Catherina Schenck | University of the Western Cape (original) (raw)
I am Professor and NRF rated researcher in the Department of Social Work at the University of the Western Cape. My research interest is the unemployed making a living in the informal economy. The research focus on day labourers and waste pickers.Growing up in a rural area, I am interested in rural issues
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Papers by Catherina Schenck
South African Journal of Science, Aug 31, 2022
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, Oct 17, 2022
Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe, Dec 1, 2021
South African Journal of Science, Aug 31, 2022
Street waste pickers are becoming a common sight on the streets of South Africa’s cities and subu... more Street waste pickers are becoming a common sight on the streets of South Africa’s cities and suburbs. Little research has been done on this social phenomenon. The aim of this article is to explore some of the socioeconomic circumstances of the people who collect recyclable waste in South Africa’s cities. The research identifies the pivotal role played by the waste pickers in the waste management system even if they are unaware of it. Being a waste picker offers unskilled, unemployed people the opportunity to enter the informal economy in order to earn or augment their income. The social service professional can play a supportive role at different levels such as psychosocial support and at policy level. Several areas of further research are identified.Department of HE and Training approved lis
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Apr 25, 2023
Environmental development, Mar 1, 2023
South African Journal of Science, Sep 7, 2022
Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe, Dec 1, 2019
Southern African journal of social work and social development, Dec 8, 2021
Environmental social work is a growing area of interest in social work globally; yet in South Afr... more Environmental social work is a growing area of interest in social work globally; yet in South Africa there is still an absence of literature in this field. Building on the definition of environmental social work as assisting humanity in creating and sustaining a biodiverse planetary ecosystem, we researched the relationship between perceptions of waste disposal behaviour and waste disposal practices such as littering. Littering has been underexplored in developing countries, including in South Africa, and particularly in South African public transport. This article reports on the results of a case study at one train station in the Western Cape province of South Africa to explore and understand possible reasons for littering on trains and train stations as perceived by commuters. A qualitative exploratory methodology was used to collect 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews at the train station. The data were thematically analysed and the perceived determinants of littering were highlighted. The findings echoed the global literature referring to a lack of infrastructure such as bins, the litterers’ personal traits, and the need for education and awareness. Two unique South African themes emerged: job creation and dissatisfaction with the government or authorities not being responsive to the commuters’ needs. This study, the first on littering on trains in South Africa, makes a case for the importance of environmental social work by demonstrating the way in which it could contribute to sustainability and reaching the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
International Social Science Journal, Feb 22, 2022
Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent again in the developed world while being widespr... more Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent again in the developed world while being widespread in developing economies. Day labour is precarious wage work that is emerging and re‐emerging in the global North and South. Within the global South context, we explore the socio‐economic and labour market outcomes of day labourers in Mpumalanga. A comparable multi‐case study research design reveals day labourers’ precarious existence: low and uncertain incomes, struggle to provide for dependents, low levels of subjective well‐being and structural vulnerability. The results reflect differences between a more diversified economy (Mbombela) and one subject to the mining industry's boom and bust cycles (Emalahleni). Social policy must be reconsidered to adhere to the South African government's developmental state vision.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2015
African Review of Economics and Finance, Dec 1, 2019
Development Southern Africa, Jan 24, 2023
South African Journal of Science, Aug 31, 2022
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, Oct 17, 2022
Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe, Dec 1, 2021
South African Journal of Science, Aug 31, 2022
Street waste pickers are becoming a common sight on the streets of South Africa’s cities and subu... more Street waste pickers are becoming a common sight on the streets of South Africa’s cities and suburbs. Little research has been done on this social phenomenon. The aim of this article is to explore some of the socioeconomic circumstances of the people who collect recyclable waste in South Africa’s cities. The research identifies the pivotal role played by the waste pickers in the waste management system even if they are unaware of it. Being a waste picker offers unskilled, unemployed people the opportunity to enter the informal economy in order to earn or augment their income. The social service professional can play a supportive role at different levels such as psychosocial support and at policy level. Several areas of further research are identified.Department of HE and Training approved lis
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Apr 25, 2023
Environmental development, Mar 1, 2023
South African Journal of Science, Sep 7, 2022
Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe, Dec 1, 2019
Southern African journal of social work and social development, Dec 8, 2021
Environmental social work is a growing area of interest in social work globally; yet in South Afr... more Environmental social work is a growing area of interest in social work globally; yet in South Africa there is still an absence of literature in this field. Building on the definition of environmental social work as assisting humanity in creating and sustaining a biodiverse planetary ecosystem, we researched the relationship between perceptions of waste disposal behaviour and waste disposal practices such as littering. Littering has been underexplored in developing countries, including in South Africa, and particularly in South African public transport. This article reports on the results of a case study at one train station in the Western Cape province of South Africa to explore and understand possible reasons for littering on trains and train stations as perceived by commuters. A qualitative exploratory methodology was used to collect 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews at the train station. The data were thematically analysed and the perceived determinants of littering were highlighted. The findings echoed the global literature referring to a lack of infrastructure such as bins, the litterers’ personal traits, and the need for education and awareness. Two unique South African themes emerged: job creation and dissatisfaction with the government or authorities not being responsive to the commuters’ needs. This study, the first on littering on trains in South Africa, makes a case for the importance of environmental social work by demonstrating the way in which it could contribute to sustainability and reaching the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
International Social Science Journal, Feb 22, 2022
Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent again in the developed world while being widespr... more Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent again in the developed world while being widespread in developing economies. Day labour is precarious wage work that is emerging and re‐emerging in the global North and South. Within the global South context, we explore the socio‐economic and labour market outcomes of day labourers in Mpumalanga. A comparable multi‐case study research design reveals day labourers’ precarious existence: low and uncertain incomes, struggle to provide for dependents, low levels of subjective well‐being and structural vulnerability. The results reflect differences between a more diversified economy (Mbombela) and one subject to the mining industry's boom and bust cycles (Emalahleni). Social policy must be reconsidered to adhere to the South African government's developmental state vision.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2015
African Review of Economics and Finance, Dec 1, 2019
Development Southern Africa, Jan 24, 2023
