Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / For the last seventeen years I have been actively involved in local government management and I have also been schooled in this academic field. I made this milieu my career as I have an intense yearning to stand in service of the general community, - more specifically the rural communities in South Africa. Practical engagement in this field also taught me that democracy goes hand in hand with urbanisation and, if not countered, the pauperisation of rural districts. The result of this is impoverishment and increasing unemployment.

Thesis (M. Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Local Economic Development (LED) has been practised in different countries to deal with poverty and unemployment at the local level. The success that the LED brought upon towards addressing these economic problems, led to the South African government to also undertake the LED initiatives to address poverty and unemployment that exist at the municipal level. Therefore, municipalities which are strategically closest to communities are responsible for poverty alleviation and employment creation in their local areas. The study sought to investigate the effectiveness of LED on poverty alleviation in rural areas of South Africa. The research objectives were as follows: to explore the concept of Local Economic Development, determine the types of poverty alleviation models and to assess the effectiveness of Local Economic Development to alleviate poverty in rural areas of South Africa. The study applied a semi-structured questionnaire and further considered literature review to achieve the research objectives focusing on Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality. A simple random sampling method was employed to select appropriately 100 participants in the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to process data, whilst, the content analysis method was also used for descriptive statistics. The study discovered that lack of resources including staff, skills and budget affect the undertakings of the LED activities in the communities negatively. Moreover, it was revealed that there is a need for community participation particularly towards successful implementation of the LED.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Evolving out of my past experience as municipal manager, the study addresses one of the topical issues in municipalities, viz. the quest for more effective and sustainable local economic development (LED) in small towns. Through an extensive review of the literature and best practices of LED among South African and international municipalities, viable and reproducible strategies were examined and compared. The focus of my in depth research falls primarily on towns in the Western Cape, but lessons from other parts of South Africa also form part of this research. The conclusions drawn are not only relevant in South Africa, but can also be applied in southern Africa and other African sub-continents. Based on the qualitative evidence gathered from three in-depth case studies and a Western Cape sample of tourism places, the study explores the interaction of public- and private-sector involvement in the generation of LED momentum. As such the study focuses on the principles of successful public-private partnerships and how such partnerships can be enhanced through different types of projects. The study presents an LED framework, also referred to as a "development hub", to bring together the different elements of an integrated strategy. Based on the lessons drawn from the case studies and the literature review, the final section of the study presents a strategy framework which should be useful and applicable to other small towns, even if their growth is not tourism-based, and they are not located in South Africa's Western Cape. Hopefully the study will stimulate serious and in-depth debate among policy planners as well as key development stakeholders in small towns regarding viable LED strategising and the practical implementation of those strategies.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Evolving out of my past experience as municipal manager, the study addresses one of the topical issues in municipalities, viz. the quest for more effective and sustainable local economic development (LED) in small towns. Through an extensive review of the literature and best practices of LED among South African and international municipalities, viable and reproducible strategies were examined and compared. The focus of my indepth research falls primarily on towns in the Western Cape, but lessons from other parts of South Africa also form part of this research. The conclusions drawn are not only relevant in South Africa, but can also be applied in southern Africa and other African sub-continents. Based on the qualitative evidence gathered from three in-depth case studies and a Western Cape sample of tourism places, the study explores the interaction of public- and private-sector involvement in the generation of LED momentum. As such the study focuses on the principles of successful public-private partnerships and how such partnerships can be enhanced through different types of projects. The study presents an LED framework, also referred to as a "development hub", to bring together the different elements of an integrated strategy. Based on the lessons drawn from the case studies and the literature review, the final section of the study presents a strategy framework which should be useful and applicable to other small towns, even if their growth is not tourism-based, and they are not located in South Africa's Western Cape. Hopefully the study will stimulate serious and in-depth debate among policy planners as well as key development stakeholders in small towns regarding viable LED strategising and the practical implementation of those strategies.

Abstract The aim of this research analyses municipal economic development capacity, using Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) as a case study. The research report endeavours to find out whether EMM’s Local Economic Development (LED) unit is adequately equipped to implement the Policy Guidelines for Implementing Local Economic Development in South Africa (a draft LED policy). This report argues that municipalities must be well resourced or capacitated to implement local economic development. However, the capacity problem has been a serious challenge in South Africa, particularly on issues of service delivery, nevertheless, studies have not adequately been done in relation to municipal capacity to implement LED. Additionally, this report established an understanding with regard to the role of municipalities in implementing LED. The report also discusses challenges confronting EMM’s LED unit as an institution to promote LED within the metro. However, this report also concludes that EMM’s LED unit is one of the well performing, perhaps resourced municipalities in terms of LED implementation.

Student Number : 0407355G - MSc research report - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / The re-admittance of South Africa into the community of nations brought opportunities and challenges. South Africa had to adapt and conform to the prevailing global economic architecture and adhere to neo-liberal principles prevailing at the time while at home it had to face a restructuring economy and worsening social conditions for a majority of its people: unemployment, housing and infrastructure backlogs. Policies and programmes where devised and adopted. The EPWP and local economic development programmes are just two of the many programmes meant to deal with unemployment, skills development, inequality and poverty. This report investigates the potential of the EPWP as a tool for local economic development by reviewing the theoretical underpinnings of public works and local economic development; and the intergovernmental relations and planning policies, processes, mechanisms, and institutional arrangements in place to enable the programmes’ implementation. Based on the investigation, findings and recommendations are made.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Development Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023 / Rural entrepreneurship is a relatively young sector in the entrepreneurship field, but it has emerged as one of the most important tools for rural economic growth in developing nations like South Africa. A majority of poor people live in the rural areas and face the challenges of extreme poverty levels, high unemployment rates, appalling socio-economic conditions, and inequalities. Therefore, rural entrepreneurship is regarded as a vital tool for accelerating Local Economic Development (LED) and improvement of the quality of life of the rural people and their communities. Rural entrepreneurship stimulates economic development by improving economic conditions, creating employment, reducing poverty and improving the overall standard of living of the rural populace. Theoretically, there is clear consensus that rural entrepreneurship has the potential to reduce poverty, unemployment, economic inequalities and low income as well as value creation and improving standards of life in rural areas through the creation of new enterprises. Entrepreneurial activities stimulate the local economy and create employment opportunities through the creation of new enterprises in the rural areas. Thus, entrepreneurship development is seen as one of the important components of LED and the development agenda in most developing countries. However, entrepreneurial success is dependent on various factors, internal or external, such as the need for achievement, locus of control and desire for personal control of business, human capital, infrastructure, training, communication network, financial support, business environment, economic climate, competitiveness, risk-taking propensity, confidence, and regulatory environment. These factors may determine or influence the success of enterprises, thereby hampering LED efforts in a particular locality. Literature further reiterates the importance of rural entrepreneurship development towards accelerating economic development of local communities in the developing countries. Entrepreneurship development is regarded as a driving force of local economic growth and development in the developing countries. Many developing countries are faced with numerous socio-economic challenges of extreme poverty levels, high unemployment rates, stagnant economic growth and poor living conditions. Entrepreneurship development has become an important policy agenda and priority for employment creation, poverty reduction and economic growth and development of communities in many developing countries. Thus, many developing countries have turned their focus on entrepreneurship development as an important mechanism and driver of economic development with expectations of addressing these challenges. Despite such efforts, entrepreneurship development in developing countries faces challenges such as financial, human, management, lack of access to markets, lack of capacity, lack of infrastructure and appropriate regulations. These challenges affect and undermine the potential of entrepreneurship to stimulate LED and address challenges affecting many developing countries. The role of local government in creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurial activities and LED to thrive is widely acknowledged in most developing countries. Local governments in developing countries have become important vehicles for the promotion and implementation of LED and the creation of enabling environment for entrepreneurial activities to take place. LED in these developing countries is driven mainly by globalisation and decentralisation as an important strategy to local development. Globalisation and decentralisation play an important role in reconfiguring of planning approaches to local and regional development in developing countries. The observations above are also prevalent in South Africa, where entrepreneurship development is one of the national development policy imperatives. However, South Africa has a low entrepreneurial rate compared to other developing countries because of various factors including those highlighted above. Lack of entrepreneurial spirit or culture is increasing highly in the country. Entrepreneurship development and LED practice in South Africa is shaped by overwhelming policies and legislations, which seek to support and encourage entrepreneurship and LED. These regulatory frameworks are aimed at creating conducive and enabling environment for LED and entrepreneurial activities to take place. Local governments have a constitutional obligation to promote social and economic development as well as improving the overall standard of living of local communities within the municipal area. In the process, municipalities must work collectively with local people and local stakeholders to develop their communities. LED has been adopted as one of the strategies to local growth and development of communities in South Africa. Despite LED efforts, the country continues to grapple with societal challenges of poverty, unemployment, inequality and stagnant growth of the economy. Currently, municipalities are plagued with various challenges and are in a dire state that threatens the ability to fulfil their constitutional and developmental mandate of promoting social and economic development. The aim of this study was to investigate rural entrepreneurship and its implications towards LED in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. To achieve this aim, the study adopted descriptive, positivist case study design, and used the concurrent mixed methods approach to achieve the aim and objectives of the study. The study sampled 54 rural entrepreneurs around three Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) of Mokopane, Mapela and Bakenberg in Mogalakwena Local Municipality as well as key informants from Small Enterprise Development Agency, Local Economic Development Agency (LEDA) and Municipal LED Unit. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to solicit data from rural entrepreneurs whereas an interview schedule was used to solicit data from key informants. The study findings affirm that rural entrepreneurship plays a significant role towards LED through poverty alleviation, employment creation, economic opportunities, income generation, value or wealth creation, migration and overall improvement of the standard of living of local communities in Mogalakwena Local Municipality. Rural entrepreneurship is seen as one of the stimulators of economic activities in rural areas within the municipality. Despite the affirmation, the study found that rural entrepreneurs are faced with persistent challenges such as lack of access to finance and markets, lack of skills or capacity, stiff regulations and completion, crime, lack of infrastructure, lack of support by the municipality and poor participation or integration in LED. These challenges inhibit entrepreneurial activities to take place, thereby threatening the survival and success of rural enterprises. Therefore, the study recommends measures such as creation of an enabling regulatory environment, financial support models for entrepreneurs, skills development and training, recognition and integration of rural entrepreneurs in LED fora and promotion of entrepreneurship culture to maximize the potential of rural entrepreneurship in Mogalakwena Local Municipality. Additionally, future research is also important to tap into the niche area of rural entrepreneurship.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023 / Local economic development was instituted as a strategy by the new democratic government to boost employment, local economic growth and reduce poverty at local level. This research investigated the impact of LED towards livelihood strategies in the communities of Botlokwa , Molemole Local Municipality. A normative and correlation research design was used in this study. Utilizing surveys, interviews, observation and a literature study, data was gathered. Three key informants and 97 community members in total took part in the research. The results showed that the LED has been used by Molemole Local Municipality. For the municipality, local economic development is crucial for several reasons, including tackling the local economic growth backlog, reducing unemployment and poverty, fostering community involvement in setting needs and goals, and enhancing integration and coordination. However, the execution of the LED ran into some difficulties, including, among others: a bad resource scarcity, unfinished projects, a poor level of community involvement and political interference. Additional verdict demonstrates that local government has improved the quality of amenities provided to recipient households and community members, particularly the provision of electricity, but that additional amenities, such as the delivery of water, creation of jobs, better living conditions, sanitary conditions and refuse removal are still insufficient. However, the community members evolved various coping mechanisms because of high prevalence of poverty and unemployment cut-off. The majority of community members voiced their displeasure with the delivery of programs intended to improve their living conditions. Respondents emphasized that municipality organized ward council meetings, IDP forums and consultation sessions to include communities in service delivery. Communities are still unhappy with their level of participation, though. Notwithstanding that municipality's general successes in providing basic amenities, there is still a backlog in service delivery and LED initiatives because of corrupt practices, a lack of resources, a capacity issue and incorrect project targeting. The results also demonstrate that the municipality's local economic growth has been greatly boosted by the adoption of the LED. All of the municipality's development planning and programs begin with the LED and IDP; as a result, municipality is able to develop and execute in agreement with planned requirements of the population. The municipality has been helped to offer essential services including water, electricity and sanitation thanks to the services and infrastructure projects that have been implemented. Additionally, the municipality has built roads and other infrastructure for the community's benefit. However, outstanding of inadequate execution of the LED, which was brought on by capability issues, limited public involvement and resource shortages, the municipality has not entirely completed the delivery of essential amenities. The report suggests that the municipality prioritize enhancing the supply of LED programs aimed at the community members' modes of subsistence as a cure. Additionally, it is advised that the municipality focus on enhancing community involvement, making effective usage of MIG and strengthening its ability for the development and execution of the LED.

Submitted by Filippo Scelza (filipposcelza@gmail.com) on 2017-12-18T10:43:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Filippo Scelza. FGV. EBAPE.pdf: 1398507 bytes, checksum: 7dc4e56a54c9586b6762d0b52d73f7a5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2017-12-21T13:31:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Filippo Scelza. FGV. EBAPE.pdf: 1398507 bytes, checksum: 7dc4e56a54c9586b6762d0b52d73f7a5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-22T12:11:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Filippo Scelza. FGV. EBAPE.pdf: 1398507 bytes, checksum: 7dc4e56a54c9586b6762d0b52d73f7a5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-23 / Objetivo – O estudo teve focou em compreender a relevância que o crédito coopera-tivo tem – e teve – no desenvolvimento econômico local do estado de São Paulo, utilizando, sempre, como parâmetro comparativo a região italiana da Lombardia. A opção por esta comparação se pauta nas semelhanças econômicas e sociais entre ambas as regiões, as quais representam, para seus respectivos países, os motores econômicos, caracterizadas pela alta quantidade de riqueza produzida, bem como seus centros financeiros; a convergência do capital nacional e internacional, no Brasil, se dá em São Paulo e, na Itália, na Lombardia. Método – Utilizou-se o método qualitativo, pautado na pesquisa documental, isto é, em uma revisão da literatura disponível sobre o tema – nacional e internacional – bem como na coleta de dados estatísticos. Resultados – Observou-se que, para a realidade paulista, as instituições de crédito cooperativo não apresentam uma relevância para o desenvolvimento econômico local do estado, tendo em vista o baixo número de associados e de movimentações financeiras. Limitações – A principal limitação da pesquisa foi a falta de estudos realizados, até então, com o intuito de identificar os motivos sociais e culturais da baixa adesão do setor produtivo paulista às instituições de crédito cooperativo. Contribuições práticas – Através dos resultados observados, os policy makers pau-listas podem, em parceria com os agentes econômicos e a sociedade civil, planejar e implementar políticas públicas que promovam o desenvolvimento econômico local do estado e de suas regiões, utilizando as instituições de crédito cooperativo como elementos chave para o incremento da produção e dos índices de qualidade de vida da população. Contribuições sociais – Os resultados observados contribuem para a compreensão da importância das instituições de crédito cooperativo no desenvolvimento das co-munidades locais (analisando o contexto lombarda). Originalidade – Até o presente momento, este é o primeiro estudo que analisa, de modo comparado, as realidades do setor do crédito cooperativo paulista e lombarda. Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento Econômico Local. Políticas Públicas de Desen-volvimento. Crédito Cooperativo. Categoria do artigo: Dissertação de Mestrado/ Artigo original / Objective –The research focused on understanding the importance the cooperative credit has – and had – on the local economic development of the state of São Paulo. It was used, always, as a comparative parameter the Italian region of Lombardia. This comparison was chosen because of its various social and economic similarities; both the regions represent, to their respective countries, their economic cores, characterized by the high levels of wealth produced, as well their financial centers; the convergence of national and international capitals, in Brazil, occurs in São Paulo, while, in Italy, occurs in Lombardia. Method – The qualitative method was used, based on documentary research and literature review – both national and international –. Data analysis was also used to give the research more accuracy. Findings – It was observed that the cooperative credit institutions do not represent any relevance to São Paulo’s local economic development by identifying the low number of associated persons and financial transactions made by those institutions. Research limitations – The main limitation of this research is the lack of studies about the motives behind the low engagement of the productive sector, in São Paulo, to the cooperative financial sector, its social and cultural reasons. Practical implications – From the results observed, the policy makers can project and implement public policies, in partnership with the economic agents and the civil society, aiming the state’s – and its regions – local economic development by using the cooperative financial institutions as key elements to increase the production and the social indicators. Social implications – By analyzing the results, the importance of the cooperative financial institutions to the local communities can be verified (using the Lombardy’s framework). Originality – Until this moment, this research is the first study made, analyzing and contrasting the cooperative financial institutions in São Paulo and in Lombardy

According to s 23, 24 & 25 of the MPRDA, mining companies must submit a Social and Labour Plan (SLP) when applying for mining rights, and the local economic development (LED) of the SLP must be aligned with the local and district municipality Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The alignment between the SLP and IDP local economic development initiatives provides a platform for investment opportunity, economic growth, poverty reduction and infrastructure development (ICMM, 2006). The main objective of this research was to determine the extent to which the mining SLPs are aligned with municipal IDPs. The research was conducted using a qualitative method for three case studies, a literature review, a documents review (of the SLPs and IDPs), questionnaires and interviews. The mining industry charter gives mining companies targets for the development of local communities through their SLPs. The King reports on corporate governance also give the industry ways to report on corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The local government Municipal Systems Act governs the development of local communities through the development of IDPs as per s 29.There are also debates on the increase of local beneficiation by mining companies, thereby creating jobs and accessing incentives in the form of royalty payments and tax relief. In addition there is a growing demand for a portion of such royalties and taxes to be paid directly into the municipalities to improve the LED and infrastructure challenges. The main challenge with alignment is how mining companies deal with related community grievances and risks, capacity constraints at local government and the DMR, poor stakeholder engagement and the backlog of service delivery. Overall, in the three case studies the KPIs were generally aligned (criteria B) with the municipal IDPs, which indicates that there is a general compliance with the DMR regulations and guidelines. The SLPs, socio-economic background and key economic activities were aligned (criteria A) with the IDPs, while projects and programmes were also generally aligned (criteria B). The negative social impacts were just aligned (criteria C) with the IDPs while no KPI was found to be not aligned (criteria D) with IDP. Some of the initiatives to improve the positive social impacts were the continuous Social Impact Assessment (SIA) throughout the life of mine. Most importantly the research identified that there is a need to improve capacity in local government for dealing with local economic development as this will also aid/improve the alignment of IDPs and SLPs. / M Environmental Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014