Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is a reality that public participation processes in local government do not yield the outcomes that reveal a fully optimised process. Communication is the lifeblood of any development initiative (Swanepoel & De Beer, 1996:1) and is one way of breaking the isolation of people. By having the ability to communicate (i.e. to reach and to be reached) people can truly have a say in matters shaping their current and future reality. The objectives of this thesis were to explore the communication short falls hindering effective participation in local government, and also to provide a practical implementation framework aimed at guiding municipalities in communication with the view to enhance public participation. This was accomplished by way of a literature study and an analysis of the West Coast District (WCD) Communication and Participation Project (2003). In Chapter 1 the thesis topic was introduced and the background to the thesis, the research problem, the design and methodology, as well as the outline of the chapters was explained. In Chapter 2 the key concepts of this thesis were discussed and included sustainable. development, public participation and communication. This selection of concepts is justified by the argument that communication supports public participation, which will in turn promote sustainable development. A description of the WCD Project (2003) findings was provided in Chapter 3, which was followed by an analyses and interpretation of the WCD Project findings in Chapter 4. During the analyses a number of observations were made. Firstly, there is a distinct relationship between communication, public participation and sustainable development. Communication facilitates information sharing which supports informed decision-making during public participation. The latter in turn is vital in establishing sustainable development. Secondly, there should be distinguished between community communication and corporate communication. Dealing with the local community requires a unique approach to communication, which varies from the communication approach followed by the internal administration of the municipality. Thirdly, local communities should be consulted to identify and communicate their unique communication needs, issues and perspectives as they have unique knowledge of their own local challenges. These inputs from the community cause for powerful communication content and messages key to successful participation and to sustainable development. Fourthly, that the perceptions as expressed by community members, embody their unique and specific communication needs. By converting and translating community perceptions into community needs. positive motivation for public participation could be created. Based on the findings of the analyses and interpretation of the WCD Project findings, a communication framework aimed at enhancing participation was developed in Chapter 5. The framework focussed on guiding the implementation of communication and participation when embarking on development initiatives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is 'n realiteit dat openbare deelname prosesse in plaaslike regering nie die uitkomste wat sprekend is van 'n optimale. proses lewer nie. Kommunikasie is die lewensaar van enige ontwikkelingsinisiatief (Swanepoel & De Beer, 1996:1) en word beskou as een manier om die isolasie van mense verbreek. Deur die vermoë te hê om te kan kommunikeer (om uit te reik en bereik te kan word), kan mense werklik seggenskap hê in aangeleenthede wat hul huidige en toekomstige realiteit beïnvloed. Die doelwitte van hierdie tesis was om die kommunikasie tekortkominge wat effektiewe deelname in plaaslike regering verhinder te ondersoek en ook om 'n praktiese implementeringsraamwerk wat daarop gemik is om munisipalitieite te lei rakende kommunikasie, met die oog daarop om openbare deelname te bevorder. Dit is bereik deur middel van 'n literatuurstudie en 'n analise van die Weskus Distrik (WD) Kommunikasie en Deelname Projek (2003). In Hoofstuk 1 was die tesis onderwerp bekend gestel en die agtergrond van die tesis, die navorsingsprobleem, die onderwerp sowel as die raamwerk van die hoofstukke is verduidelik. In Hoofstuk 2 is die sleutel konsepte van die tesis bespreek wat volhoudbare ontwikkeling, openbare deelname en kommunikasie ingesluit het. Hierdie seleksie van konsepte word geregverdig deur die argument dat kommunikasie openbare deelname stimuleer, wat beurtelings volhoudbare ontwikkeling sal bevorder. 'n Beskrywing van die WD Projek bevindinge (2003) is in Hoofstuk 3 verskaf, en word gevolg deur 'n analise en interpretasie van die WK Projek bevindinge in Hoofstuk 4. Gedurende die analise van die WD Projek bevindinge is 'n aantal waarnemings gemaak. Eerstens, is daar 'n betekenende verhouding tussen kommunikasie, openbare deelname en volhoudbare ontwikkeling. Kommunikasie fassiliteer die meedeel van informasie wat beurtelings ingeligde besluitneming tydens openbare deelname bevorder. Laasgenoemde is krities in die vestiging van volhoudbare ontwikkeling. Tweedens, moet daar 'n onderskeid getref word tussen gemeenskap kommunikasie en korporatiewe organisasie. Om met die gemeenskap te werk vereis 'n unieke benadering tot kommunikasie, wat verskil van die kommunikasie benadering wat gevolg word tydens munisipale administrasie. Derdens, plaaslike gemeenskappe behoort meer gekonsulteer te word om hul unieke kommunikasie behoeftes te identifiseer en te kan kommunikeer, omdat hulle kennis het van hul eie unieke plaaslike uitdagings. Hierdie insette van die gemeenskap dra by tot kragtige kommunikasie inhoud en boodskappe wat 'n sleutel rol speel in suksesvolle deelname en in volhoudbare ontwikkeling. Vierdens, dat die persepsies soos beskryf deur gemeenskap lede, hul unieke en spesifieke kommunikasie behoeftes vergestalt. Deur die gemeenskap persepsies om te skakel in gemeenskap behoeftes, sal positiewe motivering rakende openbare deelname geskep' kan word. Op grond van die bevindinge rakende die analise en interpretasie van die WK Projek bevindinge, is 'n kommunikasie raamwerk wat gemik is op die verbetering van deelname ontwikkel in Hoofstuk 5. Die raamwerk is ingestel daarop om leiding te gee rakende die implementering van kommunikasie en deelname.

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This dissertation offers a new account of New York City's politics and government in the 1930s and 1940s. Focusing on the development of the functions and capacities of the municipal state, it examines three sets of interrelated political changes: the triumph of "municipal reform" over the institutions and practices of the Tammany Hall political machine and its outer-borough counterparts; the incorporation of hundreds of thousands of new voters into the electorate and into urban political life more broadly; and the development of an ambitious and capacious public sector--what Joshua Freeman has recently described as a "social democratic polity." It places these developments within the context of the national New Deal, showing how national officials, responding to the limitations of the American central state, utilized the planning and operational capacities of local governments to meet their own imperatives; and how national initiatives fed back into subnational politics, redrawing the bounds of what was possible in local government as well as altering the strength and orientation of local political organizations. The dissertation thus seeks not only to provide a more robust account of this crucial passage in the political history of America's largest city, but also to shed new light on the history of the national New Deal--in particular, its relation to the urban social reform movements of the Progressive Era, the long-term effects of short-lived programs such as work relief and price control, and the roles of federalism and localism in New Deal statecraft.

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The study did a systemic analysis of eThekwini Municipality's design for effectiveness looking at community participation in local governance. The study was conducted by using Participatory Action Research methodology. The researcherwas able to determine emergent themes. The findings revealed that firstly, people view the Municipality's system of governance as unresponsive. This is because of lack of effective mechanisms of communication between the councillors, officials and the communities. Moreover, there is lack of delivery of services to the community, resulting in people feeling that their needs are not being addressed; therefore there being no need to participate. Secondly, there is also a general feeling that local government does not consult with the people when taking decisions on crucial matters. Thirdly, there is uncertainty about whether community inputs have any influence on decision-making. This concern was expressed in a variety of ways, including the feeling that their input did not matter because the essential decision 'appears' to have already been made before the participation process commencesor ends. Fourthly, there is overwhelming evidence that there is a direct correlation between participation levels and unhappiness and dissatisfaction around the levels of service delivery of the municipality. Lastly people at the grassroots level do not have knowledge on how government structures function. This makes it difficult for them to have meaningful and effective means of participation. All the undesirable effects outlined above, provide a sound and compelling basis on justification for a Community Participation Policy design. While the legislation prescribing citizen and community abounds, local government authorities have remained indifferent; or they have not been visible in pursuing methods and mechanisms that foster citizen participation in project management and decision making processes. As a result of this study, the Council has made the amendment of Section 12 of the Municipal Structures Act to ensure that eThekwini Municipality becomes a ward participatory type of municipality. Also, community participation policy has been developed to change the present situation or context that invited the problem on ineffective participation. The policy aims at changing mindsets for municipal officials so that they take the issue of involving communities more seriously. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Kwazulu Natal, 2005.

<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>

In many low-income and 'fragile' states, citizens' committees are elected to co-manage basic social services. However, the effects of such committees on service delivery, and the way they are influenced by local contexts, remain understudied. This thesis seeks to fill these gaps by examining the case of the health facility committees in Burundi and South Kivu between 2011 and 2014. It relies on original health facility and committee surveys, household surveys, nested interviews and focus groups, and interviews with key informants. The thesis firstly explores how the committees came about. It then looks at the questions, What makes them get involved in decisions at their health facility? and, How do measures designed to improve committee functioning lead to changes in service delivery, if at all? Mixed-methods work finds that chief nurses largely dominate the health facilities, and the committees appear to be both the product of recent political and administrative changes and a façade of community governance. The work's randomised controlled trial tests the idea that this inefficiency arises from an 'institutional knowledge gap': the committee members and nurses do not know the committee's (official) functioning. An information session has strengthened the committees and led to changes in health facility management in South Kivu, but not in Burundi. This difference seems to come from dissimilar management structures and people's relationships to service providers. The intervention has had no effect on service provision. The remaining chapters report on additional interventions in Burundi, which theory and qualitative research suggest might improve the effects of the knowledge intervention: trust-building between nurses and committee, information about health facility performance, and increased interaction between local leaders and committees. These are either ineffective or have unintended consequences. Overall, the thesis nuances the promises of social accountability mechanisms and stresses the importance of power relationships within basic social services.

<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>

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.

Since the second half of the 20th century, public participation in local governance has been widely recognized and promoted by planning theorists and practitioners. Nevertheless, in practice, public participation has faced multiple criticisms, such as a disconnect between process and outcome, low levels of substantive representation for participating community groups, and rigidity in participatory methods. These three criticisms raise the question as to how effective public participatory programs are for multicultural cities, such as New York City, with their increasing numbers of ethnic residents. The goal of this three-article dissertation is to evaluate the current official participatory process in New York City while focusing on effectiveness, representativeness, and inclusiveness, that is, the three aspects of the process receiving the most criticism. Using path analysis, the first article compares and contrasts the effects of Community Board recommendations with those of the recommendations and reviews of other key representatives during the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and neighborhood characteristics. The results indicate that, although Community Board recommendations have greater direct and indirect effects than those of the borough president, the second model, which incorporates neighborhood variables, reveals that increases in the socio-economic factor and decreases in the immigrant concentration factor are positively associated with changes in decisions within the procedure. Moreover, the second article observed the level of substantive representation in terms of Community Boards using the annual Statement of Needs and survey of residents. The research finds that, Community Board opinions exhibit a high correspondence with the opinions of residents on the need of affordable housing but that the opinions of residents and Community Boards diverged in other topics. Comparatively, Community Boards tend to choose topics that are related to developmental policies as the most pressing issues, while residents find topics relevant to redistributive policies as problematic. The research also reveals that the opinions of ethnic residents are represented less well than those of their non-ethnic neighbors. Lastly, the third article searches for the equity necessary to bring forth inclusive planning processes using interviews with leaders of Community Boards and community-based organizations. The research observes the choices that planners make and finds practical limitations, including legitimacy challenges, linguistic barriers, and definitions of culture. In conclusion, the article proposes that equity comes in multiple forms, including structured collaboration and communication among relevant participants and stakeholders, diverse participation methods for multiple cultures and publics, support from the City, and assistance from planning scholars. Although all three articles point out existing ethnic disparities, the dissertation concludes that an effective, representative, and inclusive participatory process is required for both ethnic and non-ethnic residents in multiethnic, multicultural New York City.