The identification of South African technological innovations: A proposed methodology

Technological innovations represent significant indicators of scientific and economic vigour in any society. They are however, extremely difficult to both identify, and to evaluate in terms of their importance.

This paper addresses itself to the problems of identification and measurement. As such it forms a necessary prerequisite to a survey of technological innovations in South Africa, and, in the process, seeks to contribute to the general field of technological enquiry.     

The development and evaluation of an andragogic training programme for small business retailers

One of the greatest challenges facing South Africa after apartheid is job creation and the development of people's skills. Small business, and retailing in particular, with its relatively low entry requirements, can help to meet this challenge. However, small business retailing suffers from a high failure rate.

It was felt that small business retailers would be more likely to succeed if they received proper training. A small business training model was therefore developed and implemented and the results were evaluated from several perspectives. This indicated that if small business retailers are effectively trained their knowledge and skills will improve and their businesses will be more likely to survive and grow. The article describes the model, the systematic approach to the training, the methods of evaluation and the lessons to be learnt from the exercise.     

外国城镇化经验之一美国:依托大城市,均衡发展小城镇

美国是世界上城镇化水平最高的国家,城镇化率高达85％,基本达到城乡一体化,农村城镇化.美国城镇化的四点经验(1)以大城市群建设为主体,构建多层次城镇体系.在城镇化进程中,美国打破区域界限,整体统筹区域资源利用、环境保护、产业布局和重大项目建设,着力打造大都市圈和城市带,依托大中城市,充分发挥中心城市的辐射带动作用,构建集聚度高、开放式、多层次的城镇体系,形成了国际性大都市、全国性中心城市、区域性中心城市、地方小城市和中心镇等不同层次的城镇体系.大都市区在20世纪出现后,很快就成为美国城市发展的主导趋势之一,大都市区的数量不断增加,规模急剧扩大,大都市区人口在全国人口中的比例也迅速提高.     

Unlicensed taxis in Zimbabwe's urban areas: The case for legalising an informal urban transportation system

ABSTRACT

Studies of informal urban transport modes have been carried out in several countries in Africa and Asia. Hardly any have been conducted in Zimbabwe. This study set out to establish the prevalence of an informal urban transport system and the rationale for its existence. The research was carried out in Masvingo and Harare. The study used qualitative approaches such as participation–observation, conversations with stakeholders and open-ended questionnaires. The data were summarised into tables and graphs. Among the findings were that an informal urban transport system is very active in both cities and that the existence of the system is justified due to the inadequate services provided for certain types of commuter. It is recommended that the vital role played by informal taxis should be recognised and managed. Specific routes could be mapped out for them, with a flexible licensing regime to match.     

Measuring the poverty lines for urban households in China—an equivalence scale method

Laid-off employees in the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) due to China's economic reform and the enterprise-restructuring plan created newly urban poverty, lending urgency to the task of constructing accurate measures of poverty thresholds. Along this line, a fundamental question is: given the widely used poverty threshold for an individual, how should that threshold vary across households with different demographic characteristics? Equivalence scales, which can be used to derive comparable poverty lines for households of different sizes and compositions and in different regions, are ideally suited for providing answers to this question. Accordingly, this paper uses the Urban Household Survey (UHS) data of China to estimate the equivalence scales for Chinese urban households. The results provide a quantitative reference to calculate the comparable poverty lines for households with different demographic compositions. A useful byproduct of this study is a specification of the demand system of China.     

Milk in the city: profiles and development paths for urban dairy holders in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Demand for dairy products is growing fast in urban areas. Due to poorly developed rural infrastructure, urban dairy farms are pivotal in making milk available and affordable in towns and cities. Yet current supply fails to meet the increasing demand. In order to formulate fit interventions that can expand urban dairy production, a detailed understanding of urban dairy systems is needed. Using a cluster analysis approach, we profile 304 urban dairy farms in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia, along three dimensions: input efficiency, market integration, and resilience towards demand seasonality. Our results suggest five distinctive farm types: surviving farms, processing female farms, young male entrepreneurs, established output-efficient farms, and established output-input-efficient farms. We observe large discrepancies in terms of dairy enterprise’s productivity, profitability, and suitability in future urban policy planning. For each of the identified dairy systems, we sketch potential intervention approaches that can feed into more tailored dairy development programmes.     

北大汇丰智汇谷:整合优势资源 夯实要素发展升级

北大汇丰智汇谷产学研基地(以下简称基地)源自北大学术高地,是为落实《广东省人民政府——北京大学战略合作框架协议》及《东莞市清溪镇人民政府——北京大学深圳研究生院战略合作框架协议》中深化北京大学与广东省在战略合作、人才培养、科技创新、成果转化等方面的合作的精神而成立的产学研项目。     

Developing an understanding of problems being experienced by traditional healers living on the western border of the Kruger National Park: Foundations for an integrated conservation and development programme

The World Health Organisation estimates that 70‐80 per cent of Third World populations utilise traditional medicines. In South Africa this number is increasing due to population growth, rapid urbanisation, lack of alternative medical facilities, widespread poverty, violence and a belief that certain diseases can only be cured with traditional medicine. In 1994, traditional healers living on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park in South Africa requested assistance in obtaining scarce medicinal plant and animal species. It soon became apparent that developing a participative programme would require a deeper understanding by conservationists of the sociological, cultural and environmental factors affecting traditional healers. This research project was aimed at investigating these factors, as well as providing traditional healers with an opportunity for learning more about the problems conservationists are experiencing, thus building a foundation for a future integrated conservation and development programme.     

Polycentric development in the Cape Town city-region: Empirical assessment and consideration of spatial policy implications

The concept of the ‘polycentric urban region’ has been popularised both as a theoretical concept for understanding regional urban systems in an era of reduced transport and communication costs, and as a normative policy objective in its own right. This paper explores its relevance to the rapidly urbanising Cape Town city-region. First, empirical evidence for the emergence of polycentric regional development patterns was considered. Shifts in relative settlements sizes (morphological polycentrism) over the period 1991–2011 were examined using population data, and patterns of inter-settlement interactions (functional polycentrism) were explored by analysing commuting information. Contrary to expectations, trends toward polycentric development were found to be weak. Second, the paper considers the relevance and value of polycentric development thinking for regional economic and spatial planning policy, concluding that there are insufficient grounds for policy intervention aimed at encouraging polycentric regional development or countering the dominance of Cape Town in the region.     

Transforming South Africa's cities: Prospects for the economic development of urban townships

This article identifies and evaluates the range of strategies being used to generate economic activity close to and within townships, focusing on the three metropolitan areas of Gauteng, the Durban Functional Region and metropolitan Cape Town. After placing townships in the context of the larger city and the overall strategy of local economic development, the article examines the various types of strategies that have been proposed to stimulate and support economic activity: the currently dominant spatial strategies, the provision of services infrastructure, the development of economic infrastructure, small business support services, and public works.     

The socio-economic differences between landfill and street waste pickers in the Free State province of South Africa

Waste picking is an important survival strategy of many people throughout the developing world. South Africa has a sizeable waste picker population who ply their trade on municipal landfill sites as well as on the streets of cities and towns. This study lifts the lid on this neglected area of research by analysing and comparing landfill and street waste pickers side by side in a socio-economic context. Samples of waste pickers were drawn from the three main municipalities of Mangaung, Matjhabeng and Metsimaholo in the Free State province of South Africa and a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Among the findings was that waste picking offers a financial lifeline when, due to inadequate schooling and grinding poverty, individuals would be hard pressed to find employment in the formal economy. The study lays an important foundation for further comparative and qualitative research into this important segment of South Africa’s informal economy.     

Problems and prospects for the development of urban tourism in Gaborone and Maun,Botswana

This paper draws on the tourism system framework to examine the problems and prospects of urban tourism in Gaborone and Maun, Botswana. These are young centres that have a growing number of tourist attractions, facilities and services that could promote urban tourism. The findings of this study, based on both secondary and primary data sources, indicate that urban tourism in Botswana is relatively undeveloped because there is no substantial domestic market, tourist attractions in urban centres are poorly developed and marketed, and city development plans and the national tourism policy are not integrated. The study concludes that, for tourism to become a viable economic sector in the country, urban tourism should be integrated into Botswana's tourism policy and city planning.     

福建自贸区离岸金融业务发展存在的问题与对策

随着我国经济建设的不断加强以及福建自贸区的成立,离岸金融业务成为了经济生活中不可或缺的一部分,离岸金融业务的出现对福建省来说可谓是机遇与挑战并存。离岸金融业务增进了闽台间的交流,更好地发展了福建独特的地缘优势,促进其自身及周边地区的发展,但同时离岸金融业务也存在着发展不完善、片区经济不协调、管理机制不足等诸多问题,福建省应建立有效的商业模式,创新贸易发展方式,加大创新力度,实行三大片区优势互补,以实现和台湾的产业对接,进一步完善福建自贸区银行服务离岸金融业务,使其拥有一个更好的发展前景。     

The contribution of urban and regional planning towards regional development in Southern Africa

Regional planning experienced a fast growth in South Africa, both in theory and practice, since the mid sixties. This growth was made possible by government support for regional planning and development and thus had a direct and beneficial effect on the development of less developed regions.

This paper describes the factors, both in SA and abroad, which contributed towards the growth of regional planning. It also outlines other contributions of regional planners and planning towards development of less developed regions.