13 research outputs found
Building capacity for evidence-informed decision making: an example from South Africa
Abstract: To maximise the potential impact and acceptability of EIDM capacity building, there is a need for programmes to coordinate their remits within existing systems, playing both ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ roles. Through a review of the South African evidence-policy landscape and analysis of a stakeholder event that brought together EIDM role players, this paper illustrates how one capacity-building programme navigated its position within the national evidence-policy interface. It identifies strategies for improving the acceptability and potential effectiveness of donor-funded EIDM capacity-building activities: understanding the evidence-policy interface, incorporating programmes into the decision-making infrastructure (being an ‘insider’), whilst retaining an element of neutrality (being an ‘outsider’)
The Herschel-Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI): instrument and pre-launch testing
This paper describes the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), to be launched onboard of ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, by 2008. It includes the first results from the instrument level tests. The instrument is designed to be electronically tuneable over a wide and continuous frequency range in the Far Infrared, with velocity resolutions better than 0.1 km/s with a high sensitivity. This will enable detailed investigations of a wide variety of astronomical sources, ranging from solar system objects, star formation regions to nuclei of galaxies. The instrument comprises 5 frequency bands covering 480-1150 GHz with SIS mixers and a sixth dual frequency band, for the 1410-1910 GHz range, with Hot Electron Bolometer Mixers (HEB). The Local Oscillator (LO) subsystem consists of a dedicated Ka-band synthesizer followed by 7 times 2 chains of frequency multipliers, 2 chains for each frequency band. A pair of Auto-Correlators and a pair of Acousto-Optic spectrometers process the two IF signals from the dual-polarization front-ends to provide instantaneous frequency coverage of 4 GHz, with a set of resolutions (140 kHz to 1 MHz), better than < 0.1 km/s. After a successful qualification program, the flight instrument was delivered and entered the testing phase at satellite level. We will also report on the pre-flight test and calibration results together with the expected in-flight performance
Trade union reaction to privatisation : the case of the congress of South African trade unions
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The assignment examines the policy positions of the Congress of South African Trade
Unions (COSATU) on restructuring and privatisation.
The assignment's theoretical point of departure is found in the work of Levitsky and
Way (1998). Levitsky and Way (1998) examines the alliance between a political party
and its labour ally in the context of neo-liberal economic reform. The context is
usually a political party that has come to power with the aid of a powerful trade union
federation. The authors are interested in establishing if the party-union alliance would
be sustained if the political party embarks on drastic economic reforms that have the
potential to undermine trade union federations. The two cases that are investigated are
Poland and Argentina, because in both these cases, a political party has been swept
into power with the aid of a powerful trade union federation. Against the background
of neo-liberal economic reforms, both trade union federations initially supported the
economic reforms. In the medium and long term however, labour defected from the
alliance in Poland, whereas the alliance was sustained in Argentina despite the
enormous costs to workers.
Levitsky and Way (1998) then posit a number of material and institutional factors that
explain both the initial convergence and the later divergence between the two test
cases. The factors that are included in this framework are social linkages, party
strength, leadership overlap, union competition and the degree of autonomy from
either party leadership or the rank-and-file. These factors are hypothesised to explain
the policy positions and behaviour of the trade union federation. It is this theoretical
framework, which will be tested to establish if the framework permits enough
conceptual leverage to explain the past and present policy positions of COSATU on
privatisation. These factors have been given prominence because of its actual bearing
on the status of the alliance relationship. The present study will therefore be using
these factors of the framework, and barring one exception, it will be conceptualised in
the same way.
The second component of the study is to use the South African National Opinion
Leader Survey of 1997/98 to study the actual attitudes and opinions of COSATU
leaders on a range of privatisation issues. The survey is going to be used to determine
if there is any degree of continuity between formal congress resolutions and the
attitudes of COSATU leaders in the survey. This is also an indirect way of verifying
the ideological loyalty of leaders to the official positions of the trade union federation.
The second question returns to the alliance relationship by examining differences, if
any between COSATU and ANC leaders on privatisation related issues.
Factor analysis is used to build two indexes, namely a "privatisation index" and a
"gear index." An interesting finding from the data is the relatively greater policy
cohesion amongst COSATU leaders. These results permit speculations that do not
necessarily indicate an imminent breaking up of the alliance, but rather continued
discussions with possibly various policy compromises by COSATU and the ANC.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die werkstuk ondersoek die beleidsposisie van die Congress of South African Trade
Unions (COSATU) oor herstrukturering en privatisering in Suid Afrika.
Die werkstuk se teoretiese uitgangspunt word in die werk van Levitsky en Way
gevind (1998). Hierdie skrywers ondersoek die alliansie tussen 'n politieke party en sy
arbeidsvennoot in die konteks van neo-liberale ekonomiese hervorming. Die konteks
is 'n politieke party wat aan bewind gekom het met die steun van 'n kragtige vakbondfederasie.
Die skrywers wil vas stel of die party-vakbond-alliansie sal voortgaan
wanneer die politieke party drastiese ekonomiese hervorming aanpak wat die
potensiaal het om vakbond federasies te ondermyn. Twee gevalle, naamlik Pole en
Argentinië word ondersoek. In albei gevalle het die regerende politieke party aan
bewind gekom met die hulp van die vakbond federasie. Teen hierdie agtergrond van
neo-liberale hervorming het albei vakbond federasies in Pole en Argentinië
aanvanklik die proses gesteun. Gedurende hierdie tydperk het vakbonde in Pole
weggebreek van die alliansie, terwyl die alliansie in Argentinië ten spyte van die groot
koste vir die werkers voortgesit was.
Levitsky en Way (1998) verskaf 'n aantal materiële en institusionele faktore wat die
aanvanklike samevloeiing en die latere uiteenvloeiing in hul twee voorbeelde kan
verduidelik. Die faktore wat in die ontleding gebruik word is sosiale verbindinge,
partysterkte, leierskap oorvleueling, vakbond kompetisie en outonomie van of party
leierskap en gewone werkers. Volgens die skrywers se hipotese sal hierdie faktore die
beleidsposisies van die vakbond federasie verklaar. Dit is hierdie teoretiese raamwerk
wat in die studie gebruik word. Daar word gepoog om vas te stel of hierdie raamwerk
genoegsame konseptuele reikwydte het om COSATU se privatiserings beleid te
verduidelik.
Die tweede komponent van die studie is die gebruik van die Suid Afrikaanse
Nasionale Menings Opname van 1997/98. Dit word gebruik om die houdings en die
opinies van COSATU leiers oor n breë spektrum van privatiserings kwessies te
ondersoek. Die doel is om vas te stel of daar enige graad van kontinuïteit tussen
formele kongres resolusies en houdings van COSATU leiers bestaan. Dit is ook 'n
manier om die "ideologiese getrouheid" van COSATU leiers te verifieer. Tweedens
word daar teruggekeer na die alliansie verhouding deur die verskille tussen ANC en
COSATU leiers betreffende privatiserings verwante kwessies te ondersoek.
Faktor ontleding word gebruik om twee indekse te bou, naamlik 'n "Privatiserings
indeks" en 'n "Gear-indeks". Interessante bevindinge wat dui op 'n groter
beleidskohesie by Cosatu-meningsvormers as by ANC-meningsvormers kom na vore.
Na aanleiding van bogenoemde model word daar gespekuleer dat hierdie
meningspatrone nie noodwendig op 'n uiteenval van die alliansie dui nie, maar eerder
op voortgesette gesprekke met verskeie beleidskompromisse by Cosatu sowel as die
ANC-leierskap
Implementing the Public Finance Management Act in South Africa : How Far Are We?
The implementation of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), 1999 is reviewed in this book, focussing on the development and reform of financial governance arrangements after 2000. South Africa has a long way to go to ensure that financial reforms are translated into service delivery gains. Implementing reforms and making sure that citizens benefit is proving difficult, yet the convergence of various government agencies in addressing financial governance is beginning to inspire the kind of confidence needed to overcome the country's financial governance challenges. The authors find that, despite the challenges, the PFMA has begun to make a difference and, if properly implemented, may still provide the ground for a fundamental transformation of public-sector service delivery
Where to for Provincial Education? : Reviewing Provincial Education Budgets 2006 to 2012
South Africa's provincial education departments have been reduced to provincial administrations, for reasons that include the powerful role national government plays in delivering education services. This book looks in detail at education spending and asks: Can we afford to maintain administrations that cannot possibly change the course of poor quality education and engineer a brighter future for our poor and deprived learners? The authors believe this question and the future role of provincial education departments need to be discussed, openly and publicly, without delay
Reflections on mentoring experiences for evidence-informed decision-making in South Africa and Malawi
Abstract: This article is based on the consensus that the availability and utilisation of research enhances policy discussions. The article reflects on the experiences within one approach: capacity building through mentoring. The UJ-BCURE programme aimed to increase the capacity of decisionmakers to use evidence in decision-making via mentoring models. Mentoring is described as an interactive, facilitated process that promotes learning. The features of the models that have contributed to the programme’s success are orientation workshops with mentees combined with participatory, needs-led, and flexible approaches. UJBCURE experiences are relevant to the field of evidence-informed decision-making in an African government context