه الجامعات من أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية وعددهم (6926) عضوا.أما عينة الدراسة فقد تم اختيارها بالطريقة العشوائية من مجتمع الدراسة وهي الجامعة الأردنية،ال جامعة اليرموك، وجامعة مؤتة، وعددهم (243) عضوا من أعضاء هيئة التدريس. واستخدم الباحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، والاعتماد على (الاستبانة)، حيث تكونت فقرات الاستبانة من خمسين فقرة موزعة على خمسة مجالات هي: مفهوم الحاكمية، مجالس الحاكمية، المشاركة، الشفافية والمساءلة. وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن مستوى تطبيق الحاكمية من وجهة نظر أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية (كبيرة)، كما أظهرت وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى الدلالة (α≤0.05) تبعاً لاختلاف متغير الكلية، وذلك لصالح الإنسانية، بينما لا توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية عند نفس مستوى الدلالة  تبعاً لاختلاف متغير الجنس والرتبة العلمية. ومن توصيات الدراسة: العمل على تطبيق ونشر ثقافة الحاكميَة في الجامعات الأردنية الرسمية، والعمل على إحداث إصلاحات في قوانين وأنظمة الجامعات الأردنية الرسمية بما يتلاءم وظروف البيئة المحيطة. الكلمات المفتاحية: الحاكمية، الجامعات الأردنية الرسمية، التعليم العالي.The purpose of the study was to identify the level of implementing governance in public Jordanian universities from the point of view of the faculty members. The population of the study covered all the faculty members (6926). 243 members were randomly selected from three universities: Jordan, Yarmouk and Mu'tah. The researcher used the descriptive analytical method. The research tool was a questionnaire, which consisted of 50 items, covering 5 dimensions: concept of governance; governance councils; participation; transparency; and accountability. The results of the study showed that the respondents’ assessment degree of the level of implementing governance was high. There were also statistically significant differences at the level of (α≥0.05) attributed to the variable of college in favor of humanities. On the other hand, no statistically significant differences were found at the same level of significance attributed to the variables of gender and academic rank. The study recommended that governance should be implemented and spread in public  Jordanian universities. There should also be reforms of the laws and regulations of public Jordanian universities, taking into consideration the conditions of the surrounding environment. Keywords: Governance, Public Jordanian universities, Higher Education