Critical discussion, reflection, application: the anthropogenic nature of environmental problems and with examples from the SA context.

There are a lot of environmental problems, however, the four leading environmental problems are Ozone depletion leading to climate change, destruction of natural habitats, adverse effect on marine life, and the decline in freshwater. All of these four leading environmental problems can be traced back to the influence of humans.

Ozone depletion leading to climate change:

Since the 1970s there has been a decrease in ozone which caused a hole in the ozone and lead to global warming. The main reason behind the decrease in ozone is because of the harmful products used in everyday life, i.e. Styrofoam, chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration, air-conditioning units, and the propellant in aerosol cans, and carbon dioxide emissions of cars as well as the burning of wood and fossil fuels.

Destruction of natural habitats:

Natural habitats such as the forests, wetlands, coral reefs, the ocean bottom, are being destroyed placing many species under threat/extinct globally

The reasons for destruction/extinction/threat can be traced back to population growth, use of harmful products as well as pollution, and overuse/over-extraction of natural resources.

Adverse effect on marine life:

The reasons for destruction/extinction/threat can be traced back to overfishing, the use of technology and large nets to catch larger volumes of fish, and water pollution in the ocean leads to the death of fish.

The decline in freshwater:

The reasons for water decline and crisis can be traced back to the overuse of water by communities and industrial operations; Pollution dumping of industrial effluents, agricultural chemicals into dams and rivers; destruction of natural estuaries and flood planes leading to floods; global warming leads to high temperatures and severe storms; ceasing or slowing in the flow of water; dams are low or empty due to severe droughts resulting from global warming; wastage due to irrigation, leaky pipes, run-off of rains where vegetation is destroyed; population growth leading to the ever-increasing pressure on food production & exports, thus on water sources meant to serve local communities

Discuss the concept of Participatory development approach and critique with an example from the SA context

People's participation became more pronounced in humanist approaches since the late 1970s which allowed for the concept of Participation development. Within the Participation development approach, the development process involves the participation of the beneficiaries from the inception stage to the implementation of the development intervention. This approach enables society to build their own capacity and self-reliance, as well as allow grassroots people to become partners in the development process.

In South Africa, there is an example of UNESCO's "Finding a Voice" Project who employs ICT (information and communication technologies) for development initiatives. However, it must be kept in mind that there are a lot of challenges that come to the forth in Participation development such as centralization of power, limited capacity, inappropriate technologies, and limited coordination among the communities. Which makes it difficult for participation development to be effective.

1. Elaborate Boserup's contribution to the visibility of women and development.

2. Describe the emergence of the WID approach.

3. Trace the WID approach through the first three world conferences.

4. Elaborate the GAD approach

1. Boserup argued that more gender policies by national governments and international agencies might correct earlier mistakes. Women should be accorded equal resources and basic needs in order to improve their economic independence, importantly the provision of more equitable opportunities in education and employment. Although the WID approach had its limitations it increased the visibility of women in development. It was centered on criticizing the "invisibility" of women in development programs and not on looking critically at the development activity itself. WID narrowly concentrated the social, cultural, legal, and economic factors that give rise to those inequalities in societies
2. The first important statement of the position of women in development was made by Esther Boserup. She advanced a critique against modernization: that only economic efficiency would emancipate women in the third world. The modernization process supervised by colonial authorities imbued with Western notions of the sexual division of labour had placed new technologies under the control of men. The process marginalized women reducing their status, power, and income. WID "gave a voice to women" and pushed the issue of gender into the center stage in the context of the international development regime.
3. The first three international women's conference is from Mexico (1975), Nairobi (1980), Copenhagen (1985). The third women group pressured the emergence of the WID. The status of women from this approach on par with men was based on equality.
4. GAD aimed to bring together both the lessons and limitations learned from WID and WAD approaches, looking at the impact of development in both women and men. GAD argued that women were not a homogeneous group but rather divided by race, class, and ethnicity. It seeks to ensure that both men and women participate and benefit equally from development and therefore emphasizes equality of benefit and control in development projects.

Compare and contrast the core tenets of the modernization and dependency theory

According to the Modernization theory, all societies begin from a common baseline of traditional underdevelopment and undergo a "linear transformation" along the development continuum of economic and social change from traditional to modern. While keeping this in mind it is important to put emphasis on the fact that societies have to transform their traditional ways of operating into modern ways. This can be done by replicating or following the ways of MDCs. At some stage of development, a dual economy will appear (where society makes use of both traditional and modern ways) which will then, later on, be replaced with a single independent state (modern state).

Dependency theory argues that Modernization fails because of the lack of First world country values. This theory also argues that Third World countries are and will remain poor because of the fact that they are exploited by First World countries

Discuss any four factors that constitute development illustrating each with examples from the SA context.

1. Growth and Structural change

Growth and structural change are necessary for development to happen. There are three different sectors in which a country can fall in: The primary sector which includes countries that earn income through fishing, farming, forestry, etc. these countries are less developed. The secondary sector includes countries with medium national income, these countries are called developing countries. The tertiary sector includes countries with high national income, these countries are referred to as developed countries. Countries need to move from the primary sector, through the secondary sector, and into the tertiary sector in order to develop. This means structural changes must take place as well. South Africa can be seen as a developing country as a lot of the country's income comes from mines and fishing, however, it is not the countries only source of income.

2. Modernization

Theorists argue that a country needs to embrace modern and technological advances in order to develop. South Africa has not fully embraced technology as a lot of the economical systems are still based on outdated technology, whereas countries like for instance Sweden focus a lot on technological advances in improving their standards. A country must focus on technological advances as the whole world is getting more technologically advanced, which helps industries generate more income in less time needed. However, technology also replaces human labour, which is already a problem in South Africa.

3. Rural to Urban migration

As a country becomes more developed, more citizens move from rural to urban areas for better work opportunities. This is clear to see why a country can be seen to develop because the more people migrate from rural to urban areas, the more the country moves towards the secondary sector and away from the primary sector. South Africa is a good example, as a lot of the farmers move from the rural areas to urban areas, for a safer life with more job opportunities.

4. Improvements in Health and Education

Education is important for a country to move from the primary sector to the secondary sector. In South Africa, a lot of people became farmers and fishermen because of the lack of education and forced to take jobs that do not require a degree. When education is improved, it is easier for people to open up new businesses, which then opens up job opportunities and to an extend increases the national income. Health improvements are also necessary, as the more advanced the countries healthcare is, the lower the countries death rate will be.

Give a thorough definition of poverty as suggested by experts

Contrary to popular belief that poverty is defined by the financial wealth of a person, experts define poverty in terms of living situations. Instead of focusing only on materialistic properties, experts look at the individual's life as a whole. Experts take into account the number of social activities the individual is exposed to, as well as the individual's accessibilities such as running water and a built-in shower or bath. In other words, experts define poverty as not having the things in life that are necessary to live a wholesome life - including social interaction and holidays.

What are the benefits of poverty for the individual and the community?

It is without a doubt that poverty is associated with negativity, however, there are some benefits poverty brings to the forth in both the individual as well as the community.

Symbolic Interactionist would agree that a person who is born in poverty, might see the living conditions and be motivated to get out of their current state and become successful, after all, most success stories begin with "Growing up we didn't have any money ...".

Poverty can also be seen to benefit society, as there is a gap in the market. Statics such as racial and gender disparities, can in turn cause a gap in the market. For instance, the insurance company First For Woman realized that women get paid less and therefore offer women more benefits at better prices, which also causes a chain reaction as more companies like First For Women can open up and form job opportunities.

People in poverty often have to take jobs out of their comfort zone which causes the individual to develop skills they did not think they had.

Lastly, people in poverty often get help from the government and the community - if they meet the criteria - to get free medical services. This also opens up opportunities for people to open up Non-profiting organizations.

Marno Botha - 32553587

Learning Activity 2 

Learning Activity 2

In this Learning Activity, a comparison between two theoretical approaches will be discussed. The two comparisons are between the Structural Functionalist approach and the Symbolic Interactionist approach.

The Structural Functionalist approach puts emphasis on the larger scale of social problems. This approach argues that society is a system of interrelated parts in a dynamic equilibrium and all aspects serve a function. In other words, each member of society has a role to play in order for it to be stable and to function. Social problems arise when one aspect does not play its part as it causes a disruption in the equilibrium.

The Symbolic Interactionist approach, on the other hand, puts emphasis on each individual of society. This approach argues that individuals learn behavior from engagement with others, as well as learn their roles in society from others. Individuals base the situations on how they understand them, which is the cause of social problems.

Marno Botha 32553587

Learning Activity 1

Sociologists ask four questions to think about social problems. These questions are: What is a social problem?; What makes a problem a social problem?; What causes the social problem; How can we solve social problems.

Depression:

Depression can be seen as a social problem, as it is a threat to our key values. It is clear that a lot of people are trying hard to help people with depression, so a lot of people would agree that depression must be changed (in the sense of a social problem). Depression is not a personal choice, some people have neurological imbalances which causes depression.

Smash-and-grab: Smash-and-grab is a social problem, as it is harmful to the victims, but in the favor of the offenders. The cause of this social problem is the physical world we live in as well as evil people. If the problem is not resolved, it will only continue and become a norm.

Rape:

Rape is definitely a social problem as the cause of rape is hard to identify and threatens our key values. Rape is very harmful to a lot of victims and a lot of people agree that it must be changed. Evil people are the cause of rape and as we try to solve the problem, our definition of it changes.

Fast Food:

Fast food can be seen as a social problem as it prevents people from living healthy life. A lot of people are living unhealthy lives and a lot of these people are overweight, because of their eating habits which consist of fast foods. Fast foods have become a norm in the world we live in, which makes it hard to resist. This problem is embedded in the nature of society.

HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS is considered a social problem as it prevents/limits people from achieving their goals. The more people have HIV/AIDS, the higher the chances of spreading. HIV/AIDS is not a personal choice, but rather a lack of knowledge. For this social problem to change, the nature of people must be changed, which is impossible.