https://thesis.eur.nl/col/4329/ List of Publications en https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6666/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Hrity Aregawi Berhe</div> Business development services as one mechanism of enterprises development have been thought of as a wide array of non-financial services designed to help micro, small, and medium enterprises to overcome barriers and increase profitability by improving their productivity. This study analyzed the extent to which BDS promote and improve small enterprises by examining the BDS impact on MSE enterprises in different sectors and under different ownership. Specifically, the study focussed on cooperatives in the food processing, and metal and woodwork sub-sectors; and on individual operators in food processing in the city of Addis Ababa. Regarding the impact of BDS on the targeted enterprises, the study shows that there is a remarkable improvement in terms of income generation, buying more equipment, more product diversification, more sales, and more employment opportunities. But ownership of the enterprises seems to differentiate this picture. The study shows that this is the result of the characteristics of cooperatives i.e. the sharing of decision making and income which makes them less sustainable as a result of collusion among members. Similarly, the impact of BDS had a different impact in different sub-sectors as cooperative food processing enterprises produce more perishable products and fetch a lower profit which makes investment more difficult, while cooperative metal and woodworks operators make a bigger profit and thus have a better potential to reinvest in their own business. Based on the above findings the study concluded that despite the fact that there are differences found across sub-sectors and nature of ownership, BDS on the whole had a positive impact, in particular for unemployed women and many informal operators. Relevance to Development Studies Business Development services (BDS) have been provided to promote and improve small business by addressing the constraints they face. Similarly, many informal operators have organized and licensed as a result of BDS support. Besides this in the case of Ethiopia BDS created job opportunities for many cooperative food processing operators, and legalized many informal operators of cooperative metal and wood work. Considering this the paper has examined the impact of BDS on specific sub-sectors and different ownership enterprises. This could emphasize why and how impacts differed among sub-sectors and between different ownerships. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6668/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Wakasugi, Miki</div> Global Value Chain shows an asymmetrical scene; some enjoy participating international markets, others are faced with a precarious situation, and enormous gap exists between people which spans all countries. Female informal workers struggle with cruel working conditions, they do not have social protection, nor even peace of mind. Inequality is no longer necessary any more. Middlemen play a role as a bridge, while upgrading is the key to compete in the chain. How do both parameters engage to ensure that they achieve secure conditions for in-formal workers? Whether external standards and corporate social responsibility take the initiative to play a key role or not. The paper analyzes potential methods that female informal workers can improve their working conditions. Relevance to Development Studies Global Value Chain has been formed by capitalism and the pursuit of profits from labour. A wave of globalization has become more powerful and has dis-torted international labour market. The efficiency of middlemen is much de-bated when viewed from an economic perspective, therefore, the impacts of middlemen for upgrading and female informal workers are not clear yet. The workers have kept silence for decades, we now assume the calm before storm. When the storm brews up, who stimulates it? Hence, the paper examines by analyzing impacts of middlemen for the labour rights of informal female workers in African countries. Keywords https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6667/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Moreno i Sabaté, Eva</div> Local MSIs have appeared in sectors of the African horticultural industry aimed at bringing together key local stakeholder and ensuring the representation of vulnerable workers. This research explores the possible benefits of this bottom-up CSR approach by focusing on the potentials of local MSIs to overcome inherent problems of CoC. Taking WIETA in South Africa as a case study and drawing from a one month field research in the Western Cape, this paper shows important labour rights enhancement, exposing however limitations for workers’ direct voice to be heard in CSR. Relevance to Development Studies Despite growing acceptance of CSR among bilateral and multilateral development agencies, there is very little evidence of the actual impact of CSR in development. The lack of local input and the limitations to address vulnerable workers are crucial shortcomings of top-down CoC. Local MSIs represent a new development aimed at reverse this trend. Based on the WIETA study case, this paper explores the potential of local MSIs to enhance workers’ rights and develop an “ecology of knowledge”, i.e. making present the voice of vulnerable workers in the CSR agenda. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6653/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Haji, Mwalim Omar</div> This paper analyzes possible factors which prevent the realization of social dialogue in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) food and beverage sector in Zanzibar. The results indicate that despite of having the meaningful guiding principles such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions and labour legislations and policies, yet it its implementation is not attainable in this sector. The key actors: employers, government, and trade unions understand their roles and responsibilities but do not take into practice. While the social dialogue is mainly focussed and limited to these three pillars, a vast majority of employees and other stakeholders are not involved in the process since the sector is seen as not important, and operating in traditional way. Therefore, this study argues that weak-nesses and lack of technical capacity among the social partners; inadequate education of labour laws and social dialogue among social partners; misconceptions and mistrusts of both employees and employers against trade unions and government; the power of gov-ernment to predominate and influence trade unions affairs; disregard of implementation of social dialogue and labour legislations; cultural aspect of the Zanzibar community; lack of harmonious relations among the social partners; and insufficient wages which do not meet workers’ requirements are key factors which prevent social dialogue being realised in small and Medium Enetrprises (SMEs). To overcome these obstacles, various measures are sug-gested include capacity building among social partners. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/6654/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT <div>Makalamangi, Sophia R.O.</div> This paper analyzes the effects of minimum wage on employment in textile industries in Tanzania where three firms were used as a case study. The study found that minimum wage, to some extent affects the level of employment in large firms contrary to small and medium firms. Furthermore, the study indicated that the most affected group of workers are casual labourers who face disemployments after the rise of minimum wage as the neoclassical models predicts that employment will fall if the minimum wages highly rises. But this theory only applies to large firms contrary to small and medium firms. The mixed results from the study illustrate that the minimum wage was not the only factor that affects the level of employment but other factors may influence employment effects as well, like market fluctuations with low and high seasonality need also be taken into consideration. Relevance to Development Studies Tanzania is a poor country and the lack of decent work, unemployment and poverty are the major challenges of the country’s development. This paper aims at analysing the employment effect caused by the new minimum wage in textile manufacturing industries. The sector employs a large number of low paid workers in urban areas and thereby contributing to reduction unemployment and household poverty. The paper is concerning with minimum wage policy as an important tool for economic and social policy, is providing a range of policy goal including eliminating exploitative working conditions, combating unfair competition and wages, ensuring decent wage and poverty reduction. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8774/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>Munemo, Felicity</div> Entrepreneurship in the informal economy of Harare, Zimbabwe is an im-portant livelihood strategy for women and has potential to economically em-power them. It has been observed that entrepreneurial initiatives increase their income, enable them to provide for their families, reduce dependency on their husbands, foster self esteem and greater participation in household decision making. The paper aimed to give women entrepreneurs’ voice on whether entrepreneurship in the informal economy of Harare has accorded them an opportunity to engage in productive work that is economically empowering. The women shared their life history narrations on how they got involved in entrepreneurial activities in the informal economy and the challenges they faced as they travelled through their entrepreneurial journey. The paper uncovered that despite all the efforts of gender mainstreaming women still find it difficult to access credit and they still face obstacles to engage in productive work due to cultural norms and values that are entrenched in social institutions. The paper concluded that beyond gender mainstreaming there is need for changes within institutions that makes it difficult for women to access credit. There is also need for change in cultural institutions that perpetuate gender division of labour and other cultural norms that prevents women from realising their potential and gainful employment. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8773/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>BISERUKA, David</div> Self-employment is claimed to be a viable option for young graduates of vocational education and training in Rwanda. It has been recognised that self-employment involves complex journeys for those who seek it. Those who seek self-employment can influence their economic journeys to be quicker or relatively shorter and it involves many forms of informal orientation and self-directed learning experiences. Workforce development authority as a government agency responsible for VET, takes the forefront initiative to regulate the setting of curriculum standards to match the labour market with the desired competences. VET programmes provides significant inputs for young people to become self-reliant, it opens the opportunities for young people to discover a job which fits their choices and competencies, it ensures decent work for the participants with a fair income, it provides participants with skills to make to make a living. This research is an attempt to assess how young VET graduates seek self-employment in a tight labour market taking Gasabo District as case study. The primary data collected is purely qualitative. The data was collected from thirty five (35) respondents with the help of interview guide. Desk study was also applied in collecting second-ary data. The study findings indicated that young people seeks self-employments through, per-sonal initiatives, family support, support networks. The research findings indicated that the better access one has to social networks the higher chances to become self-employed in a shorter period. Findings also indicated that young people praise Vocational education and training (VET) programmes for developing various competences such as risk taking, wide social networks, problem solving, self-organisation in their daily life. Research results on the challenges young people encounter when seeking self-employment are; limited confidence and experience in the labour market, lack of motivation, lack of recognition of their qualification, lack of financial support into their journeys to self-employment. To improve the steps and journeys young people make to start self-employment. I would argue that, there is a need for a special recognition of young VET graduates who enters the la-bour market. The research finding shows that, the young VET graduates are not recognised in the labour market. It clearly indicated from the findings that young people hardly make it to start self-employment. thus, there is also a need to introduce the active labour market policies in the current labour market of Rwanda. This could also help to smooth the economic journeys of young people to self-employment in a country. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8775/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>Mwaba, Karen</div> The past few decades have witnessed a growth in the informal economy activities as a result of the shrinking formal economy employment. A large section of people in Zambia are engaging in coping strategies in order to make ends meet. At the sometime, the growth of the informal economy has gained impetus in policy discourse in order to address some of the economic challenges that are coming with this transition such as the rise in unemployment rate, underemployment and consequently poverty. The most affected being the youth and, women. This paper seeks to address the policy response to the empowerment of women in the informal economy through the national gender policy and the training policy. It examines the relevance and the contradiction of the policy responses in as far as empowerment of women is concerned. The paper contends that the whole idea of empowerment goes beyond the provision of training for women entrepreneurs. It extends to factors such as deficits in freedoms and choices that limit their capabilities. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8776/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>Mapunda, Lisungu Magnus</div> This research paper evaluated the social policies of Tanzanian gov-ernment if are able to mitigate the problem of youth unemployment in Dar es Salaam and also if the same policies are applicable to youth offenders of the property crimes. This study was done in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The study results showed that, the unem-ployment amongst youth are significantly increasing despite of the policies and programs put in place which appears to be sound in combating the youth unemployment. Factors leading to such unemployment were slow economic growth, retrenchments of workers which carried out as an advent of implementation of SAPs, rural–urban migration, and population growth rate amongst youth, lack of education and skills and indi-vidual problems. Due to this situation the study also revealed that, there is ancillary problem of significant increase of property crimes amongst youth in Dar es Salaam. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8777/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>Tuah, Thomas Wilberforce</div> After more than three scores and two decades of oil exploration, Ghana finally struck oil in commercial quantities in its off shore oil exploration expedition in conjunction with Kosmos and Tullow Ghana oil companies in June 2007. The many years spent to locate a pool of crude in the sedimentary basin of the Saltpond oil field affected the national plan to produce manpower for the oil industry. This then raises the interest of this paper to look into issues regarding skills that would be required to work in the oil industry and whether universities are producing students with these skills. All of these would be done by using the eyes of students because the paper focuses on students perceptions, ideas and dreams. Students’ perception with regards to why they choose to have higher education, opted for their courses, their expectations and where they would want to work in the oil industry after their courses and their fore knowledge about job conditions in the oil industry were explored together with students’ perceptions about life working in the oil industry. Their views on how they see the structure of their courses and whether in their candid opinion the course structure would really lead them to achieve their objectives and areas of the courses they would like changes to be effected and why. Findings from this paper show that, students are very handicapped in the practical aspect of their training and are much worried about their chances in contemporary competitive labour market. This is despite the fact that the literature reports a global shortage. The perceived unfavourable working conditions on the rig have raised fear and anxiety among the male students to the extent that most have decided not to pursue career on a rig. Among the female students however, a there is a noticeable desire not to pursue a career on the rig which is heavily influenced rather by socio-cultural norms than biological differences. Multinational companies were found to have closed their doors to universities, lecturers and students and have made teaching at the oil departments in the universities to be more theoretical without practicals. Though the nation has come out with a development policy which has been transformed into parliamentary Bill to be passed into law to guide the oil industry, it has little or no effect on the attitude of MNCs towards universities and students regarding accessing their rigs and using their facilities for practical training. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/8770/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:01 GMT <div>Bemah, Abena</div> The objective of this research is to understand why the northern migrant workers in Kumasi are vulnerable and what form of social protection is best suited in addressing their vulnerability. The research makes use of key concepts such as risk, vulnerability and collective models for organising. It discusses academic debate in social protection. With the new discourse on social protection, emphasis is paid to how individuals can contribute to achieve social protection. Neubourg livelihood portfolio theory based on the welfare pentagon is introduced and used as the main theory for data analysis. The research makes use of both primary and secondary data sources. The research reveals that the Kayayei engage in their work in other to gain money to better lives, learn a trade, for educational purposes, or to marry. They migrate as Kayayei due the limited employment opportunities in the northern regions of Ghana compared to the south. Most often since their work requires no basic training or skill, they easily begin to work in the market centres as Kayayei. Most of those working as Kayayei are women and children. The process they have to go through when working as a Kayayei and the risks they are exposed to makes them Kayayei vulnerable. They work in poor working conditions within the market centres. They have no voice to bargain because they do not understand the language of the south. The face severe accommodation problems and child care problems. They do not have health insurance and earn very low income. They are unrepresented, unprotected and unorganised; the Kayayei lack voice in decision making process. Although state policies exist to protect the fundamental human rights of all Ghanaians, there are no existing policies that protect their right at work. Past interventions to deal with their problems have been unsuccessful because it failed to identify the specific needs of each Kayayei and to identify that they are not a homogenous block. Moreover, interactions with KMA and DOVVSU indicate that the Assembly can help them only if they are an organised group. The research reveals that although few Kayayei often form part of other informal associations, among themselves they are unorganised. To this, the research concludes that the best form of social protection best suited in addressing the Kayayei vulnerability is for them to organise. Also an application of the welfare pentagon shows that KMA and other community NGO’s can support them once organised in achieving their priority needs, which include decent working condition and accommodation, health insurance services and child care services. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/10616/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT <div>Estepa, Ana Muñoz</div> This paper discusses IFAs in terms of whether they can realize the implementation of certain core international labour standards through the encouragement of the respect for freedom of association (the right to join a union) at diverse geographical and functional levels within MNCs and their supply chains. It assesses this through interviews with GUFs, an on-line survey directed at union leaders conducted in Latin America and Africa and a critical review of the main academic literature on IFAs. Based on this, the paper identifies some critical factors that unionists have to face in order to put IFAs into practice such as some companies’ resistance to and fear of the unknown; lack of perception of IFAs’ added value on the part of some MNCs; possible tensions between unions; divergent opinions (about IFAs) within the same MNCs; failures of communication within MNCs and among workers’ representatives; a need on both sides (MNCs and trade unions) to improve both awareness and education about IFAs; a need for more active involvement in an IFAs approach by both local managers and local unions; and the widespread practice of outsourcing. The respective attitudes toward this tool on the part of practitioners and the academics are contrasted whenever possible. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/10624/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT <div>Chavez, Roland Jeremy Alvarez</div> The concept of decent work is a main intellectual tool to extend rights and frames protection for workers, but what happens in the case of trans migrant sex workers? Are they included in this protection? For the type of work they do what perceptions and meanings build on no discrimination at work and social security, components of the concept of decent work This research seeks to discover those meanings through discourse analysis of trans in their daily lives, as well as delve into social and personal motivations that move their adventures in transnational migration to the sex market in the city of Milan. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/10625/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT <div>NGOBOKA, François</div> Self-employment in urban areas of Kigali represents a large share of the labour force and public market operators are part of small scale self-employed entrepreneurs that make up self-employment in Kigali. This paper aims to understand the factors that shape the entry and growth of public market operators in one of the public markets in Kigali called Gakinjiro-Gisozi and to assess if their income is enough to satisfy their household needs. Study findings suggest that family and relatives circumstances, previous employment, workplace ownership, relationship with authority and public market organisation have played the main role in shaping their entry and growth. Yet, inadequate inputs and defaults of clients as well as lack of running capital predominantly impeding their growth. The findings highlight that self-employed market operators have acquired start-up capital mainly from own savings and contributions from family relatives instead of from financial institutions loans. However, once the business was established, self-employed become potential clients of those financial institutions. This research found out that market operators earn income above national median income in the same category and a good number of them perceive that their income is good enough to meet their household’s basic needs. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/10626/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT <div>XIE, Bing</div> Drawing upon in-depth interview, this article examines the transition process of fifteen female domestic workers in Beijing from live-in to live-out status. It indicates, it is out of their aspiration for more autonomy and control over work, these workers decides to move out. After overcoming the difficulties brought by live-out status, these workers treat their movement as a progress in terms of enhanced working conditions. The transition suggests a more equal employer-employee relationship. Besides, the social network, in particular, the peers’ network, serves as an important determinant in their upward mobility. However, instead of showing pure agency, the whole process actually describes a mixed picture of structure and agency, as there are also structural and individual factors involved. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/13020/ Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:01 GMT <div>Muzend, Glenda Tambudzai</div> This paper focuses on the experiences of lived lives of black lesbians in the South African labour market. It shows how in a heteronormative space they manage and perform their sexualities due to discrimination that exists from organizational culture that limit access for lesbians. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientations is underreported particularly in the context of employment in South Africa; this study reveals the existence further marginalization on basis of being black, a woman and a lesbian which is supported by investigations into daily lives of respondents in the work place-how they manage and cope discursively, actively and make decision about their identities. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/13511/ Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:01 GMT <div>Kaserera, Josephine</div> Disability issues have in the past been given less priority in development due to lack of supportive legal framework to encourage realistic intervention strategies. The development of the Convention of Rights for People with Disabilities places a demand on states to be more pro-active in inclusionary disability strategies. This paper tries to join in the middle of debate in literature on inclusion of people with disabilities through mainstream vocational training which is argued to be an effective way of developing economic and social capabilities for people with disabilities. Testimonies of students in disability mainstreaming learning at Danhiko Vocational Training Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe are analyzed using Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach, to assess how skills development takes place as well as the capabilities accrued to the students’ lives. This paper will argue that mainstream learning not only has human capital benefits for both students with and without disabilities but that it encourages the development of social capabilities through social interaction for both student categories. This social interaction changes attitudes and stereo-types that encourage exclusion, as students learn each other’s capabilities and get to appreciate that they are differently able.