Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / The study seek to analyze the role of the Local Government in distribution of equitable and basic needs to its community through efficient and effective service delivery through the utilization municipal infrastructure grant. Municipal service delivery is still a major concern in South Africa. In terms of the Constitution of South Africa (Act 106 of 1996), municipalities are the only spheres of government that are mandated for delivery of basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, refuse removal, development and maintenance of community infrastructure, storm water, primary health and provision of better housing to the poorest of the poor. The new dispensation in 1994, necessitated the transformation of the municipalities towards service delivery. The apartheid system was characterized by inequities in terms of provision of sustainable needs to its communities. The service delivery was fragmented along racial lines. Blacks were largely excluded from better services, while the minority enjoyed the services of municipalities around the country. Various laws, policies were enacted to find ways of ensuring that municipalities are responsive to community’s demands and needs in an equitable manner. The White Paper on Local Government in 1998, outlined some strategies that needs to be followed for the Local Government to achieve its objective. The background of the study, problem statements highlighted the historical imbalances in the system and how it can be redressed to provide good governance at the local government. The research questions form the basis of the study. The questionnaire for data gathering were formulated in line with the research questionnaire. Municipalities are characterized by service backlog, lack of skills (administratively and technically), lack of transparency and accountability that contribute to major challenges faced by municipalities in service provision. The research methodology used in this study focused more on the qualitative to allow participants to express their feelings in a descriptive manner and less on the iv quantitative approach wherein figures were reflected in a form of tables and graphs . The provision of service, as a social phenomena focused on human beings as object of study. Ethical considerations were taken into account. Questionnaires were distributed to executive directors and officials in strategic positions of service delivery of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and also to SALGA, CoGTA and National Treasury. The aim of the questionnaire was to find out and assess the challenges faced by municipal officials on their day to day activities regarding the management and utilization of MIG in a responsible and accountable manner. Extensive literature review covered a range of books, journals, African National Congress (ANC) Manifesto, Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), White Paper, Discussion Documents and City of Tshwane’s Annual Reports, Service Delivery Strategies Reports and other related documents that advocate for service delivery challenges and its impact. The findings revealed that municipalities faced common challenges that impede on the progress of service delivery. Some of the challenges are beyond their control like the non-availability of government owned land. Most of municipalities are characterized by lack of funding, under-spending or over-spending. Media news regularly covers negative aspects such as corruption that occurs in municipalities and not positive issues of delivery of service. In the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, housing is still a major challenge. The ever increasing demand from communities also impact on the budget of the municipality. Immigration in Tshwane area have negative effect on service delivery, particularly the housing backlog and proper sanitation.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

This dissertation follows a three-essay format. Each essay evaluates a different fiscal institution from a public administration perspective. In the first essay I examine whether state-funded property tax exemptions are effective in reducing the property taxes. This class of exemption is characterized by a grant from state to local governments that is intended to replace property tax revenue and lower property tax payments. Two separate theories of local fiscal behavior predict that that price effects and fiscal illusion will reduce the effectiveness of this type of tax relief. I test these predictions using panel regression analysis on county-level data from Georgia. I find that only two thirds of the revenue allocated to this program is actually used for tax relief. In the second essay I test a model of the property tax in which the levy is set to balance the difference between budgeted expenditures and expected receipts from all other revenue sources. This model demonstrates how the property tax can be used to offset unexpected changes to other revenues given a change in personal income. This model is contrasted with an alternative model in which expenditures are budgeted after expected total revenues have been determined. I will estimate both models for local governments in Georgia and test which more accurately describes local fiscal performance. I will also use both to predict changes to the property tax over a period of time and measure which model generated the more accurate forecast. Unlike the first two papers, which are quantitative analyses of fiscal data, this chapter is a case study of the contract city model of governance as implemented in the newly incorporated city of Sandy Springs, Georgia. I investigate whether the scope of outsourcing in contract cities creates additional challenges for city officials that manage contractor performance. I evaluate the incentive structures in the contract agreements that influence the principal-agent relationship using a textual analysis research method. I find that certain combinations of municipal functions in a single public-private partnership creates the potential for negative synergies to arise which would increase the difficulty of monitoring and managing the private partner.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

M. Tech. Public Administration. / The study investigates the management of quality of service delivery in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan municipality focusing on electricity, water provision and refuse collection. In recent years, South African consumers expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of public service delivery by means of protests. Service delivery protests have, however, not occurred to a significant extent in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan municipality though it is one of the world's largest cities. Such a state of affairs warrants research to establish how the municipality manages the quality of public service delivery.

Thesis (DTech. in Public Management)

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government&rsquo / s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.</p>

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government&rsquo / s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.</p>

This study examined the role of regional councilors in consultation and communication regarding rural service delivery in Namibia, with specific reference to the Oshana region. The research includes a case study that assessed the degree and the extent to which consultation and communication takes place between regional councilors and community members at constituency level in the region. It also examined the inevitability of consultation and communication concerning basic services provision such as water and electricity in the Oshana region.