Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Viatical and life settlements'

Esta tesis doctoral se enmarca en un novedoso mercado basado en la compra/venta de pólizas de vida donde se comercializan dos tipos de productos: el Viatical y el Settlement. Un primer análisis se centra en el desarrollo de unos modelos económicos de optimización basados en la maximización de la utilidad esperada de un tomador para determinar si resulta óptimo o no vender su póliza de vida en el mercado secundario. La venta de la póliza viene determinada por múltiples factores personales y de mercado del tomador del seguro de vida. Un segundo análisis se centra en la definición de los riesgos a los que incurre el inversor al invertir tanto en Viaticals como en Life Settlements. Se destaca el riesgo de longevidad, muy elevado en este tipo de operaciones. Se propone, por tanto, la medición de dicho riesgo mediante un instrumento denominado modified life extension duration.
This thesis focuses on a new market where the policyholder can sell his life insurance policy by hiring two kinds of contracts: a Viatical if the insured is a terminally ill person or a Life Settlement if he is impaired. A first study concerns the optimal decision rules for a policyholder who wants to sell his life insurance policy. We present two economic models, the first model is focused on Viaticals and is treated in discrete setting, the second model is focused on Life Settlements and should be treated in continuous time. In both models a terminally ill/impaired policyholder has to decide whether or not to sell his life insurance policy in the secondary market and in case of selling it when it is optimally better to do it. A second study concerns the risks assumed by the investor in Viaticals or Life Settlements. The main risk is the longevity risk. We propose a measure to value this risk called modified life extension duration. This measure determines the loss in the Life Settlement/Viatical value because of an increase of the life expectancy of the insured.

Rapid urbanisation and severe housing shortages help explain why informal settlements of self-built housing are widespread in Pakistan today. Failure to ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing has led to the steady encroachment of state-owned and private vacant land for informal dwelling. Current estimates are that 67% of the urban population of Pakistan lives in unrecognised settlements (UN-Habitat, 2013). Urban informality is arguably under researched within the South Asian context, particularly Pakistan. This study considers how everyday life unfolds through various forms of extra-legal, social and discursive regulations in this context of pervasive informality. This exploration is developed for the particular case of the Siddiquia Mill Colony, Faisalabad City. A central premise is that we need to develop new theoretical analytic tools that reflect current global urban trends in order to shift the perception of informality from one of deviance and disorganisation to one of alternative functionality and complementarity. The vast majority of new housing and urban economic opportunities around the world occur in informal sectors and unregulated settings. Contrary to conventional understanding, particularly in relation to South Asian informality, the research findings highlight that informal housing and irregular settlements function as enduring modes of urban development, inadequately portrayed as symptoms of economic backwardness. The study provides concrete examples of how informality is co-produced with formal urban development, often filling the institutional, structural and administrative gaps that state-led planning practices leave behind. The empirical research draws on a mix of ethnographic data from a detailed survey of household housing characteristics, in-depth interviews and immersive observations, in a two-tier research design. The findings reinforce the notion that informality is ordinary rather than deviant. Inhabitants exhibit a sense of attachment, a recognition of alternative property rights and a perceived sense of entitlement in relation to their properties. It is noted that, while a desire to ‘own’ their property could be perceived as falling in line with neo-liberal ideals, the drivers and objectives underpinning ‘ownership’ in this context are far removed from the desire, or need, to be part of a capitalistic, neo-liberal, propertied citizenship. Rather, these aspirations are based on ideas of security and perpetuity. This is evident through a close reading of well-defined but complex webs of horizontal and vertical social relations. Social relations internally differentiate the inhabitants of Siddiquia Mill, highlighting the persistence of unequal power relations. The insights gained from this case study contribute deeper understanding in geography and planning debates by demonstrating the multiple ways that urban informality functions simultaneously as a social field of competition and cooperation. This work makes two significant contributions to scholarship. First, it explores the previously neglected context of informality in urban Pakistan, which is quite different from informality in other, more-well documented countries of South Asia. Second, it argues in favour of informality as a counter to neo-liberalist ideology.

In this thesis settlement areas and settlements from the Bronze Age on Gotland are in focus. The island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea is famous for its rich archaeological remains of monuments and relics from all pre-historic periods, and the Bronze Age (1700-500 BC) especially is well repre- sented. There are nearly a thousand cairns, over 300 stone-ship settings and a large amount of bronze finds, but there are few traits of contemporary settlements. With few exceptions the settlements from all pre-historic periods are in one way “invisible” but during the last decades the context has changed, as has knowledge of the settlements from the Bronze Age. Research published throughout the first ten years of the 21th century offers new and refreshing interpretations concerning settlements and houses from the period in question on both a regional level and in more comprehensive studies across Scandinavia. This is due to continued advances in archaeological methods to see the invisible remains however many of the sites are discovered in exploitation-excavations. In a smaller scale this is also true for Gotland and during the last decade there are scattered finds of houses from the period in the shape of post-holes, hearths and cooking pits. The situation on the island is not to expect larger ex- ploitations followed by excavations so we have to test other ways to look for the settlement areas and settlements. In this study I therefor examine if there are any relations to the visible, in first hand cont- emporary types of monuments such as burnt mounds, cairns, stone ship settings and finds of bronzes, to sites seen as possible settlement areas from the Bronze Age. In this context I also have to consider the remains from the early Iron Age, foremost the visible remains of fossilised fields and ancient forts. The theoretical framework is a hermeneutic approach in the study of the relations of each cont- emporary types of monuments contextualized with possible settlements. As Gotland is an island I have to relate to the meaning of landscape and islands. To get closer to the society and the social orga- nisation, my aim is also to come closer to the people who lived their daily lives on Gotland during the Bronze Age and to consider the question of the chiefdoms and the social organisation.

Magister Artium - MA
This study explores the lives of Kanana residents, an informal settlement in Gugulethu Township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. It pays particular attention to their everyday lives to dispel negative and simplistic representations of informal settlement residents when they collectively take part in protests. Although there are extensive reasons for the protests in the informal settlements, the media and the South African government have reduced these protests to portraying them as demands for “service delivery”, and furthermore as criminally induced protests. I point out that this problem is partly due to scholarly work that does not engage these misleading representations and illustrate the lives of shack residents in the ordinary, when they are not protesting. Thus the focus of this thesis is life beyond protests. I argue that the lives of shack residents who participate in the protests are complex. As opposed to negative and simplistic representations, this thesis illustrates that one needs to be immersed in the lives of shack residents so as to understand them as identifiable human beings who make meaning of their lives. I explore their lives in the shack settlement further and argue that these human beings live their ordinary harmonious lives centred on the practice of greeting. To highlight the complexity of life of protesting informal settlement residents this thesis makes a point that there exist unsettling realities in the shack settlement; unsettling realities that make residents feel to be less of human beings. Kanana residents, therefore, draw from these perpetual unsettling realities to organise and protest. This thesis is based on ethnographic research, which was conducted between September 2015 and February 2016. During fieldwork, I observed and interacted in informal conversations with Kanana residents. With the main co-producers of this work, I carried out their life histories and further in-depth interviews.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, February, 2021
Cataloged from the official PDF version of thesis. Each leaf consists of 2 pages (side by side). Page number at left side margin of the left page.
Includes bibliographical references.
Shared transnational challenges are connecting people in unprecedented ways. Crises such as the 2020 pandemic proved that the world is a single organism and no issue is only a local issue. If social and technological trends continue toward increased globalization, people of different cultures must find new ways to better understand the needs and values of communities that we are unlikely to experience first-hand. To build this understanding, this work conducts a natural experiment to increase cross-cultural awareness through a medium all can relate to: food and its attendant social rituals. The goal is to create a novel way to understand and communicate urban specificities by using the table rituals as a microcosm of community. The research looks for a connection between the act of procuring food, preparing food and eating together and the structures of the communities people live in. This thesis is a two-part inquiry comprising: (1) A comparative study conducted with field research at rapidly urbanizing areas of Port Harcourt, Cairo and Guadalajara, and (2) an immersive video installation and multimedia book for communicating this content.
by Gabriela Bila Bandeira Advincula.
S.M.
S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences

A number of mostly informal areas in Nelson Mandela Bay have experienced rapid expansion over the past decade or so. Census data available for these areas is outdated and does not provide enough information for local authorities to accurately plan for tasks such as service delivery management and resource allocation. In this dissertation, a GIS based demographic and Quality of Life study of informal settlements and previously disadvantaged areas within Nelson Mandela Bay is undertaken to address this issue. The study aims to integrate GIS technology into a demographic and Quality of Life survey to significantly improve the collection, analysis, interpretation, display and management of survey data and to provide the accurate and necessary updates required between census collections. Data relating to informal settlements were captured from aerial photographs and satellite imagery and demographic and Quality of Life data were collected from field surveys. The results demonstrated that the use of GIS technology provided more accurate information for demographic variables, including the number of dwellings, dwelling type, size of the population and population dynamics. A specific demographic trend observed through spatial analysis included the identification of backyard shacks predating formal structures in settlements. The analysis and representation of the Quality of Life field survey data in GIS demonstrated how residents' perceptions of problems and issues in their neighbourhoods are better interpreted, understood and managed when analyzed within a spatial context. This research concluded that GIS based demographic and QOL studies are vital for providing accurate social and spatial information for municipalities, particularly in urban environments of developing countries, and for providing the necessary updates to censuses occurring every ten years.

Despite consumption and retailing having grown to form a meta-narrative in historical enquiry, the village shop has largely escaped attention. Remarkably little is known about the long-term development of rural services, particularly shops, which are often ignored as marginal and undynamic. Moreover, whilst their recent decline has highlighted their perceived importance to the vitality of village life, the extent to which this is based on a romanticised or historically myopic image is unclear. This thesis seeks to rectify this lacuna by critically assessing the real and imagined role of the shop and shopkeeper within village life during the nineteenth century, in terms of supplying goods and services, integrating and representing community as a place and a network of people, and projecting images of the rural into the wider national consciousness. It adopts an innovative interdisciplinary approach and offers an integrated analysis of a wide range of visual, literary and historical sources: from paintings and serialised stories to account books and trade directories. Central to the argument is a sustained interrogation of the shifting historic construction of the village shop and its keeper, from exploitative and anti-rural to the epitome of a nostalgic and sentimentalised view of England’s rural communities. This is compared to the lived experience, as established from the historical record, quantitative analysis conducted at both village and county level. This synthetic approach has required the amalgamation of multiple perspectives: writer and artist; reader and consumer; observer and participant; patron and critic; shopkeeper, customer and villager. The thesis inputs into debates relating to the commercial history and cultural understanding of rural communities, the findings broadening our understanding of the history of rural retailers and the communities they served, shedding light on rural consumption and how changing attitudes to retailing, rural communities and the countryside were developing. It also contributes to other key areas of research including the notion of community (places and networks) and cultural representations of people, place, space and everyday life.

Placed deposits have received increasing attention over the past 30 years, particularly in prehistoric British archaeology. Although disagreement still exists over the definition, identification, and interpretation of placed deposits, significant advances have been made in theoretical and methodological approaches to placed deposits, as researchers have gradually moved away from relatively crude ‘ritual’ interpretations toward more nuanced considerations of how placed deposits may have related to daily lives, social networks, and settlement structure, as well as worldview. With the exception of comments on specific deposits and a recent preliminary survey, however, Anglo-Saxon placed deposits have remained largely unstudied. This thesis represents the first systematic attempt to identify, characterize, analyse and interpret placed deposits in early to middle Anglo-Saxon settlements (5th–9th centuries). It begins by disentangling the various definitions of ‘placed’, ‘structured’, and ‘special’ deposits and their associated assumptions. Using formation process theory as a basis, it develops a definition of placed deposits as material that has been specially selected, treated, and/or arranged, in contrast with material from similar or surrounding contexts. This definition was applied to develop contextually specific criteria for identifying placed deposits in Anglo-Saxon settlements. Examination of 141 settlements identified a total of 151 placed deposits from 67 settlements. These placed deposits were characterized and analysed for patterns in terms of material composition, context type, location within the settlement, and timing of deposition relative to the use-life of their contexts. Broader geographical and chronological trends have also been considered. In discussing these patterns, anthropological theories of action, agency, practice, and ritualization have been employed in order to begin to understand the roles placed deposits may have had in structuring space and time and expressing social identities in Anglo-Saxon settlements, and to consider how placed deposition may have articulated with Anglo-Saxon worldview and belief systems.

Squatter settlements still represent the worst of urban poverty and inequality in Turkey. Yet the world has the resources, know-how and power to reach the best experiences. Urban transformation has become a topic of growing interest in many cities in the world. It has also become popular in Turkish cities and the most common urban transformation projects in Turkey are implemented in squatter settlements. However, while the scope of urban transformation interventions generally aims to improve the quality of urban life, increase the livability of cities in various aspects and provide cities with the ability to trace other cities in both national scale and the globalized world, it is still a question mark whether urban transformation projects are successful enough in improving every aspects of urban life and fulfill the promise of development for their inhabitants particularly by improving the lives of the poor and promoting equity. In this respect, this research tries to identify the success level of urban transformation projects implemented in squatter settlements. Since many urban transformation projects implemented extensively in squatter settlements in Turkey, generally with the aim of increasing the density of buildings and gaining rent over these areas, the concept of urban transformation has an indisputable importance to be researched. The key purpose of this thesis is to reveal the components of quality of urban and community life in terms of physical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions and provide both objective (quantitative) and subjective (qualitative) approaches over these components to assess the success level of Sentepe Urban Transformation Project and increase the success level of urban transformation projects in squatter settlements. This research will reveal up the degree to which Sentepe Urban Transformation Project will respond to the requirements of the criteria of urban quality of life. Further, this research aims to provide inputs for the next urban transformation interventions to guarantee the satisfaction of urban life and well-beings of local community in terms of various issues related to urban life. The key proposition of this research is &
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The success level of an urban transformation project depends on how far it provides an urban quality of life whose main indicators are both physical, environmental, economic, and social and objective and subjective aspects.&
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This thesis utilizes the experiences of one of well known project in the world which provides quality of urban and community life due to the multi-dimensional characteristics of urban transformation. Then, as stated above, the research focuses on &
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Sentepe Urban Transformation Project&
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in Ankara as a field survey and evaluate the success level of this project due to the success determinants proposed by this thesis. Finally, this thesis intends to increase the success level of urban transformation projects in squatter settlements and puts forward the success level of &
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Sentepe Urban Transformation Project&
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in terms of providing well-being of inhabitants in accordance with quality of urban life indicators and four dimensions of urban regeneration
physical, environmental, economic, and social.

This thesis focuses on the Bronze Age in selected areas of Korea; Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi province. Two forms of evidence - settlements and monuments - are taken into account to identify their relationship with landscape and the social changes occurring between ca. 1500 to 400 cal BC. Life and death in the Bronze Age in Korea has not been synthetically investigated before, due to the lack of evidence from settlements. However, since academic and rescue excavations have increased, it is now possible to examine the relationship between settlements and monuments on a broad scale and over a long-term sequence, although there are still limitations in the archaeological evidence. The results of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) analysis and Bayesian modelling of the radiocarbon dates from this region can be interpreted as suggesting that Bronze Age people in the mid-Korean peninsula had certain preferences for their habitation and mortuary places. The locations of two archaeological sites were identified and statistical significance was generated for their positioning on soil that was associated with agriculture. It was found that settlements tended to be located at a higher elevation with fine views and that monuments tended to be situated in the border zones between mountains and plains and also within the boundary of a 5km site catchment adjusted for energy expenditure, centring on each settlement. This configuration is reminiscent of the concept of the auspicious location, as set out in the traditional geomantic theory of Pungsu. It can be argued that Bronze Age people chose the place for the living and the dead with a holistic perspective and a metaphysical approach that placed human interaction with the natural world at the centre of their decision-making processes. These concepts were formed out of the process of a practical adaptation to the Bronze Age landscape and environment in order to practice agriculture as a subsistence economy, but they also exerted a profound influence upon later Korean peoples and their identities.

This thesis attempts to understand the concepts of social capital and social networks within the South African government’s current policy on “human settlements”. It considers the association between social networks, social capital and social cohesion, community development and improved general quality of life. The thesis also explores the possibility and challenges of using social capital and social networks amongst low income urban communities as a viable strategy against poverty and for the development of sustainable human settlements. The thesis will examine the nature and form in which informal social networks function in a low income urban community in South Africa and the benefits that arise from these. The thesis particularly looked at informal social security networks in the form of savings clubs/stokvels and burial societies as well as other informal social networks such as religious associations and neighbourhood social support groups. The study discovered that in light of the high unemployment rate, high poverty levels and increasing urban economic pressures, most low income households cannot access or rely on social networks as a means of survival but on grants and wages. Social security networks are only accessible to those who can afford monthly membership contributions thereby excluding the poorest of the poor. For those who can afford to be members of social security networks, the benefits are limited and they do not adequately address household needs. The study also showed how those who cannot afford to be members of social security networks still have access to some sort of communal social support. Neighbours stand out as valuable in this regard. However, the casual neighbourhood support networks are not ‘resource rich’ mainly due to, the inability of people to donate and reciprocate. Religious networks are mainly identified with emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being, providing friendship, comfort and advice but these benefits are only provided to members only in their time of need. The theoretical understanding of social networks producing social capital which is seen as being beneficial to the poorest of the poor is questioned, as the results show the inequalities and divisions that exist within informal social networks themselves. On the other hand, all the social networks considered in this thesis have managed to contribute towards strengthening neighbourly relations, trust, building community identity and promoting values of ubuntu- sharing and caring for one another which in the long-run benefits the community, both members and non-members alike.

Istraživanje je fokusirano na ispitivanje uloge centara sela useoskoj zajednici, razvoj i transformaciju seoskih javnih prostora napodručju Banata u savremenim granicama Vojvodine, kao imeđuzavisnosti tih transformacija centara sela i raznih uticajnihfaktora, pre svega društvenih, političkih, kulturoloških, religijskihi ekonomskih. Analiza obuhvata vreme od XVIII do XXI veka, unutar kojegsu definisana četiri perioda u kojima se razmatra transformacijaprostora po utvrđenim tematskim pitanjima: mesto u seoskoj strukturi,oblik, način ulivanja ulica, funkcija slobodnog prostora,arhitektonski okvir i prostorni mobilijar javnih prostora sela.
The study is focused on examining the role of village centers in ruralcommunities, the development and transformation of rural public space inBanat region of nowadays Vojvodina, as well as the interdependence ofthese transformations and various influencing factors: social, political,cultural, religious and economic. The analysis covers the period from 18th to21st century in which four periods were defined, exploring the transformationof the space based on a predefined set of thematic issues: place in thevillage structure, its shape, the way streets are flowing through the space,function of free space, architectural framework and spatial street furniture inpublic space of villages.

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Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos
The present study aimed to know the socioeconomic, environmental profile and life history of the rural settlers of the Estrela da Ilha settlement, in the municipality of Ilha Solteira, located in the State of São Paulo. The settlement has 209 land lots and the research was performed with 35 families. For data collection was used a questionnaire containing 50 questions about the socioeconomic and environmental profile of the settled families and, also, the collection of oral statements about the settlers' life history. The data analysis was made in a qualitative and quantitative way: the open questions were analyzed using the discursive textual analysis and the closed questions through simple statistics. The results pointed that the settlement profile in relation to age 37% are between 40-50 years, being 60% from male gender, the source of income of 54% of the families comes from their own property, the family income of 51% of the settlers is two minimum wages monthly, 68% has only uncompleted primary education, the home conditions indicated that 94% of the settlers have masonry dwellings and 89% of them are unfinished, 71% of the settlers claim to consume industrialized food frequently, the settlement production is characterized by dairy farming in most lots, followed by horticulture, the commercialization is done through cooperatives and associations, as well as sales in the city fairs. Was also researched, the environmental questions like the forest reserve area, water supply in 94% of the lots comes from wells, sanitary sewage 71% of the lots have septic tank, 74% of them use pesticide, was also researched about the solid waste management. The life histories highlighted the difficulties faced by the settlers to conquer the land, since the camp to the establishment on the lot. Denoted on the statements dreams, joys, settlers faith, it also disclosed the difficulties and problems of the Estrela da Ilha settlement. We conclude that in the community studied the biggest problems are related to socioeconomic issues, like income and education, and the worst environmental problems are the indiscriminate use of pesticides, the improper disposal of solid waste and the sanitary sewage. Therefore, these weaknesses need to be worked through public policies of access to education in rural areas, infrastructure, production and commercialization strategies and technical assistance for achieving sustainable rural development, emphasizing the quality of harmoniously living with the environment and social justice.
O presente estudo teve por objetivo conhecer o perfil socioeconômico, ambiental e as histórias de vida dos assentados/as rurais do Assentamento Estrela da Ilha no município de Ilha Solteira, Estado de São Paulo. O assentamento possui 209 lotes e a pesquisa foi realizada com 35 famílias. Para a coleta de dados foi utilizado um questionário contendo 50 questões versando sobre o perfil socioeconômico e ambiental das famílias assentadas e, também, a coleta de depoimentos orais sobre a história de vida dos assentados/as. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente e qualitativamente, as questões abertas foram analisadas utilizando a técnica de analise textual discursiva e as questões fechadas através de estatística simples. Os resultados apontaram o perfil do assentamento em relação à idade 37% estão entre 40-50 anos, sendo 60% do sexo masculino, a fonte de renda de 54% das famílias advém da própria propriedade, a renda familiar de 51% dos assentados/as é de dois salários mínimos mensais, 68% possuem apenas Ensino Fundamental Incompleto, as condições de moradia indicaram que 94% dos assentados/as possuem moradias de alvenaria e 89% delas são inacabadas, 71% dos assentados/as afirma consumir alimentos industrializados com frequência, a produção do assentamento é marcada pela pecuária leiteira na maioria dos lotes, seguida pela horticultura, a comercialização é feita via cooperativas, e associações, além de vendas nas feiras do município. Pesquisou-se também, as questões ambientais como área de reserva florestal, o abastecimento de água de 94% dos lotes vem de poços, sobre o esgotamento sanitário 71% dos lotes possui fossa séptica, 74 % utilizam agrotóxicos, pesquisou-se também sobre o gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos. As histórias de vida evidenciaram a luta pela terra enfrentada pelos assentados/as desde o acampamento até o estabelecimento no lote. Denotaram-se nos depoimentos os sonhos, as alegrias, a fé dos assentados/as, revelou-se também as dificuldades, e problemas do assentamento Estrela da Ilha. Conclui-se que, na comunidade estudada os maiores problemas enfrentados estão relacionados às questões socioeconômicas, como renda e educação, e os problemas ambientais graves são o uso indiscriminado de agrotóxicos, a disposição inadequada de resíduos sólidos e o esgotamento sanitário. Assim sendo, essas fragilidades necessitam ser trabalhadas através de políticas públicas de acesso a educação em áreas rurais, infraestrutura, estratégias de produção e comercialização e assistência técnica para que se alcance o desenvolvimento rural sustentável, enfatizando a qualidade de vida de maneira harmoniosa com o meio ambiente e a justiça social.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
The land reform is an instigate theme that because it is not a bygone fact in the Brazilian history and persists in the academicals debates, for this reason this theme is the object of studying in this project. The agrarian reality in Sergipe is marked by an historic concentrations of land and by the contest of the social movements in the fields are analyzed in his project with the purpose of checking the results of the land reform that has being carrying out and the implications in the quality of life of the families that were settled. So we choose the conjugation of the key elements that in an articulated form makes possible better analyses of the public policy above mention. The trajectory of the contest for land, its dilemma and sceneries; the context of the land and their strategies for survive and the fundiary strategies; the quality of life of the settled families and their relationship with the land reform. The methodological proposal ha ve combined the techniques and the instruments ,quantitative and qualitative ,a way to get the data that could show the reality in the conception of the people involved and at the same time make possible an interference in the public policy of land reform. The results we got reveals that the contest for land have been the main reason for carrying out the land reform at Sergipe, it has not unconcentrated the land due to the minifundiarização by the distribution of lots that compromise the viability of the assessment. The families who are living on the assessments are all satisfied with the present quality of life when compared to the life they had before the land reform. The limitations are noticed ,indicating that the land reform has not been able yet to attend the demand for land, it have to invest in the quality of life at the assessment , what compromise the forces and the dispute of power. The land reform at Sergipe is a political problem and just for this it walks in very slow paces. In case if it were a political policy which the process of evaluation and continuous checking could provide the necessary redirections to the efficiency and efficacy, certainly the agrarian question wouldn t continue as one of the serious Brazilian problems.
A reforma agrária é um tema instigante que, por ser uma página ainda não virada na história brasileira, persiste nos debates acadêmicos, sendo, portanto, objeto de estudo neste trabalho. A realidade agrária de Sergipe, marcada pela concentração histórica de terras e pela luta dos movimentos sociais no campo, é aqui analisada com o intuito de verificar quais os resultados da reforma agrária realizada e suas implicações sobre a qualidade de vida das famílias assentadas, num recorte histórico e global, do acampamento ao assentamento. Neste sentido, optou-se pela conjugação de elementos-chave que pudessem, de forma articulada, permitir a melhor análise desta política pública, quais sejam: a trajetória de luta pela terra, seus cenários e dilemas; o contexto da reforma agrária realizada da década de 1980 até 2009; a demanda e os demandatários de terra, suas estratégias de sobrevivência e seu perfil; a estrutura fundiária; e a qualidade de vida das famílias assentadas e sua relação com a reforma agrária. A proposta metodológica combinou técnicas e instrumentos quantitativos e qualitativos, de forma a obter dados que pudessem retratar a realidade na concepção dos envolvidos e, ao mesmo tempo, permitir inferências sobre a política pública de reforma agrária. Os resultados revelam que a luta pela terra tem sido o motor propulsor para a realização da reforma agrária em Sergipe. Esta não desconcentrou a terra, mas provocou a sua minifundiarização, devido à distribuição de lotes que comprometem a viabilidade dos assentamentos. As famílias assentadas estão satisfeitas com a qualidade de vida atual, comparada à vida anterior à reforma agrária. Entretanto as limitações são percebidas, o que indica que a reforma agrária ainda não foi capaz de atender à demanda por terra, sendo necessário investir na qualidade dos assentamentos, via promoção da autonomia dos assentados, relações de forças e disputas pelo poder. Enfim, a reforma agrária em Sergipe é um problema político, e justamente por isso é que caminha a passos lentos. Caso fosse uma política pública, cujos processos de avaliação e monitoramento contínuo proporcionassem os redirecionamentos necessários à sua eficiência e eficácia, certamente a questão agrária não continuaria sendo um dos graves problemas brasileiros.

Los planes de rehabilitación en el barrio El Besòs (Barcelona) fueron aplicados y aceptados básicamente de manera lineal: bajo un condicionamiento restringido -patrón simple entre la administración municipal y la asociación “oficial” de vecinos- sobre una relación de dependencia que imposibilita una dinámica favorable a procesos comunes (interrelaciones e interdependencias) como redes de organización comunitaria y consolidación del capital social para un continuo mejoramiento del hábitat y su correspondiente movilidad social. Esta situación conduce a dos cuestiones reconocibles en relación al valor real de espacio construido frente al valor estimado del suelo; la primera, es la pérdida del precio de mercado (proceso de devaluación) que se refiere directamente a las patologías estructurales por la calidad del suelo y al deterioro de los inmuebles por el uso de cemento aluminoso; y el segundo, las deficiencias habitacionales permiten concentrar y consolidar niveles socio-económicos que genera gran estabilidad en el tipo de residente (rentas bajas). Analizar comparativamente las propuestas institucionales de desarrollo urbano (rehabilitación) para el Besòs, es exponer la contradicción entre las afectaciones sociales y acciones institucionales por el reconocimiento de la pobreza crónica, deterioro de edificios frente a la ubicación adecuada (Banco de suelo urbanizado) hace que el concepto de rehabilitación un "eufemismo" para sus objetivos inmobiliarios. Respecto a las propuestas institucionales de rehabilitación explica además, la incapacidad de una dinámica transformación comunitaria del hábitat. En lo metodológico se busca privilegiar la acción-participación sobre lo documental-analítico, usar un enfoque crítico en la revisión de las referencias percibidas desde el espacio social.
The plans of rehabilitation in the neighborhood the Besòs (Barcelona) were applied and accepted essentially in a linear way: under a restricted conditioning -simple pattern between the municipal administration and the neighborhood 'official' association- about a relationship of dependency that obstruct a favorable dynamics a “the common” processes (interrelations and interdependencies) such as networks of community organization and consolidation of social capital for a continuous improvement of the habitat and its corresponding social mobility. This situation leads to affirm two questions in the neighborhood in relation to the real value of built space in front of the estimated land value; the first is the loss of market value (process of devaluation) refers directly to the structural conditions for soil quality and the deterioration of the properties by the use of aluminous cement; and second, housing class allow to concentrate and consolidate socio-economic levels generated only-one type of resident (low income). Comparatively examine the institutional proposals of urban development (rehabilitation) for the Besòs, it is to expose contradiction between social affectations and institutional actions by the recognition of chronic poverty, deteriorating buildings as opposed to the proper location (urban land bank) makes the concept of rehabilitation a "euphemism" for their real estate goals. The compared to the institutional proposals of rehabilitation further explains the inability of a community dynamic transformation of their habitat. Methodological seeks to privilege the action-participation in opposition the documentary-analytical, using a critical approach in the review of the references received from the social space.

De acordo com levantamento realizado pelo Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas do Estado de São Paulo - IPT, os acidentes graves relacionados com deslizamentos atingem de forma recorrente um número relativamente pequeno dos 5.563 municípios brasileiros, girando em torno de 150 os que tiveram vítimas fatais nos últimos 17 anos. Os municípios mais vulneráveis localizam-se nos estados de São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia e Espírito Santo, localidades, na maioria dos casos, habitadas por pessoas de baixa renda, tornando-se, por conseguinte, expostas a catástrofes ambientais constantes (inundações devido ao assoreamento dos rios e erosão dos solos, os incêndios causados por instalações elétricas problemáticas, deslizamentos de terras, causadas por encostas irregulares e descalçamentos, entre outros). A Bacia Hidrográfica do Córrego Cabuçu de Baixo é um típico exemplo do que aconteceu em muitas cidades brasileiras. É uma bacia em acelerado processo de urbanização, mas ainda em condições para o controle, se bem administrada pelos seus gestores. Este trabalho objetiva a criação de mapeamentos que retratem avaliação positiva das condições ambientais (que pode ser chamado de \"potencial\") ou negativa (genericamente chamados de \"risco\" ambiental). Estes mapeamentos, de alto valor agregado por se originarem, via de regra, de discussões e concordâncias entre profissionais das diferentes modalidades da pesquisa ambiental - geógrafos, geólogos, biólogos, arquitetos e engenheiros, em geral - passam a constituir um valioso acervo de conhecimentos específicos da área estudada; a combinação das avaliações de riscos com o uso atual da terra, a fim de verificar possíveis áreas críticas, ou seja, assentamentos localizados em áreas mapeadas sob iminente risco de ocorrência de inundações e desmoronamentos; o levantamento das áreas indicadas para a transposição dos assentamentos localizados em áreas críticas. Todos os procedimentos computacionais realizados foram conduzidos pela metodologia de Análise Ambiental, utilizando o sistema VISTA/SAGA/UFRJ para processamento dos mapeamentos, obtenção e validação resultados. O resultado final das avaliações ambientais realizadas produz um mapa classificado com notas entre zero e dez, onde as notas mais baixas são atribuídas às localidades mapeadas com baixo risco de ocorrências de enchentes e desmoronamentos. De forma análoga, classes com maiores notas representam localidades com ocorrência de assentamentos precários sob risco iminente de inundações ou deslizamentos de terra e desmoronamentos. Estes mapas são denominados como \"Áreas Críticas\". Também são conduzidas análises para o mapeamento de áreas indicadas para transposições de localidades situadas em áreas críticas. A sobreposição destes dois últimos mapas aponta as localidades indicadas para transposições de assentamentos sob risco iminente dos eventos analisados. Finalmente, em áreas onde ocorram assentamentos precários sob alto risco de inundações e deslizamentos, sem indicações próximas para transposições (áreas favoráveis à habitação), sugere-se a realização de investimentos em infra-estrutura (ex. Programa Favela-bairro) destes locais, a fim de evitar impactos econômicos e sociais para as famílias afetadas por este processo. Assinaturas espaciais também são realizadas a fim de quantificar as áreas de riscos mapeadas. Uma vez realizados estes estudos, os conhecimentos adquiridos, pelo uso do Geoprocessamento, sobre a realidade ambiental urbana e problemática da Bacia do Córrego Cabuçu de Baixo podem ser extrapolados, com as devidas precauções, para inúmeras outras áreas urbanas que possuam características semelhantes e enfrentam os mesmos problemas.
According to studies conducted by the Institute for Technological Research of the State of Sao Paulo - IPT, major accidents related landslides hit so applicant a relatively small number of 5,563 brazilian councils, turning around of 150 who had human lives losses in the last 17 years. The most vulnerable councils are located in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia and Espirito Santo. These locations, most cases, inhabited by low conditions people, become, therefore, exposed to constant environmental disasters (floods due to the silting of rivers and soil erosion, fires caused by problematic electrical installations, landslides, caused by irregular slopes, among others). The drainage basin of Cabuçu de Baixo river is a typical example of what happened in many Brazilian cities. It is a basin in accelerated process of urbanization, but also in a position to control, although administered by their managers. This study aims to create mappings facing positive assessment of environmental conditions (which can be called a \"potential\") or negative (generically called environmental \"risk\"). These maps are generated from professional discussions and agreement between the many kinds of researches - geographers, geologists, biologists, architects and engineers in general - are to be a valuable collection of expertise of the studied area, the combination of risk assessments to the current land using in order to check on critical areas, ie settlements located in areas mapped with imminent risk of flooding and landslides; survey of the areas indicated for the transposition of the settlements located in critical areas. All procedures performed are conducted by the computational methodology of Environmental Analysis, using the GIS VISTA/SAGA/UFRJ, processing mappings, obtaining and validating results. The final result of environmental evaluation conducted produces a \"Critical Areas\" map, presenting classified notes between zero and ten, where lower notes are assigned to locations mapped with low risk of occurrence of floods and landslides. Similarly, classes with higher notes represent locations where precarious settlements are mapped under imminent risk of flooding, landslides and landslides. Analyses pointing transposition areas, according to physical factors are also conducted, aiming to locate settlements under critic areas. The overlay of these both maps point transpositions indicated for settlements located under imminent risk areas. Finally, in areas where precarious settlements occurs under high floods and landslides risks, without near indications for transpositions (favorable areas for housing), it is suggested to make investments in infrastructure into these places, in order to maintain the \"roots\" of these affected families by this process. Spatial signatures are also conducted in order to quantify the risk areas mapped. Once these studies conducted, knowledge gain by the use of Geoprocessing, applied to the reality of urban environmental problems in the Drainage Basin Cabuçu, these can be extrapolated, with the necessary precautions, to other urban areas that presents similar characteristics and faces the same problems.

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Nos últimos anos, os assentamentos rurais vem sendo intensamente estudados, por causa da discussão corrente sobre desenvolvimento sustentável como instrumento de geração de emprego e renda no meio rural. Em consequência disso, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo realizar um estudo socioeconômico e ambiental e mostrar a importância da contabilidade para mensurar a sustentabilidade em três assentamentos Acauã, Angélicas e Serra Azul. Para tanto, aplicaram-se questionários junto a 45 assentados com variáveis socioeconômicas, ambientais, de capital social e contábil, que possibilitaram os cálculos dos respectivos índices: Índice de Qualidade de vida (IQV) de 0,8667, 0,7778 e 0,7222, onde os indicadores que mais contribuíram para mensurar a qualidade de vida dos assentados foram habitação e bens duráveis, enquanto o indicador de lazer foi o menos representativo, Na amostra total, os assentamentos apresentaram Índice de Qualidade de Vida na média e o nível médio de acumulação de capital social nos assentamentos foi considerado relevante pelo dimensionamento do Índice de Capital Social (ICS), contribuindo com a maior parcela na formação do Índice de Sustentabilidade (IS) dos assentamentos, apresentando valores de 0,8857, 0,8286 e 0,7952. Na formação deste índice, destacaram-se os investimentos que a associação realiza e que são submetidos e aprovados nas reuniões. No aspecto ambiental, obtiveram-se resultados pouco satisfatórios, representando nível baixo para o Índice de sustentabilidade de todos os assentamentos, o que exige melhor atenção ao meio ambiente e à educação ambiental aos assentados, representando valores de 0,5143, 0,3143 e 0,3714. Na composição deste índice, a existência de área de reserva nativa no assentamento foi o indicador que mais contribuiu com a sustentabilidade. No total da amostra, o Índice de Sustentabilidade, de 0,6757 apresentou-se na média, o que pode sugerir um melhor desempenho para aumentar o Índice Ambiental para que venha somar com o Índice Capital Social e, consequentemente, elevar o Índice de Sustentabilidade nos assentamentos estudados. Os resultados encontrados, portanto, demonstraram que o uso da Contabilidade por meio de seus relatórios, vem contribuindo para os assentamentos realizarem o seu processo de tomada de decisões.
In recent years, rural settlements are being intensively studied because of the current debate on sustainable development and employment generation instrument and income in rural areas. As a result, this study aimed to conduct a socioeconomic and environmental study and show the accounting importance to measure sustainability in three settlements Acauã, Angelic and Serra Azul. For this end, questionnaires were applied at 45 seated with socioeconomic, environmental, social capital and accounting, which enabled the calculation of the respective indices: Life Quality Index (QLI) of 0.8667, 0.7778 and 0, 7222, where the indicators that most contributed to measure the life quality of the settlers were housing and durable goods, while the leisure indicator was the least representative. Int the total sample, the settlements presented Life Quality Index on average and the average level of capital accumulation in the settlements was considered relevant by the design of the Social Capital Index (ICS), contributing for the largest share in the formation of the Sustainability Index (IS) of the settlements, with values of 0.8857, 0.8286 and 0 , 7952. In the formation of this index, stood out investments that the association carries out which are placed and approved in meetings. Environmentally, got poor results, representing low level to the sustainability index of all settlements, which requires better attention to the environment and environmental education to the settlers, representing values of 0.5143, 0.3143 and 0.3714. In the composition of this index, the existence of native reserve area in the settlement was the indicator that most contributed to sustainability. In the overall sample, the Sustainability Index of 0.6757 performed on average, which may suggest a better performance to increase the environmental index that will add to the Social Capital Index and consequently to raise the Sustainability Index the studied settlements. The results found therefore demonstrated that the use of accounting through its reports, has contributed to the settlements realize their decisionmaking process.

碩士
國立高雄第一科技大學
金融營運所
94
Abstract The “viatical settlement”, prevailed for many years in U.S.A, considered as a new financial product, is introduced into Taiwan market. And its high return is attracted by the investors in Taiwan. However, the viatical settlement product is not the legal business in Taiwan at present, and the relevant act is not made yet. The viatical settlement product has developed as ripe financial commodities in U.S.A. The designs of the Goods in U.S.A. are also derived with era changes constantly, in order to accord with the social and economic demand. Every state in America regulates the process of the trade by the administrative measure and legislation. In Taiwan, most people hear about the viatical settlement, but they are still not familiar to it. There was no act at present as the result of holding up the implement. Only set up the relevant act and system of the viatical settlement, therefore it becomes the legal new financial products in our country. This study is explained the trade type, content and risk of the viatical settlement goods first, to understand about design of the commodities that basis to analyses Viatical and Life Settlements. Second, state the profile of the market, relevant legislations and the acts of the viatical settlement in U.S.A. Moreover, analyze Viatical and Life Settlements in Texas with the special chapter, and point out its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, attempt to be the reference of making relevant act of our country in the future by the legislative experience of developed country.

碩士
國立高雄第一科技大學
風險管理與保險所
94
ABSTRACT This study is with the view of investors to explain the Viatical & Life Settlements, in which Viatical & Life Settlements history, development, transaction modes, investing risks, and how to solve risk problems will be introduced. This will provide the information of the Viatical & Life Settlements development direction and solve problems to remind the investors of the hidden risks with the cover of high return.

碩士
朝陽科技大學
保險金融管理系碩士班
95
The original viatical settlement is a process from which is a fine and pure idea for people who have AIDS or are terminally ill. They can sell their life insurance policy to an investor to accelerate the policy benefit. The investor pays the insured a discounted face value and then gains the return upon the insured’s death. With the development of more than twenty years, viatical settlement process is getting complicated. More participants, more types and different motivation etc. cause more problems to occur. In recent years, many people have invested in viatical settlement in our country. Since most products of viatical settlement have come from US, investors find it hard to recognize the risks behind the process. The goals of this article are to expose the risks, frauds and related law regulations, and to remind investors for reducing the opportunities of loss. This study will introduce the beginning and the evolution of the viatical settlement, as well as introduce the history, background, development, and the different participants. Of course, our main concern is the risks involved, of which we have classified two types, one for the insured’s, and one for the investors. The main focus of this thesis is the risks of the investors. Another area of focus is the motivation of participants who may lead to risk to investors. In fact, the motivation of participants is the main source of risk for investors. Cases will be discussed to offer proof of participants’ behavior leading to risk to investors. Then, another subject of this thesis is the risk for investors is incomplete laws and monitoring of viatical settlement in the US. The federal and state governments in the US have different governing methods, which also leads to increased risk to investors. Fortunately, the US federal government has not ignored the problem and has created more extensive and complete legislature. The American experience with viatical settlements is worth studying and to be learned from. There is a demand for viatical settlements in our country, so this thesis serves to offer suggestions to the government as to allow viatical settlements and to create laws and develop the necessary monitoring systems for security of the investors and policy holders.

碩士
輔仁大學
金融研究所
94
This paper analyzes and studies the key factors to influence the securitization of viatical settlement (VSS). To reduce risks, a viatical company can pack the insurance policies into a pool and sells it by tranches through securitization. Except the legal factors, the key points to influence whether VSS can work or not is how to reasonably evaluate VSS and how to quantify the risks of VSS. In this research, we establish pricing model for VSS and study the relationship between the risks life expectancy and the stability of VSS cash flow by numerical analysis. The credit enhancement method of this study is to setting equity class (residual class). Totally one equity class and five traches with term to maturity of 1~5 years are classified and valued through our valuation process. By setting the optimal allocation of equity proportion with simulation, we can allocate and value the five traches for securitization. The study shows that by only using adequate equity proportion for internal credit enhancement the VSS can be feasible for investment.

碩士
世新大學
法律學研究所(含碩專班)
96
Viatical Settlement, an emerging industry which has boomed over the past decades in the United States, offers a fund to the people who suffer the cancer or critically ill patients. By doing so, it allows people to manage the money they need without getting the loan from others to ease their economic hardships resulting from job losing or overwhelming hospital bills. Those can live their remaining months with relative peace of mind and financial security. At present, the life insurance products in Taiwan have embraced the added-on services such as Accelerated Death Benefits, Critical Insurance, Policy Loans and Waiver of Premium. However, little is known to the effectiveness to those truly in need. Therefore, the aim of this research attempts to explore the way how Viatical Settlement process is introduced into Taiwan by means of U.S. experiences and to determine the appropriate system and framework of law which fit Taiwan society. The dissertation includes six chapters. The first chapter introduced the motivation, purposes, structure and methodology of the research. The second chapter described the origin, development, transaction process and appropriate product categories of Viatical Settlement. It also compared to the products with pre-paid benefits. The third chapter discussed the underlying risks to viators and investors from the U.S. MBC fraudulent case study. The fourth chapter examined the relevant regulations and monitoring status currently being conducted in the U.S. The fifth chapter evaluated the requirements of Viatical Settlement in Taiwan market and the feasibility that current regulations support. The final chapter presented the conclusions and recommendations in conjunction with legislating and monitoring drawn for the legislators and stakeholders references.

碩士
國立中央大學
財務金融研究所
100
After experiencing the global financial crisis during 2007, the investment banks notice that this recession is very profound in depth and width and they also discover that high correlation among products in portfolios is a very important factor which causes huge chain reaction among different markets. Therefore, institutional investors focus their attention on insurance market. The most vital characteristics of longevity-linked product is that they don’t fluctuate with stock market but the duration of survival of people. Life settlements are the transactions of life insurance products. Through this transaction, the particular insureds who have personal reasons can get a lump sum payment to reallocate their money; however, the investors who purchase polices gain the policy face value after the insureds died. With the completeness of relative regulation and openness of law, this type of sale is legal but there’s no consensus on pricing model, which makes pricing process not transparent and consistent. In this paper, we investigate using stochastic mortality process to pricing life settlements. Then, after pricing life settlements, we will put life settlements into original portfolios and analyze the effect of efficient frontier.

South Africa's post-apartheid housing situation is permeated with the knowledge and criticisms of low-income housing. Of late, the latter has gained more exposure than the merits of the process of low-come housing provision, but the criticisms have been generalised comments that have rarely been based on a methodical format of collection and analysis. Furthermore, there have been no reported instruments that have garnered collective perceptions of residents of low-income housing settlements. In light of this gap, in both the academic and political aspects of low income housing, this dissertation describes the design of a multi-construct instrument, aimed at determining quality of life (QOL) in low-income settlements, and specifically describes the two aspects of development of that instrument. It describes the development of the model, as well as the development of the instrument that is derived from that model. Furthermore, results of qualitative tests of fitness for the model and internal reliability tests of the instrument are also described. The model design details the development of domains and variables, derived primarily from literature, while the instrument details the design of items that constitute each variable. Cronbach's alpha reliability tests used to determine the internal reliability of items of the instrument indicate good internal consistencies of twelve of the fifteen constructs constituting the instrument, while frequency tables and descriptive statistics indicate high prioritisation of existing domains used within the model. This high prioritisation and good internal consistencies suggests that the model and instrument are adequately appropriate, relevant and reliable in as far as they have been developed at this stage, and with suitable modifications as recommended on the basis of the research, will yield an appropriate tool for similar studies.
Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Diepsloot, a township in Johannesburg, South Africa, was used as a case study to explore the perceptions of people in informal settlements towards their role in limiting pollution in their environment. The method followed was qualitative, and primary data were collected through the use of key informants (Ward Councillor and Environmental Health Officer), and three focus groups. Diepsloot is a marginalised residential area located in the Northern perimeter of the City of Johannesburg. The settlement is spatially fragmented, reflects a high residential density and is plagued with high levels of unemployment and poverty. Compounded by poor municipal service delivery, these challenges lead to a range of environmental problems such as overflowing solid waste on the streets, water pollution, and high levels of indoor air pollution. The study found that there were varying levels of commitment to limiting pollution by people in the informal settlement. This (commitment to limiting pollution) was largely dependent on community action through the formation of street committees. In streets where there was community cohesion, street committees were stronger and environmental conditions were better. In contrast, environmental problems were worse where street committees were weak or not operating. Regarding the role of government, the major constraints leading to unresponsive interventions were the limited scale of municipal operation and their poor communication with residents. Suggested corrective measures include recycling, education on pollution and the need for institutional strengthening. Further research aimed at identifying a set of appropriate partnerships and institutions needed for responsive interventions in informal settlements is required.

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil
A presente dissertação visa analisar um sistema de habitação com séculos de existência e de história que tem vindo a cair em desuso e cujo futuro é incerto. Trata-se de um sistema, denominado por brandas e inverneiras, segundo o qual os habitantes de determinado lugar, mudam para um outro mediante as estações do ano procurando o conforto. Neste estudo a incidência é na zona correspondente à freguesia de Castro Laboreiro, em Melgaço – Portugal. Esta freguesia tem uma importância acrescida devido a localizar-se na área limitada do Parque Nacional Peneda Gerês. Sistemas como esses existem já desde a pré-história através do nomadismo. É apresentada uma análise relativa ao ciclo de vida dos imóveis, assente em dados visuais, e também uma análise relativa à imagem do próprio PNPG, através das brandas e das inverneiras na freguesia de Castro Laboreiro. Esta análise assenta no abandono da agricultura e consequentemente das habitações, deixando passar uma imagem fria e triste. A obtenção de dados práticos conseguida mediante a realização de trabalho de campo e da inquirição aos habitantes locais permitiu a localização de todos os lugares, bem como a sua classificação (mediante estado maioritário de ocupação e conservação) e ainda dados relativos ao sistema habitacional e dados pessoais que visam o estabelecimento de estatísticas, nomeadamente permitiram concluir estar-se perante uma população maioritariamente envelhecida, feminina, com poucos estudos e trabalhos ligados à agricultura. Estes dados permitiram observar que uma grande parte das habitações se encontra praticamente ao abandono e a quantidade de casas reabilitadas não é significativa para a preservação do património. Complementarmente encontra-se a explicação para a forma como as habitações eram edificadas, como era feito o processo de mudança, como se conseguia sustento para as famílias, entre outros de particular interesse. Apresentam-se ainda mapas elucidativos da localização das brandas e inverneiras e quais os movimentos efetuados aquando da mudança.
This dissertation aims to analyze a system of housing centuries-old history and has been falling into disuse and whose future is uncertain. It is a system, referred to as mild weather settlements and winter weather settlements, whereby the inhabitants of a particular place, change to another through the seasons looking for comfort. In this study, the incidence is on the zone corresponding to the parish of Castro Laboreiro in Melgaço - Portugal. This parish has an increased importance due to locate in the limited area of the Peneda Geres National Park. Systems like these already exist from pre-history through nomadism. An analysis for the life cycle of buildings, based on visual data, and also an analysis of the PNPG image. This analysis is based on the abandonment of agriculture and consequently the houses, letting a cold and sad picture. Practical data obtained by conducting fieldwork and examined the locals allowed the location of all places, as well as their classification (by majority state of occupation and conservation) and also data on the housing system and personal data aimed at the establishment of statistics, specifically we can conclude we face a mostly aged, female population, with few studies and works related to agriculture. These data allowed us to observe that most of the houses are practically abandoned and the amount of rehabilitated houses isn’t significant to preserve the heritage. There's yet the explanation for how the houses were built, as was done the process of change, how they can support the family and others of particular interest. Still present illustrative maps of the location of brandas and inverneiras well as the movements made when changing.

The research has been designed to study the effects of the rapid urbanization in and around the Roodepoort, targeting mainly the sprawling informal settlements across the area and the existing townships of Dobsonville, Doornkop (Snakepark) and Kagiso. The researcher, who is a practising pastor in the area, had been challenged by a number of issues related to the process of urbanization. The CODESA process that culminated with the elections of 1994 and the subsequent change of government had raised very high hopes among the majority of South Africans who lived in poverty and foreigners, in their own land, for decades. The turnover at the elections, inspired by leaders such as Bishop Desmond Tutu, was a clear indication that an ordinary South African was yearning for a better life. This was a new beginning as many people had been restricted by the apartheid laws to work and live where they wanted. The repeal of all the apartheid laws saw the beginning of influx from the rural homelands to the cities. The hope that job opportunities were available near the cities was the main force of attraction. This unplanned process resulted in creation of massive informal settlements as there were no houses to cater for the massive movement. This process is called rapid urbanization. Not very long, the reality of the past indicated that there were no major changes with the new government. The economy still remained in the hands of few individuals, majority of whom still being white, as the new government came through negotiations and not complete take over (Coup D’état.) Few blacks managed to shoot up the economy ladder through processes such as BEE and the GEAR leaving the majority of people in abject poverty. The great trek did not only happen within the borders of the country, millions of people from the African, Asian and East European countries also moved into South Africa to try their luck at the new South African economy. Highly qualified professionals left their struggling countries to seek better life in South Africa. This category came legally through the recruitment processes but the larger contingency came illegally into the country. They took the advantage of lack of internationally recognised immigration instruments to regulate movement in and out of the country. This process saw the country soaring with illegal economic migrants as well as genuine refugees and asylum seekers. The rapid urbanization process brought about the following challenges:

• Culture shock
• Declining family structures/ life and Social problems
• Drug trafficking
• Education
• Exploitation of foreigners
• Exploitation of informal settlement dwellers and “Shack farming”
• Human trafficking.
• Inadequate housing and homelessness
• Institutional harassment and unfair discrimination
• Lack of Employment
• Poverty in urban areas
• Refugees and economic migrants
• Social benefit exclusion
• Stigmatization on HIV and AIDS, Crime, including serious crimes
• Xenophobia

The challenges, as tabled above, brought about a series conflicts between the South African internal migrants and the foreigners which culminated into a bitter xenophobic outburst of 2008. The main reason for the conflict was that South Africans felt that jobs were being taken away by foreigners and also that the government was neglecting service provision to the local community in favour of foreigners. A number of service delivery protests have become a common sight, particularly in the informal settlements. Lack of basic facilities and the irregular allocations of the RDP Houses, crime and poverty have waned the patience of residences of informal settlements. The resent protests in Zandspruit, Rietfontein and Diepsloot informal settlements north west of Johannesburg are some of the concrete examples. The situation could not be ignored by the Church and this research was an attempt to understand the extent of the problem in order to find a way to improve ministry to the affected communities.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Practical Theology
unrestricted