Browsing by Author "Larsson, Anna-Karin"

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Att starta eget - en väg till frigörelse? En kvalitativ studie om mikroföretagare i Sydafrika
(2008-06-25T12:17:12Z) Larsson, Anna-Karin; Wedin, Alexandra; Göteborg University/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
The aim of our study is to explore the empowerment process among micro-business owners in Kayamandi, a black township of Stellenbosch in South Africa. What are the positive and negative implications for the empowerment process? Another aim is to find out the role of local and international support in this process. The theoretical framework of this study revolves around the concepts of gender, power and empowerment. Our methods are qualitative interviews and observations. We have interviewed five micro-business owners; three women and two men. The conclusions of our study are that having one’s own business can be empowering for the individual person in many levels, especially for the women. Most important is the feeling of pride and independence to be your own employer, and also to be able to work with your passion on a daily basis. Our informants started their businesses on their own, without the help of the local organisation Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust (GSDT), but the organisation facilitates the business by providing housing and offering a micro-business course. The informants have an awareness about the inequalities, which remain vast in post-apartheid South Africa. They generally look positively upon the future for Kayamandi and South Africa as a whole. They feel that it is important to work together with the other people of the township and they want to help other people, not just run their own business. In that sense, the informants have a broad perspective upon their own situation as well as the society. Empowerment on the structural level is yet to be achieved. The main negative implications for the empowerment process are the lack of resources as well as the lack of influence within the organisation. Many of the informants have a critical view upon the organisation. GSDT is not a grass-root organisation and the informants sometimes complain about the lack of influence. International aid can be an important source of strength for the organisation and business owners, for example by taking the initiative to start a Support Group Committee where the business owners can make their voices heard. The micro-business owners have many individual skills and resources, and they are constantly struggling to overcome the obstacles that are surrounding them. We feel that there is a great deal of opportunities and with the right kind of support there can be a change for the people in Kayamandi. An important point here is not to see people as victims, but as agents who have lots of potential to develop themselves and their community.
Gender and Climate Change. An Emperical Legal Study of Gender Responsiveness in Kenyan Climate Change Response Documents
(2017-10-21) Larsson, Anna-Karin; Göteborg University/Department of Law; Göteborgs universitet/Juridiska institutionen
Climate change, also referred to as global warming, is affecting every continent of the world, affecting lives and causing significant impacts on the environment as well national economies. Kenya and neighbouring countries in East Africa are some of the countries hardest hit by the impacts of climate change. A major challenge in these countries is also the unequal and gendered dimension of climate change impacts. As the first country in Africa, and one of few countries worldwide, Kenya enacted a climate change law in 2016. Along with different climate change action plans and strategies, the Climate Change Act aims to challenge climate change impacts and to promote climate resilient development in Kenya. This thesis examines the implementation of the legislation and policies on climate change response, applying a gender policy analysis based on a theoretical framework developed by Carol Bacchi. The thesis is divided in two analytical sections. The first part is a textual gender analysis of the Kenyan legal framework on climate change response. The second part comprises a study of the implementation of the legal documents, based on an analysis of interview data. The stakeholders include representatives from different environmental organisations and institutes working with gender and climate change response on different levels. One result from the analysis is that the legal framework recognises the gendered dimension of climate change and reveals a shift towards more gender responsiveness in climate change governance generally. Many documents are, however, too vaguely formulated regarding concepts such as gender and equality, which complicates the implementation process. This is explained by the lack of awareness and knowledge regarding gender. Another explanation to the implementation issue is that there is a gap between the policy makers and the communities at the grassroots level. There is a need to create more awareness as well as a better exchange of existing knowledge and expertise. The current focus on legal measures as an efficient means of climate change response is also questioned. Alternative or complementing approaches and strategies are suggested in order to fill the gaps which legislative measures are unable to solve.