Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'United States. Agency for International Development. Africa'

O presente estudo propôs-se investigar de que forma os acordos assinados com a USAID sobre ensino superior no Brasil fizeram parte da estratégia dos Estados Unidos de construção de regimes internacionais mais amplos que deveriam sustentar a ordem mundial depois da Segunda Guerra Mundial. A hipótese central é a de que esses acordos estavam relacionados com a estratégia de promoção do desenvolvimento econômico e social que tinha, de um lado, a noção de que o desenvolvimento poderia ser planejado e implementado pelos governos e, de outro, uma visão de segurança internacional em que a promoção do desenvolvimento era entendida como fator essencial. Para a realização do estudo foram realizadas análise documental e entrevistas com pessoas que, de várias formas, estiveram ligadas às ações da USAID no ensino superior brasileiro na década de 1960, em especial ao caso de cooperação técnica com a Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Os dados levantados pelo estudo permitiram confirmar em larga medida a hipótese levantada inicialmente, mas mostraram também que a questão é bem mais complexa. Os acordos da USAID sobre ensino superior no Brasil fizeram parte da estratégia de construção de regimes internacionais, mas representaram apenas uma etapa de um amplo programa de cooperação científica e tecnológica iniciada muito antes.

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Bachelors
Sciences
Political Science

During the past decade, international development discourse has shifted from a narrow focus on aid effectiveness to one of cooperation towards more effective development. A series of High Level Forums have produced a set of principles to guide this new development framework. With the steady increase of international migration, sizeable diasporas who generate a diversity of activities with development implications in their homelands have formed outside of developing countries. Recognizing their importance and potential for development, several developed country bilateral donors have engaged these emerging development actors, including the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Analysis of their policies and programs reveals a set of emerging themes and lessons learned that identify the need to challenge conventional ways of thinking about the nature of development partnerships in order to move towards more effective development.

Despite Russia's foreign agent law and a plethora of literature on the deterioration of Russia's civil society, there is a scarcity of research about the breakthroughs and transformation of Russian-and-American (RA) nongovernmental organization (NGO) partnerships. Accordingly, the research goal of this qualitative case study was to explore the tenets of servant leadership theory exhibited by foreign aid organizations for the restoration of RA NGO partnerships. The research questions addressed the influence and dominance of servant leadership tenets within United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its collaborating agencies. A content analysis was conducted using online publicly available data such as annual reports from foreign aid organizations, newspaper articles, fact sheets, recorded interviews, and blogs. Data were deductively coded around the servant leadership attributes: (a) listening, (b) healing, (c) awareness, (d) empathy, (e) foresight, (f) conceptualization, (g) stewardship, (h) persuasion, (i) commitment to the growth of people, and (j) building community. Content analysis findings revealed that some servant leadership tenets (e.g., building community, commitment to the growth of people) were more dominant than others among USAID and its collaborating agencies; however, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that servant leadership had a dominant effect on the restoration of RA NGO partnerships. The implications for positive social change include recommendations involving governmental agencies, NGOs, and nonpartisan groups with understanding and adopting the principles of servant leadership for the restoration of RA NGO partnerships to assist Russian civil society with embedding principles of democratic governance.

The thesis studies the development and transfer of core competencies in multinational corporations. It aims to advance the general body of knowledge relating to core competencies, to have practical applicability for management practitioners and academics, to explain how three companies from South Africa became global leaders in their fields and to examine the lessons they learned about international business. Three South African originated multinationals and a US multinational company were studied. The basic methodology is a case study. The methods of research were personal interviews, telephone interviews, written questionnaires, documents, archival records and direct observations. Value chains were used to evaluate the effectiveness of methods of development and transfer and the success of transfer of core competencies. It is concluded that different and multiple methods are needed to develop and transfer core competencies. The effectiveness of methods varies by company and value chain location. There is a significant high degree of correlation between the ratings of success in transferring core competencies and the effectiveness of the methods used to transfer them. This gives substantial credibility to the information provided by the companies and highlights the importance of selecting appropriate methods. There are some variances between the research results and established literature on the development and transfer of core competencies. There are notable differences between the companies from South Africa and the US multinational on the effectiveness of methods used to develop and transfer core competencies. There are also areas where all the companies are in accord. "Roadmaps" covering the effectiveness of methods for developing and transferring core competencies in different locations in a value chain are presented. Practical examples of the companies' actions relating to acquisitions and post-acquisition integration, their experiences in different countries, challenges they face, the methods used to assess transfer, avoid pitfalls and improve transfer, and other issues are also provided.The success of the multinationals from South Africa is explained by a combination of history, competitive factor conditions, management practices, attributes and leadership. The conclusions of the thesis are followed by recommendations on how to improve the management, development and transfer of core competencies.

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The United States has spent over $2 billion during the last six years to reconstruct and stabilize Afghanistan through the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP). This effort is only one of several simultaneous programs attempting to stabilize Afghanistan using approaches including providing humanitarian aid, education, government and security reform, and construction. Construction often involves simple infrastructure development with tangible benefits including increased access, growing commerce and better security. Construction projects can also employ the local population and, if done correctly, develop a sense of community and social capital. What causes construction projects to miss the mark failing to result in creating a stable community? This research compares four different construction programs including CERP, National Solidarity Program (NSP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) to determine their potential impact on Afghan stability. It uses a combination of statistical regression, correlation, geospatial and temporal analysis to compare completed construction with recorded SIGACTs (Significant Acts) reported by U.S. forces and NGOs. The results imply that the identified stabilization programs are not using construction effectively to create social capital and stability.

This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.

Des années 1960 jusqu’à la fin de la guerre froide, voire au-delà, l’influence voire la prépondérance de la France sur les territoires francophones d’Afrique noire est presque totale. Cependant, en ce XXIème siècle naissant, la compétition mondiale dans la recherche de nouveaux débouchés et de la sécurisation de l’approvisionnement énergétique amène inexorablement les grandes puissances à entrer en ‘‘conflit d’intérêts’’ par la pénétration réciproque des « arrière-cours ». Ceci est particulièrement vrai pour la France qui voit des pays tels que les Etats-Unis, la Chine, l’Inde, le Brésil, la Turquie, les pays du Golfe, etc., faire une entrée fracassante dans une région géographique qu’elle considère depuis longtemps comme sa « chasse gardée » compte tenu des liens historique, linguistique et politique. Ces nouveaux défis et enjeux pour la politique africaine de la France se mesurent désormais, à l’aune des transformations à l’œuvre sur la scène internationale avec la mondialisation et l’émergence de nouvelles puissances du Sud. Les défis et les enjeux sont importants pour l’action extérieure de la France et sa place dans le monde, compte tenu de la concurrence féroce des nouveaux acteurs et des changements des sociétés africaines en cours. Néanmoins elle possède encore des atouts économiques, diplomatiques et stratégiques susceptibles de lui permettre d’élaborer, grâce à l’espace culturel francophone, un projet original, ambitieux et porteur d’espoir. Pour ce faire, il faudra répondre aux deux interrogations suivantes : Comment réformer cette politique traditionnelle basée sur des relations étroites et privilégiées avec les dirigeants africains sans toutefois compromettre les avantages comparatifs de la France sur place? Quelle stratégie politique mettre en œuvre pour identifier les véritables intérêts communs des Français et des Africains francophones, en tenant compte des opportunités et des menaces, et les développer dans un partenariat mutuellement bénéfique ?
From 1960s to the end of the cold war, even beyond, the influence even the supremacy of France in the French-speaking territories in Sub-Saharan Africa is almost total. However, in this 21st century, the world competition in the research of new markets and the security of the energy supply leads inexorably the great powers to enter in “conflict of interests” by the mutual penetration of the “back-yards”. This is particularly true for France which has countries such as the United States, China, India, Brazil, Turkey, the Gulf Arab States, etc., to make a dramatic entrance in a geographical area where she judged it for a long time as her “exclusive domain” considering the historical, linguistic and political links. These new challenges and issues for the African policy of France are measured from now on, in the light of the transformations at work in the world with the globalization and the emergence of new powers of the South. The challenges and the issues are important for the external action of France and its place in the World, considering the fierce competition between new stakeholders and the ongoing African society changes. Nevertheless it still has economic, diplomatic and strategic assets which enable him to elaborate, thanks to the francophone cultural center, an original project, ambitious and promising. With this aim in mind, it will be necessary to answer to the two following questions: How to reform this traditional policy based on close and privileged relationships with African leaders without compromising, however, the comparative advantages of France on the spot? Which political strategy has to be implemented in order to identify the real common interests of the French and the French-speaking Africans, by taking into account the opportunities and threats, and to develop them in a mutually beneficial partnership?

The relationship between civil society organisations and donors in South Africa is dynamic, and takes different forms over time. This is attributed to a number of factors, including political landscape, domestic government policies and donor policies. These factors then affect the manner in which donors relate to civil society organisations and disburse development project funds. Prior to 1994 civil society organisations enjoyed abundant financial support from foreign donors, mainly due to the illegitimacy of the apartheid government policies and humanitarian crisis. This situation changed after the election of democratic government in 1994, as most of the donor funds were channelled through the government to support its policies and programmes, and partly because of bilateral agreements with some of the developed countries across the world. In this study the impact of donor policies, processes, and management systems on the work of civil society organisations was explored, using the United Sates Agency for International Development (USAID) South Africa, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) and Sibambisene partnership. Themes explored included policies, processes, management systems and tools, partnership and power relations. The research methodology used included semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis, emailed questionnaires and telephone discussions. Theories on power, policy management frameworks, and partnership were reviewed, drawing on, for example, the views from the views of Lukes (1974), Parsons (1995), Brinkerhof & Cosby (2002), Howell & Pearce (2002) and Nchabeng (2001). The results of the study highlighted a number of issues. Firstly that there is unequal power within the partnership relationship and donor agencies, and this is mainly caused by the fact that donors control policies, management processes and systems, as well as the disbursement of project funds. Secondly, civil society organisations, particularly NGOs, are dependant on their donors, and as a result prioritise their programmes at the expense of communities they serve. Thirdly, both parties value and icontribute complementary services towards the achievement of partnership goals. The study also revealed that donors embrace principles of equal partnership, participation, flexibility and mutuality; but in practice this was found to be wanting. Thus donors are challenged to practice these principles, and NGOs to seek other strategies that would ensure their independence.
Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.) -University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

HIV/AIDS continues to pose some of the most significant social, political and legislative challenges globally. This project explicates the text-mediated processes by which many HIV-related laws are becoming created transnationally though the use of omnibus HIV model laws. A model law is a particular kind of regulatory text with a set of relations of use. Model laws are designed to be taken, modified and used by stakeholders in the creation of state laws. Because they are already framed in legislative language, model laws are worded in ways that can be expeditiously activated and translated into state law. The problematic of this inquiry arises from the activities of a constellation of legislative actors including human rights lawyers, policy analysts, academics and activists who have worked to critique aspects of the United States Agency for International Development/Action for West Africa Region (USAID/AWARE) Model Law (2004) and subsequent state laws this text has inspired across West and Central Africa. I argue that mapping the origin and uptake of this omnibus guidance text is optimally achieved through a sustained analytic commentary on the institutional genre of “best practice”. Explicating the coordinating function of this textual genre is central to understanding the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS laws across at least 15 countries in West and Central African between 2005-2010. The work processes of legislative creation, challenge and reform under investigation demand an interrogation of complex ruling apparatuses regulated by text, talk and capital relations. The USAID/AWARE Model Law is rife with contestation: from its name, scope, funding source and process of development, dissemination and domestication to its legislative content and role in protecting or violating women’s rights and public health objectives. Many of the policy actors critiquing this USAID-funded initiative have been engaged in the development of alternative HIV-related model laws and the shaping of a global anti-criminalization discourse to respond to the increasing use of criminal law governance strategies to prosecute HIV-related sexual offenses and the rise in new HIV-specific criminal laws in and beyond sub-Saharan Africa. This study maps relations that rule, and makes processes of power understandable in terms of everyday transnational work activities organized by the language of law. My research method is informed by the critical research strategy of institutional ethnography. This complex legislative process was made visible through participant observation, archival research, textual analysis and informant interviews with national and international stakeholders. This has involved research in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Austria, South Africa and Senegal (2010-2011).
Graduate

This study analyzes the impact of the Poultry Extension and Training Subproject (PETS) on the village household in North Yemen. The subproject was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Oregon State University The primary goal of this study was to determine the impact of the subproject by using a survey conducted among 130 village women. The questionnaire used in the survey was designed to determine changes in consumption and production, management practices and the effect of extension information. There were three major discoveries uncovered in the survey: (1) management practices were not significantly influenced by PETS personnel; (2) the project was not the only source of Golden Comet pullets; and (3) the use of egg-laying pullets did help increase egg production and consumption. A secondary goal of this study was to analyze the project design and a 1984 evaluation in order to understand how the project could have been more effective in its purpose. It was found that although the project designers used the USAID "logframe" and conducted a social soundness analysis prior to project implementation, too little research was conducted about subsistence poultry care and the role of rural women in agriculture. Success of the project was based on several unfounded assumptions which prevented the subproject from having a more positive impact on traditional poultry farmers.
Graduation date: 1989

This project studies how bureaucratic behavior influences policy implementation. It presents a novel bureaucratic access points and leverage theory, which help us understand how policies are successfully implemented in the midst of bureaucratic challenges resulting from organizational roles and responsibilities and contrasting assessments. The concept of access points has traditionally involved lobbyists and interest groups accessing elected officials and their staffs. I ask what is the effect of bureaucrats accessing bureaucrats directly in the policy implementation process and its subsequent evaluation. I argue that bureaucrats leverage other bureaucrats during policy implementation proceedings, which adds the notion of power to access points theory. The focus of this investigation is the relationship between humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) agencies and associated Department of Defense (DOD) components, particularly DOD medical components providing wellness intervention. Bureaucratic access and leverage enables a more unified implementation of over-arching HA/DR policy by disparate agencies with unique missions, resources, capabilities, and assessment measures. The existing literature does not fully capture how such agency differences are mitigated and overcome in implementing policy that spans multiple entities. Bureaucratic access points and leverage theory offers bureaucrats the analytical capability to know who is controlling policy implementation. It also presents a tool they can use to maintain and increase their own influence and power within a policy domain.
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