This dissertation seeks to expose through a systemic approach the complexity and centrality of governance in community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). This is premised on the hypothesis that an appreciation of this complexity and of drawing analytic distinctions between governance and management is necessary for successful interventions. The study adopts community-based environmental governance (CBEG) as the core heuristic variable in a conceptual framework for analysing CBNRM. The application of this framework generates empirical evidence concerning CBNRM processes adopted in the Kafue Flats socio-biophysical system. It is illustrated that CBNRM processes are established and implemented in a complex context. It is observed that social actors on the Kafue Flats usually do not constructively understand and appreciate this complexity. Several examples are demonstrated in which the thinking and actions of these actors reflect a limited conceptual framework of systems thinking and the inherent complexity in CBNRM. It is illustrated that these actors do not appreciate that CBNRM is a significant component of the governance of natural resource utilisation. This lack of appreciation is essentially identified as a contributing factor to poor performance. Ultimately, CBNRM processes are not only about sustainable use of natural resources; but also the nature and quality of relationships amongst social actors in CBEG. By drawing attention to these relationships, this study broadens our understanding of what goes into CBNRM processes. The implications of ignoring these relationships can be detrimental to the success of CBNRM. Accordingly, the establishment of productive CBNRM systems depends on how firmly CBEG issues and concerns are incorporated into CBNRM analyses and operations. Evidently, CBNRM cannot be pragmatically pursued in rigid socio-biophysical settings. It requires systemic and structural changes in the socio-political, economic and cultural mechanisms of CBEG. Thus, all cooperating partners, governments included, should accept that CBEG and CBNRM are inseparable. This understanding necessitates them to spearhead CBEG capacity building schemes at international, national and local levels. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

This study examines public participation in post-apartheid planning projects, using the KwaMashu Urban Renewal Project as a Case Study. A qualitative approach was adopted in the investigation. This study made the use of unstructured open ended interviews and observation to obtain primary data, which was thereafter analysed though the use of the thematic method. The study revealed that the process of Public Participation within the planning field has evolved substantially within the context of South Africa. There is adequate legislation and the necessary structures for public participation are present within the community. However, there is insufficient depth in legislation to ensure that public participation has an impact on final decision making. The extent of participation in the KwaMashu Renewal Project as a whole was minimal. This is mainly due to the nature of the participatory methods that were used which did not allow the community to fully engage with the planning processes within the different sub projects. It was evident that these [participatory methods] were mainly applied to fulfil the regulatory obligation for public participation in spatial development projects. The challenges of public participation that were noted within the case study include internal politics, land ownership and illegal occupation in state owned buildings. The study recommends early inclusion of the community in such projects and allowing for the community to be part of the creative process in projects. Secondly, this study also recommends that there needs to be a diffusion of power and diminishing limits of public participation within planning projects. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)--University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This creative project has examined the cooperation between the public and private sectors (public-private partnerships) and how they effectively combined resources to revitalize downtown Indianapolis. The public-private partnership process operating in Indianapolis was explored using two specific partnership efforts. A detailed discussion of the development of Market Square Arena - the city's first major partnership effort - and the development of the proposed Circle Centre Mall - the city's latest and reaching attempt at public-private cooperation - serve as two examples in defining the partnership process.In addition, the creative project defines five components necessary for public-private partnerships to operate effectively in Indianapolis. / Department of Urban Planning

<p>This study focused on participatory governance in the form of involvement of communities and community organisation in matters of local government in general, and citizens participation in the local budget process in particular. The study therefore aimed to assess the theoretical and policy framework for citizens participation in South Africa / and evaluated the perceptions of councillors and civics and ratepayer organisations on participation in the local budget process at the eThekwini Municipality.</p>

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite calls for greater public participation in all aspects of environmental planning, impact assessment and decision making, opportunities for participation in the planning, legal and administrative systems governing these activities, are limited. Public participation has often been reduced to a procedural exercise instead of a substantive process to include the public in environmental decision making. Thus, it is relevant to examine public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), providing ways to improve its effectiveness. The emphasis of this thesis is therefore, to compare the role of public participation in the environmental assessment process in the United Kingdom, South Africa and the United States. It begins by defining the principles of Environmental Impact Assessment and the concept of public participation and explores how the rationales of public participation may be integrated into the environmental planning process. Features of each of the three existing EIA systems are examined since components such as the appropriate legislative framework, the institutional framework, the public, and formal and informal public participation opportunities in the EIA process are the factors contributing towards effective public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment. The author argues that public participation deserves attention because the degree of participation affects the quality of the Environmental Impact Assessment, which, in turn, affects the quality of a decision about a project. Broader participation creates more information and alternatives to be presented to decision makers, enhancing the opportunity to mesh public values and government policy. Although public participation may slow down the EIA process, the real goal of EIA theory is to ensure sustainable development, no matter how long the EIA process takes. Apparently, the three EIA laws discussed in the comparative analysis, are consistent with sustainable development since these laws operate to force considerations of environmental impacts into the decision making process. Moreover, properly drafted EIA laws are based on a strict standard of procedural compliance to ensure that the responsible decision makers are fully apprised of the environmental consequences which they review. Involving the public is a safeguard against bad or politically motivated decisions, and a mechanism to increase public awareness of the delicate balance between economic and environmental trade offs. If conducted openly, it may ultimately increase public confidence in the decision making process. Public participation has the potential to enhance the maintenance of accountability in public and private sectors. The public should realise that they, individually or through interest groups, can participate in public matters that affect them, with a view to persuading decision makers and shaping environmental policies. The thesis further reviews the different roles the public can play during the various stages of an Environmental Impact Assessment process, whereby formal and informal public participation opportunities are explored according to the country-specific context. The comparative analytical framework in the thesis reveals significant variations within and between the three countries. Apparently, the three EIA systems seem to possess more or less mature, well-defined and formal Environmental Impact Assessment systems. For the UK and South Africa, examples could be taken from the United States, which has developed more adequate public participation provisions than those of the European Directive and of the South African EIA Regulations, particularly as far as the level and degree of public participation and techniques are concerned. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ten spyte van beroepe op groter openbare deelname in alle aspekte van omgewingsbeplanning, inpakbeoordeling en besluitneming, is geleenthede vir deelname in die beplannings-, administratiewe en wetlike sisteme wat hierdie aktiwiteite beheer, beperk. Openbare deelname word dikwels gereduseer tot 'n proseduriële oefening in plaas van 'n substantiewe proses te wees om die publiek in omgewingsbesluitneming te betrek. Dit is derhalwe relevant dat openbare deelname in Omgewingsimpakbeoordeling (algemeen in Engels na verwys as EIA) ondersoek word tot einde wyses vir effektiwiteitsverbetering daar te stel. Die aksent van hierdie tesis is dus 'n vergelyking van openbare deelname in omgewingsbeoordeling in die Verenigde Koninkryk, Suid-Afrika en die Verenigde State van Amerika onderskeidelik. Daar word begin met definiëring van die beginsels van EIA en die konsep "openbare deelname" en 'n ondersoek na integrering van die rationales vir openbare deelname in die omgewingsbeplanningsproses. Kenmerke van elk van die drie bestaande EIA -stelsels word ondersoek aangesien komponente soos die geskikte wetgewende raamwerk, die institusionele raamwerk, die publiek, asook formele en informele openbare deelname-geleenthede in die EIA -proses, die bydraende faktore is tot effektiewe openbare deelname in EIA. Die navorser argumenteer dat openbare deelname aandag verdien omdat die graad van deelname die kwaliteit van die EIA affekteer met voortspruitende effek vir die kwaliteit van besluitneming rakende 'n projek. Breër deelname skep meer inligting en alternatiewe vir voorlegging aan die besluitnemers ter verbetering van die geleentheid vir die ineenskakeling van openbare waardes en regeringsbeleid. Hoewel openbare deelname die EIA-proses mag vertraag, is die werklike doel van EIA-teorie die bewerkstelliging van volhoubare ontwikkeling, ongeag van hoe lank die proses ook mag duur. Die drie EIA-wette bespreek in die vergelykende analise is oënskynlik konsekwent in terme van volhoubare ontwikkeling aangesien hierdie wette gerig is op die inkorporering van omgewingsimpak oorwegings in die besluitnemingsproses. Verder is behoorlik geformuleerde EIA-wette gebaseer op 'n streng standaard van proseduriële onderworpenheid ten einde te verseker dat die verantwoordelike besluitnemers ten volle ingelig is oor die omgewingsgevolge onder hersiening. Die insluiting van die publiek is 'n voorsorg teen swak of polities gemotiveerde besluite en 'n meganisme om openbare bewustheid ten opsigte van die delikate balans tussen ekonomiese en omgewings komprimieë. As dit openlik gedoen word, behoort dit op die lange duur die publiek se vertoue in die besluitnemingsproses te verhoog. Openbare deelname kan tot die behoud van, deur hul betrokkenheid aanspreeklikheid in die openbare en private sektore bydra. Die publiek moet besef dat hulle deur hulle betrokkenheid, individueel of deur middel van belangegroepe, in openbare aangeleenthede wat hulle raak, beluitnemers kan oorreed en omgewingsbeleid help vorm. Die tesis beskou ook die verskillende rolle wat die publiek gedurende die verskillende fases van 'n Omgewingsimpakbeoordelingsproses kan speel, en verken geleenthede vir formele en informele openbare deelname binne elke land se spefieke konteks. Die vergelykende analitiese raamwerk in die tesis bring betekenisvolle variasies binne en tussen die drie lande aan die lig. Oënskynlik verteenwoordig die drie EIA stelsels min of meer volwasse, goed definieërde en formele Omgewingsimpakbeoordelingstelsels. Die VK en Suid Afrika kan leer uit die voorbeeld van die VSA wat meer voldoende voorsienning vir openbare deelname bied as die van die Europese Direktief en van Suid Afrika se EIA Regulasies, in besonder sover dit die vlak en graad van openbare deelname en tegnieke betref

M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / In an effort to correct the injustices of the past, particularly the exclusion of the majority, the South African Government has developed scores of policy frameworks in order to address equity and redress, of which municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and the emphasis on public participation in these processes is central. The IDP forms the statutory basis for a municipality’s policy framework and is also aligned with other resources, including the municipality’s capacity to implement the plan. Although the IDP has been criticised and referred to as a ‘wish list’ in that it supposedly obliges municipalities to make unrealistic plans, it is nonetheless the corner stone of municipal plans, even if only in theory in some municipalities. Against this background, the question that the research seeks to answer is: What was the level of public participation in Midvaal Local Municipality’s 2011/12 Integrated Development Plan? This qualitative research made use of as questionnaire and individual interviews in order to interpret the phenomena of public participation in the IDP process. Although public participation is useful, there is no ‘one size fits all’ and as a result there is a need for a differentiated approach to its application. South Africa has an excellent regulatory and policy framework governing public participation and largely strives to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of local government affairs. However, even with such a comprehensive framework, legislation has at times proven to be inadequate in practice and the same can be said with the ‘credibility’ of the IDP. The research found that the most effective mechanism for public participation in Midvaal was the use of flyers and posters which were provided by the municipality, a method which was also reflected as effective and popular in the literature. To ensure people were fully representative, the municipality held consultations in all but one ward and provided the community with transport to get to the venues; however even with such measures the attendance was very low. Furthermore, it can be said that for public participation to be more effective Midvaal municipality needs to develop strategies to encourage affluent communities to attend meetings and also a need to ensure that the people that do attend the meeting understand what they are about and that they are not platforms for complaining. The research therefore recommends that: there should be enhance public participation mechanisms, the structure of the meeting should be better structured and there should be a focus on public education about the IDP process.

The aim of the study is to investigate effective strategies and processes for public participation in the IDP process in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. A qualitative study was undertaken and literature review on public participation in terms of the Integrated Development Planning was conducted. Relevant secondary data was sourced and structured interviews were conducted with three (3) ward councillors in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipal. Focus group interviews were also conducted with ward committee members from three (3) wards in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. The findings of this research indicate that ward councilors have limited information on administrative processes. This could lead to ward councillors not be able to provide feedback on various service delivery issues and the progress of the municipal projects. Also ward councillors may not be able to influence public participation if they do not understand their role in administrative processes such as monitoring implementation of council decisions and policies. Ward councillors have no influence on the Integrated Development Planning especially the cost and budget estimates for municipal projects which are intended to benefit the members of the community. On the basis of the key findings, recommendations were made that ward committees should be empowered to deal with the complex developments in the Integrated Development Planning process and ward councillors should play a leading role in the Integrated Development Planning process.

Contemporary debates about development confer a prominent role to citizen participation and decentralization. Growing scepticism about the efficacy of narrowly conceived measures add pressure to reform development both theoretically and in practical terms. There is a greater understanding that ‘traditional’ development approaches and policies need to be reformulated and decentralization and citizen participation have been proposed as remedies to previous development failures. It is frequently argued that citizen participation will improve the efficiency and efficacy of public services. Citizen participation is meant to render local government more accountable and to contribute to deepening democracy, by reinforcing representative democratic institutions with participatory forms. At the same time, decentralization reforms have been proposed as a response to the failures of highly centralized states. From a political perspective, it is argued, decentralization reforms can help the central state gain legitimacy and have been seen as a strategy for maintaining political stability. It has been repeatedly suggested that physical proximity makes it easier for citizens to hold local officials accountable for their performance. From an economic perspective, decentralization can improve the match between the mix of services provided by the public sector and the preferences of the local population. It has also been noted that people are more willing to pay for services that respond to their priorities and that increased competition between local governments generates spaces for more creative responses adapted to local needs. But then, can decentralization and citizen participation live up to the faith and expectations that they have inspired? I argue that the literature commonly over-emphasises the role of citizen participation and decentralization in development and what these processes and reforms can achieve. Much of the evidence is anecdotal in nature and tends to neglect the specific contexts in which these processes take place. Also largely ignored are political economy considerations and a critical exploration of the relationship between these two key words. At best, when their interrelationships are addressed decentralization and citizen participation are conceived as based on a symbiotic relationship. I suggest, however, that the relationship between these two processes is not as straightforward as most of the literature assumes. The meanings of these two key words in current development lexicon are explored and critically assessed. I argue that whether or not the rising prominence of these two words actually means the emergence of a new development agenda is a moot point. It critically depends on the understandings of these ambiguous terms. The thesis adopts a political economy approach. Combined with this is an awareness of the broader historical and socio-economic context in which citizen participation and decentralization take place. The thesis applies these ideas triangulating diverse research methods and data sources. It combines a literature review and documentary analysis, a survey conducted with municipal authorities and civil society organizations in the Eastern Cape as well as structured interviews with Ward councillors and with key informants. From a theoretical perspective, the study lays a foundation for understanding the relationship between development policies outcomes and the nature of citizen participation and decentralization in developing countries. This, in turn, provides a basis from which citizen participation and decentralization in South Africa can be assessed and understood. The thesis presents evidence from a case study of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. By revealing how different dimensions of decentralization and citizen participation operate and intersect, the findings demonstrate, that contrary to common knowledge, citizen participation and decentralization are frequently at odds. Moreover, contrary to frequent statements, the research also shows that opening new spaces for participation in decentralized local governance can result in fewer changes and disappointing results at best, undermining the transformative potential of the concepts of participation and decentralization.

The chief purpose of this study was to determine the role of the rural communities in the food security initiatives of the government in alleviating food shortages in the Marange communal area of Mutare district in Zimbabwe. The focus was on local community empowerment; ownership of food security initiatives by the communities; communities‟ independent analysis of needs and priorities; their involvement in designing food security programmes and the role of the government in linking with the communities. The data was gathered using a case study research design with the qualitative method being the main research approach. The primary data was obtained from focus group discussions held in three wards of Marange area and some in-depth interviews conducted with selected key informants. The findings indicate that the government designs food security strategies without considering the input of communities. The communities are introduced and expected to adopt these pre-conceived food security plans at the implementation stage. The results also show that poor community participation in the food security initiatives of the government, specifically during the initial stages, is a significant contributing factor to the continual shortages of food in the communal lands of Marange. It is the view of this study that unless community input in decision making at the planning and designing phases is given preference in the food security interventions of the government in rural Zimbabwe, food security will seldom be achieved. While the government has a significant role to play in food security measures, such interventions can make an important contribution if the use and development of community participation is made central to food shortage alleviation strategies. The principal conclusion of this study is that if food security is an intended ultimate goal in rural Zimbabwe, the communities must participate fully in the conceptualisation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the government-initiated food security programmes.

This thesis examines the opportunities for public participation in the federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process (EARP) and the influence of intervenor funding on that input; the application of EARP to Military Flying Activites in Labrador and Quebec is used as a case study. The analytical approach is critical and based on a public interest perspective. Five research questions are posed based on an interpretation of four normative objectives for the EAR Process and identification of several areas of EARP that restrict public access to decision making. The research questions ask to what extent intervenor funding would increase overall participation in the Process; whether funding would affect the ability of intervenors to be involved in stages of the Process where public input is limited; whether intervenor funding would ensure that the values and interests of public groups are more actively considered at each stage of the Process; how intervenor funding affects the quality and quantity of public input to the Process; and how the administration of the funding program affects public participation in the case study. Questionnaires were developed from these questions and three participant groups in the case study were interviewed. The results of these interviews are summarized and evaluated against the normative objectives and a set of six evaluative criteria - representativeness, educational, accountability, fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency. The criteria are developed from a theoretical rationale for financially supported public participation in EARP. The first general conclusion of this research is that the EAR Process is fundamentally flawed. Notwithstanding incremental reforms like intervenor funding, the assumptions of Environmental Impact Assessment and the structure of EARP treat project assessment as a project specific venture amenable to prediction and technical analysis. In fact is is inseparable from a value-laden and political development planning process. The EAR Process understates this essentially political character yet vests the most significant decision making author^ in the hands of those with the most to gain from project development. After recognition of this problem, this analysis makes recommendations, based on the analysis of the case study, that could assist EARP in approaching the normative objectives. First, while the proponent improved public consultation by 1985, and in the formal review, public involvement in the Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) in 1981 was inadequate. I therefore recommend that the affected publics be involved in decision making at the initial assessment stage of EARP and allowed an avenue of appeal. To support this recommendation the information used for initial assessment decisions needs to be comprehensive and readily accessible. In addition FEARO should provide an independent audit of these decisions. Second, while financial support to caribou research by the proponent since 1986 is laudable, project monitoring should have occurred since the release of the IEE. I therefore recommend that project monitoring be a required element of any application of the EAR Process, after an IEE and a formal review; it should include the affected publics in an advisory capacity and during implementation. Third, the EAR Process does not effectively deal with issues of fundamentally differing values; in this case study the viability of territories under land claims negotiations and the militarization of the Canadian arctic are avoided and unfairly unrepresented. To deal with this problem I recommend that public input be sought when drafting of the Panel's Terms of Reference for a public review. Fourth, information was withheld from intervenors from several government departments during the review. All government departments should be legally required to supply prompt and complete responses to reasonable information requests when they pertain to any stage of the EAR Process. Fifth, the funding program has so far been well administered; while funding has increased public access to the Process for remote settlements, further study is required to assess whether funds were sufficient to allow adequate regional representation. Finally, the credibility of the funding program is thrown into doubt by the participation of the Department of Regional Industrial Expansion in setting up an independent funding committee, their withdrawal from the same, and later support for a pro-development group after the funding was disbursed. An intervenor funding policy is required to regularize funding allocation from one independent agency for the duration of the review. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate