Etikett: South Africa

Mobilising Assets to Improve Participatory Planning in Local Governance in South Africa

This learning case aims to guide the reader to:

  • Reflect on the rights, responsibilities, and relationships of local communities (citizens) and municipalities in a context governed by strong policies for public participation yet ineffective practices to engage communities in planning and service delivery;
  • Identify gaps and potential solutions to improve the quality of participation in public planning through the Integrated Development Planning process;
  • Consider the value of asset-based and community-driven development (ABCD) from the perspective of local governance and public participation; and,
  • Propose avenues for strengthening mutual accountability (and the social contract) between local municipalities and communities through the ABCD-informed Community Scorecard (CSC).

Typ av publikation
Learning Cases
Tema
Participatory democracy, citizen dialogues and budgeting
Etiketter
Community Scorecards, Learning case, South Africa,

Towards Inclusive WASH Policy-Making: A case study of exploring barriers to adopting gender responsive budgeting (GRB) in the water and sanitation sector in Cape Town

This study investigates different potential barriers to adopting a Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) approach that aims to address gender inequalities in the WASH sector. The study explores the perspectives of civil servants, local politicians, and civil society representatives through semi-structured interviews, shedding light on the challenges faced in intensifying gender equality perspectives at the local government level in Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically, the study highlights the impact of lack of transparency, limited multistakeholder cooperation, and restricted gender equality awareness as key obstacles.

Drawing on Feminist Democratic Theory (FDT), and Postcolonial Feminism, the study reveals that these challenges affect the entire policy cycle. Notably, the research uncovers new complexities in relation to transparency, multistakeholder cooperation, and gender equality awareness across the input, throughput, and output stages of the policy process. While previous GRB research has predominantly focused on theoretical aspects and the policy process’s output stage, this study delves into the input and throughput stages as well.

By examining these stages, the study exposes underlying norms related to gender, race, and socioeconomic status as well as structures related to culture and history, thereby adding layers of complexity to the identified challenges. By comprehending and analyzing these underlying structures and norms, policymakers, politicians, and civil society can effectively confront the barriers, thus increasing the prospects for adopting an inclusive GRB approach.

Typ av publikation
Master Thesis
Projektområde
Inclusive leadership and governance
Globala mål
5 - Jämställdhet6 - Rent vatten och sanitet för alla
Tema
Gender Equality
Etiketter
fieldwork grant, Gender equality, gender responsive budgeting, South Africa, water and sanitation,

Bridging the Accountability Gap: Applying assed-based and citizen-led development in Emfuleni, South Africa

This research project aims to gain an understanding of how to institutionalise the Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development (ABCD) approach as an innovative means of promoting active citizen engagement along with local-level social accountability in Emfuleni Local Municipality, Gauteng Province in South Africa. Building on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)’s work in three wards of Emfuleni, the research tested the assumption that an ABCD approach offers a structural and transformative process by fostering a more participatory, inclusive, responsive, and equitable local government planning process. Four research methods were applied at various stages of the research project, namely: WhatsApp group discussions; ABCD orientation workshops; multi-stakeholder dialogues and the Community Scorecard (CSC) method.

Despite many challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of full commitment of some officials, it is evident that an ABCD approach can bridge the public participation divide between citizens and the local government to improve service delivery in Emfuleni. To reach government with a more direct engagement strategy, the research team introduced an ABCD-informed Community Scorecard (CSC) method to create a space for constructive dialogue, engagement, and accountability between Emfuleni communities and local municipal officials around the quality of participation in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) processes. A joint action plan and a nominated steering team consisting of local citizens and Emfuleni Local Municipality officials were established to monitor and push for the implementation of the process.

Typ av publikation
Research Reports
Projektområde
Inclusive leadership and governanceLocal economic development, innovation and livelihoods
Globala mål
11 - Hållbara städer och samhällen16 - Fredliga och inkluderande samhällen
Tema
Participatory democracy, citizen dialogues and budgeting
Etiketter
Accountability, Citizen participation, Citizen Scorecards, South Africa,

Community Scorecard: Promoting Participation and Accountability in Local Government using the ABCD approach

This policy brief explores how an Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development (ABCD) approach can address low levels of public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Emfuleni, South Africa. While earlier findings show that the ABCD approach appears to activate a sense of responsibility and civic duty among citizens, there continued to be low levels of responsiveness among local government officials. To address this gap, the Community Scorecard was introduced and adopted in accordance with ABCD principles as a tool for direct dialogue and social accountability. Results from using this tool have informed recommendations for targeted capacity building, policy and legislative reviews, and a technical and financial support model to incentivize citizen-led solutions.

Typ av publikation
Policy Briefs
Projektområde
Inclusive leadership and governance
Tema
Participatory democracy, citizen dialogues and budgeting
Etiketter
Accountability, Citizen participation, Community Outreach, South Africa,