An investigation into culture and its influence on socio-economic development in the Kingdom of Swaziland
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
In the socio-economic sphere, culture has become one of the influences or
determinants of the same. Depending on the living environment, culture has tended
to be either a resource or an impediment of socio-economic development (SED). The
purpose of this study is to investigate existing cultures influencing SED in the
Kingdom of Swaziland (KOS). The sequential mixed-method approach was used
because the study entailed identifying and evaluating different cultures and their
influence on SED, something that required both qualitative and quantitative studies.
Traditional leaders, constituency heads and development practitioners were used as
sample data for the study, where stratified sampling was employed in order to
accommodate the diverse groups. Results of the study indicate that cultural influence
is most prevalent in the rural communities, while the adoption of the new national
constitution (NC) in 2005 brought an insignificant change in the way culture
influences SED. Encompassed in the purpose of the study is also the exploration of
possible ways to mitigate the adverse or stimulate the commendatory aspects of such
influences without undermining or overlooking social elements of both cultural and
national identity in the Kingdom. From the findings of the study, it was noted that
cultural governance, cultural tourism, customs and traditions, gender discrimination
and marginalisation of people living with disabilities are the main existing
components relating to the area of the central phenomenon. To validate the
authenticity of these, spin-offs such as employment, economic inequality, self sustainability and service delivery were used. Further findings, supported by
empirical evidence, indicate that culture in the Kingdom is largely epitomised by the
existence of the Monarchy authority, as a wide range of norms, beliefs, customs and
traditions are entrenched in the core values of same. This infers that the KOS is
predominated by socio-cultural values, which necessitates a telling influence on SED
issues. A major recommendation would be the formulation of constitutionalised
legislation with domesticated regulations and policies that will seek to balance the
values and systems of culture with those of socio-economic development.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Management Strategy)
Keywords
Socio-economic development (SED), Kingdom of Swaziland, Culture, Namibia, University of Namibia