Financing low-income housing in South Africa: Borrower experiences and perceptions of banks

South Africa is facing a low-income housing crisis, with the current backlog estimated at over three million units. An obstacle in the provision of low-income housing is the difficulty encountered by commercial banks to extend loans in this market despite supporting initiatives by Government. A lack of knowledge on the borrowing behaviour, preferences and experiences of low-income households in accessing housing finance from the commercial banking sector in South Africa hampers an understanding of the reasons for these problems. This paper's contribution is to provide information on the experiences and perceptions of low-income borrowers in the housing market of South Africa, specifically in their dealings with commercial banks. Results from a survey of 653 households across five provinces of the country are provided. In the survey, a structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on the experiences and perceptions of low-income households about their access to credit and housing finance, their experience of banks, the successes in credit approval, their judgements on the suitability of banks’ home-loan products, as well as preferences with regard to prices and interest rates.     

Population growth and housing in Nigeria

The author describes the growing housing problem in Nigeria and the effect of the country's rapid rate of population growth on housing needs. Data are from official sources.     

Access to and exclusion from housing over time: Refugees' experiences in rural areas

Taking the example of recognized refugees in rural Germany, and following the housing pathways approach, the paper addresses the complex interplay of individual and family-related residential preferences over time as well as structural factors regarding access to housing and associated settlement and integration. Results are from a long-term empirical study that encompassed both refugees’ and local actors’ views. Mechanisms and practices of exclusion that prevent refugees from accessing appropriate private housing are related to the negotiation of residential preferences about where and how to live, as well as to structural aspects such as the pattern of local housing markets, accessibility of infrastructures or the unwillingness of landlords to let to refugees. The paper concludes to highlight the role of place in housing trajectories and the significance of social resources within refugees' practices and local intermediaries' strategies to overcome exclusion and provision of access to rural housing.     

Housing policy in Nigeria: towards enablement of private housing development

One of the continuing challenges posed by unprecedented urbanization in the developing countries is the provision of adequate housing. Over the last three decades, Nigeria, like several developing countries, has emphasised public housing schemes, but with little success. This coincides with global paradigm shift from direct public provision of housing to the enablement of private shelter initiatives and housing production. The paper discusses private housing development features and dynamics and the factors affecting the sector in the country. It argues for the creation of an enabling environment, including support of housing initiatives and investments by householders, small-scale providers, and entrepreneurial private firms. The paper identifies the implications of enabling strategy for housing finance, access to land, residential infrastructure, institutional regulations and building materials and related industry particularly in the light of the need for the private sector to play greater roles in housing. It draws from aspects of empirical study by the authors and some review of housing policy-related issues.     

Childhood cancer survivors' experiences in school re-entry in South Korea: Focusing on academic problems and peer victimization

Childhood cancer survivors are confronted with numerous problems when they return to school after the completion of treatment. This study investigates the school re-entry experiences of childhood cancer survivors in South Korea. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 31 childhood cancer survivors who were between 15 and 39 years old and had completed all cancer treatments at the time of the study. Participants reported being excited about school re-entry, but also being fearful and concerned about their academic performance and peer relationships. The participants' school re-entry experiences were mostly impacted by their relationships with their peers and teachers. They expressed having had psychosocial problems related to school re-entry, such as feeling a sense of loss and a lack of social skills. Our study findings emphasize a critical need for supporting childhood cancer survivors, both academically and socially, in their transition to school.     

Arenas of contested citizenship: housing policy in South Africa

There are well-founded concerns that current South African housing policy will entrench and reinforce rather than reduce existing inequalities that are the legacy of apartheid. This study examines the processes by which attempts to formulate housing policy that would have moved the country towards egalitarian citizenship were undermined and scuttled largely through inappropriate timing of policy negotiations and shrewed manipulation of the process by forces opposed to change. The housing policy analysis is centered on the core themes of citizenship, property, and place which are pivotal to the process of post-apartheid healing and reconciliation. An introduction to these concepts in the context of housing policy in apartheid South Africa sets the background against which the proceedings of the National Housing Forum, the vehicle for policy negotiation and formulation established during the dying years of apartheid, are examined. The policy that emerged and was adopted by the post-apartheid government are then evaluated within the framework of the core themes of the study. The analysis is structured around the major place types that are the legacy of apartheied: the African “location” or township, the displaced urban settlements or dormitory towns of the African reserves, and the rural homestead. Within this structure, the form of citizenship of the inhabitants of each place type, namely, township residents, migrant workers, long distance commuters, and rural women is considered. The analysis reveals that realizing the goals of equal citizenship is contingent upon policy that will move beyond the confines of the current uniform and monetarist approach, and address the broader issues of property and place.     

Anti-discriminatory practice in practice: Student placement experiences as an aid to learning

The role and nature of anti-discriminatory practice continues to be a key issue in social work education. This article examines the findings of a questionnaire conducted in one university department regarding the placement experiences of two sets of DipSW students in this area. The paper examines both how they found the treatment of these issues in their placements and how they experienced putting theories of anti-discrimination into practice. It evaluates what contribution such student experiences can make to the current debates in this area.     

Migration as a window to empowerment: Nepalese women's experiences in South Korea

ABSTRACT

Migrant women are often described as victims of the global economy: accounts of human rights abuses and economic exploitation have eclipsed more positive accounts of the impact of migrant work on women's lives. Some migrant women are positioned to make use of new opportunities which they see as empowering, in contrast to earlier experiences in their homes or sending countries. This study, based on qualitative interviews with 13 young Nepalese women working in manufacturing and agricultural sectors with Employment Permits in South Korea, highlights a rather positive window of women's empowerment. It shares the perspectives of young, mostly single women who gain self-confidence through their new ability to take care of their family (some becoming primary breadwinners). The women are also able to plan for their economic futures, and report their voices being heard more in important family decision-making. These material, relational, and perceptual improvements are all important dimensions of empowerment. In these experiences, gender intersects with age and other factors to produce a nuanced view of specific young women's experience of migrant work.     

The perception of housing conditions in Nigeria by the urban poor

This paper provides a critical analysis of the urban poor's attitudes towards housing conditions in Nigeria. The concept of housing inequality as well as the various types and scales of disparity in housing services availability are discussed. Although inequality is a moral issue, this paper is mainly concerned with its ideological and scientific content. And in order to identify and characterise the dimensions of inequality theoretically and empirically, a case study of Idi-Araba, an officially-designated slum area in Metropolitan Lagos in Nigeria, was carried out. Some of the theories which attempt to explain low-income and the poor housing users' attitudes towards their settlements, towards public housing policies and towards social and economic inequalities are presented and tested. The study posits that the problems of housing in Nigeria today cannot be restrictedly defined in terms of housing costs, building materials, manpower availability, land tenurial systems and so on. In order for it to be possible for us to understand them adequately, the problems must be seen as an unavoidable and persisting aspect of structural inequality in our society. Clarification of users' disposition of minds towards government housing policies is essential in order to begin to formulate the elements of various reforms that are necessary to reduce inequality in housing.     

Bringing together housing and aging services: the experiences of area agencies on aging

Aging organizations generally do not consider housing issues as an important priority. Research suggests that lack of knowledge may be a significant barrier that prevents their involvement in housing-related activities. This article reports on a study that examined the extent and level of AAAs' involvement in housing-related activities with particular attention to instances of cooperation and collaboration between AAAs and housing agencies. It employed a national survey of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Further, since the lack of knowledge about housing is a barrier to involvement, the study examined the role of a housing specialist in motivating higher levels of activity. Though there is no single overall indicator of activities to do with housing, the results indicate a range of activities pursued by AAAs. The presence of a housing specialist within the AAA generally served as a catalyst, motivating higher levels of this kind of activity. The importance of housing as a component of a comprehensive long-term care continuum is also discussed.     

Social housing estates and sustainable community development in South Korea

The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics and problems of social housing estates in South Korea, and to explore sustainable community development issues. In order to examine the social housing situation, a survey of the three social housing communities in Seoul was conducted. The survey evidence demonstrates that there is a growing stigma against the poor and social exclusion. This kind of social bias is likely to escalate the construction of social housing estates, which the poor concentrates in. Residents recognized that mixing public and private housing would be an issue and problematic. Public housing was thought to have a negative impact on the neighborhood. It is important to examine why these kinds of social problems arise. Applying the concept of social sustainability to low-income communities in urban Korea requires mobilizing residents and their governments to strengthen all forms of community capital.     

The private sector and urban housing production process in Nigeria: A study of small-scale landlords in Abuja

The private production system continues to supply the majority of housing to the population of Third World cities. In Nigeria, statistics show that the bulk of urban housing units is supplied for rent by small-scale private landlords. This paper examines the process of housing production among this category of producers using, as a case study, the peripheral settlements of Abuja, Nigeria's new capital city. A predominance of small-size sole proprietorships is established among the small-scale house building firms, mostly for reasons of maintaining operational flexibility and cost saving. It is also found that the greatest attraction of investing in rental housing by small entrepreneurs is the hedge it provides against inflation and the stability and permanence it introduces into the capital base of economic pursuits. A strong influence of traditional chiefs in land supply is revealed, together with the emergence of a commercialised land market, resulting in speculation and contributing to rising land prices. It is shown that building materials are the most problematic of the key building components to the housing production process. It is argued that small building firms would make more profit if they had access to formal sector working capital and that the practice of using casual workers in project execution has the advantage of enabling firms to survive periods of job drought, but does not encourage growth of the firms, apprenticeship training and skills development in the house construction industry. It is concluded that what is needed to enhance the operation of this category of producers is for government to accept an enabling role that will seek to minimise the financial burden and risks to which they are currently exposed.     

Emotionalized learning experiences: Tapping into the affective domain

The experimental study was undertaken to examine the effect of emotionalized learning experiences on the academic achievement of students at Preston University. The major objectives of the study were to identify the effect of teaching methods on students’ academic achievement and to evaluate the relationship between affective learning conditions and students’ academic achievement. Based on four intact semesters, the population of the study comprised 140 students from the Bachelors of Business Administration Program. The whole population was considered as the sample. The control group (28 students) was taught through the interactive lecture method, whereas, the experimental group 1 (35 students), experimental group 2 (46 students) and experimental group 3 (31 students) were taught through the activity method, reflective learning method and cooperative learning method respectively. Results indicated a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores obtained in the achievement test as a result of the effect of teaching methods used for offering the emotionalized learning experiences. There was also a significant relationship between affective leaning conditions and students’ academic achievement. Furthermore, it was found that students’ academic achievement in the affective domain was highest with regard to workshops 1, 2 and 3. It was concluded that the emotionalized learning experiences offered to the students via the four teaching methods helped students in enhancing their knowledge, changing their attitudes and developing their skills with regard to living a happy, healthy and meaningful life. However, the reflective learning method proved to be the most suitable followed by the interactive lecture method, the cooperative learning method and the activity method.     

Must‐See TV: South Asian Characterizations in American Popular Media

In the 21st century, representations of South Asians in American popular television have increased significantly. However, there has been very little critical analysis on the ways in which these characters are created and produced. In this review, I use literature from the sociology of race/ethnicity, immigration, and critical media studies to identify the concept of “(ethnic) characterization.” While it may be assumed that these representations are created unconsciously, I suggest that media producers intentionally use particular ethnic characteristics that are identified and discussed in contemporary sociological literature. As a result, I argue that these types of media characterizations are relevant to the discipline of sociology.