The purpose of this study was to evaluate the integration of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Performance Management System (PMS) processes in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. The aim of this study will not be to find solutions to the lack of service delivery, but to evaluate the lDP and PMS process as well as the theory. The need for this study was considered relevant and necessary as municipalities today have become focus points for service delivery as per their constitutional obligations. The IDPs are management and planning instruments and are only effective if they enable municipalities to improve and accelerate the delivery of essential services and development. Central to the constitutional mandate, amongst other things, the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 (SA, 2000) requires municipalities to establish a Performance Management System that will play a pivotal role in promoting a culture of Performance Management. It is through Performance Management that priorities, objectives and targets are set, as contained in the Integrated Development Plan, are implemented and measured. Along with the implementation of lDPs, the Municipal Structures Act (117 of 1998) also mandates the implementation of performance management systems within the structures of the municipality. It was found during the literature review that the processes of IDP and PMS are linked, the resulting performance is more likely to meet the needs of an institution. There are various legislative acts and policy documents that state and mandates the use of these processes. Along with this are various guidelines that have been formulated to assist municipalities to successfully implement the lDP and a performance management system. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Sound financial management is a growing concept in the public sector, especially in local government. The South African government has put in place policies and mechanisms to create a conducive environment for municipalities to manage finances in an effective manner. The management of municipal finance is supported by a set of policies and regulations to strengthen the use of public money. Among the respective policy frameworks, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa expects the government entities to be transparent and accountable. Here in, these financial measures are also guided by the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 and the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (as amended 29 of 1999). Measured transparency is critically important for management public funds. Accountability is an essential element in achieving institutional goals, especially where public funds are used. Accountability allows public institutions to provide assurance to the tax payers and to their principals. The Auditor General expects municipalities to be accountable for their financial activities through regular reporting. The Annual Report will therefore be compiled for reporting and it must include all required information. Audit Committee becomes very critical, as a structure established to guide the municipality on finances and ensure that the report is credible in every respect. Metsimaholo municipality has however been facing challenges as per the opinions of the Auditor General based on financial reporting, amongst other things. This study involves the extent to which financial reporting serves as a tool for promoting accountability. In order to test the hypothesis, literature was reviewed to analyse and evaluate financial reporting and accountability. Empirical research was conducted to test and analyse the existence of practices, procedures and policies that promote sound financial management and their effectiveness. Data was collected through questionnaires and face to face structured and unstructured interviews, with respondents from employees of Metsimaholo Local Municipality and community structures. This study found among others that: *Policies for financial reporting exist but are not fully complied with *There is a lack of follow up with and implementation of Auditor General’s recommendations *Audit Committee recommendations are not fully implemented *There are no clear lines of responsibilities between councillors and officials with regard to financial management The study concludes with recommendations to assist the municipality in committing themselves to adopt strategies towards financial reporting for improved accountability. / Thesis (M. Development and Management (Public Management and Government))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

South Africa as a developing country experienced high levels of poverty and unemployment. These levels emanate from skills gap and low literacy rate in the townships populated by low income households. To an extent some households lacked access to participate in the economic sector, resulting from fragmented policies and apartheid regime. The lack of participation among the households placed pressure on government. These problems forced the state to provide social protection (grants). Such allowances are expensive especially where there are fewer opportunities for employment activities. The promotion of entrepreneurship and small business remains an important priority of the government of South Africa. The South African government is acknowledged for its commitments to ensure that small businesses progressively contribute to growth and performance of the South African economy. Globally, numerous policy legislative frameworks have been developed to support the SMMEs. This study aimed to discover the support given to the SMMEs by the South African government. In particular, the study is situated within the SMMEs in the SDM. The hypothesis for this study is premised on the fact that SMME`s can contribute immensely to job creation. The outcomes of this argument relies on the provisions based on a conducive environment which can enable the SMME`s to thrive. This statement was validated by means of literature review, interviews and site visits. This study found that the SMMEs are indeed the cornerstone of job creation and for sustainable livelihoods. LED programmes can create more jobs through the SMME sector. Literature worldwide confirms that the SMMEs are vital in creating employment opportunities. This research also confirmed that this is possible only if the environment in which SMMEs operate in is favourable for the SMMEs to prosper. In this regard many policy documents were developed to emphasize the stance of government to develop, grow and capacitate SMMEs in South Africa. It is indeed true that the LED can be used to grow and capacitate SMMEs in South Africa. Despite the progress being made on the development of the SMMEs, few issues need to be taken care off. The municipality indicated that there are no monitoring procedures in place which make it difficult to measure the infectiveness of their interventions and they further pointed out that they are working on the matter. The measurement of these milestones is not properly recorded to inform future generations. It is suggested that more research should be emphasised on the SMME sector, especially being the mandate of the municipality. / Thesis (M. Development and Management (Public Management and Government))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Decentralization is a buzzword in current discussions on Public Management and its debate has always been a contentious one. The concept involves the restructuring or reorganization of authority so that there is a system of co-responsibility between institutions of governance at the central, provincial, regional and local levels according to the principle of subsidiary, thus increasing the overall quality and effectiveness of the system of governance, while increasing the authority and capacities of sub-national levels. The dispersal of financial responsibility is a core component of decentralization. Similarly, fiscal aspect is one of the decentralization programs. Moreover, fiscal as a tool is to change from inefficient to efficient public sector functioning and to improve relations between local governments for more efficient in public service. Importantly, decentralization of fiscal responsibilities is envisaged to increase efficiency in service delivery and reduce information and transaction costs associated with the provision of public services. By implication, efficiency in this context means how a country’s public finances are structured and how nation-state that is fragmented holds its finances together in the first place. The concept of “Supply Chain Management” (SCM) is the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services delivered to the ultimate customer. Public sector SCM is seen as an acquisition of goods and service which has broader social, economic and political implications. Effective public sector SCM has potential benefits such as inventory reduction, improved service delivery and cost reduction across supply chain. Despite these benefits, South African (SA) public sector encounters challenges of SCM. In Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), these challenges range from a paucity of human resources due to lack of skills and capacity in the implementation and execution of SCM functions, poor implementation of SCM practices, quality of service in the SCM and to poor collaborative planning. Other barriers are lack of fiscal accountability, tight budget constraints and conflict of interest in the awarding of tenders which leads to political elite and bureaucratic corruption which cascades into unethical and unfair procurement dealings. These costly burdens result in ELM’s failure to meet community needs. Due to these challenges, the Fiscal Decentralization of SCM functions currently occupies a centre stage in the financial management reform process at ELM. Evaluating the efficiency of fiscal decentralization within the Supply Chain Management Department of Emfuleni Local Municipality requires an in-depth understanding of criteria. The concepts and principles from an examination of documentary data and analysed by the researcher were applied. In addition, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and observation methods were conducted to solicit comments from senior managers, employees and service providers This study reports the results of a full survey among a sample of the municipality-wide customers in the study area. It was found amongst other that: • Fiscal Decentralization as SCM efficiency tool has had only marginal positive effect at ELM • Effective implementation of fiscal decentralization is a function of well trained, qualified personnel crop, an attribute which is only beginning to get at ELM • Fiscal decentralization is best promoted wish performance management, a strategy which is well performed at ELM The study ends with recommendations for management action in committing themselves to take strategic fiscal decisions and actions that hold the key to the success of decentralized decision making. / MA, Public Management and Administration, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The study is based on the context of project management; the discipline which employs skills and knowledge to achieve project goals through various project activities. The study concentrates on project management applications to deliver low cost houses (LCH) in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). The main purpose of project management application is to enable project managers to track the progress of a project that they are working on. Institutions working on a very large project require project management applications to give periodic updates on the progress of the work that is being done on a project. By using a project management application, the process is made somewhat easier, in the sense that a project manager can just refer and check on the progress him/herself. Provision of adequate housing for the homeless and others who are inadequately housed in an attempt to reduce poverty and improve quality of people’s life has been a huge challenge to the South African government, particularly in the MLM over the years. Globally, legislators on the physical infrastructure of Parliament are pushing for the urgent construction of LCH by the government. The abovementioned challenge has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, economic stagnation and negative behaviour. Financial constrains are seen to escalate costs and this makes the task even more enormous. The hypothesis for this study indicated that MLM does not possess sufficient institutional capacity to implement project management for the effective delivery of low cost housing. The hypothesis and research objectives of the study were validated by means of literature review and empirical surveys. Thirty-four (34) semi structured questionnaires were used to interview participants in the provision of LCH in MLM. The study is made up of five chapters. The study specifically focused on the application of project management to deliver LCH in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality (MLM). •This study contends that the application of project management in the public service sector to deliver goods and services has not been scientifically applied in a conscience and systematic manner. •In the MLM the national, provincial and the municipality efforts are challenged to provide houses for the homeless. •The increasing population in the MLM has resulted in an enormous housing backlog with poverty, unemployment, and economic stagnation. •The high demand for housing in the MLM brings about financial constrains and makes the task even more enormous. •It is realised through this study that the application of project management is lacking; whereby important pillars of project based outputs such as time, quality and cost are not necessarily the resultant finished products of the community tend to inherit. It is evident from the above that while the MLM has a mandate to provide service delivery it is limited by protocol to take full responsibility in the provision of low cost houses. The provision of LCH requires strengthened co-operative governance in the Free State Province, since the three spheres have important roles to play. In the face of the huge backlogs in housing and human settlement provision, the country urgently needs to develop the technical knowledge and skills necessary to fast track housing delivery. / M, Development and Management, Public Management and Administration, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The affairs of public financial management in the local government operates within two legal frameworks, one adopted by national government and one adopted by legislatures at local level (Mikesell, 2007:36). A legislative framework for public financial management includes a vast number of legislation and public policies that have a direction bearing on the way in which financial management is dealt with in the different spheres of government. The financial affairs in the local government are guided by various legislative frameworks which regulate financial management in the three spheres of government. The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Act 56 of 2003 in addition provides guidelines for securing sound and sustainable financial management. The need to achieve sound public financial management and assurance of acceptable and transparent levels of financial risk has become paramount. To realize the developmental mandate, the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and budgeting are seen as the most significant tool towards effective public financial management. Government activities require funds to undertake the planned activities and such funds require special care to safeguard the public funds. This study aimed to assess the budgetary control practices in the Ngwathe Local Municipality. The objectives were realized by means of literature review, questionnaires and participant observations. The results of the interviews with the participants (community) revealed that the public is somehow not interested in local government affairs. It was indicated that they are mostly concerned about the social affairs and the job opportunities. The interviews with the municipality revealed that the budgetary control mechanisms are effective. Budget management is a requirement that covers budget preparation, budget implementation, and budget control. The Municipality established the budget office which serves as a mediator between the municipal council and the departmental managers. A good budget is characterized by participation, comprehensiveness, standards, flexibility, feedback and analyses of cost and revenues. However, the municipality should enhance the culture of community participation in local governance. / MA (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Abstract Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore what the residents of Skurup think could improve in their municipality. The paper will give answers to what  could be better and which factors that are important for the improvement according to the residents of Skurup. The overall purpose with the study is to examine how the living situation could improve for the residents of Skurup.  Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative study in the form of 200 surveys is used to let us know what the residents of Skurup wishes to improve. The method will consist of primary data, which is collected through surveys. Supplement in the empire will consist of secondary data from databases like Web of Science, Scopus, Diva, Emerald insight and Google scholar. Implications/Findings - The study reveals what the people in Skurup wishes to improve in their municipality. It offers insight into what value proposition residents value the highest. The research paper shows that the sections Experience and activities and Education and children are important dimensions in the place offering.  Originality/value - The research paper provides information about what the residents of Skurup wishes to improve in their municipality, to make it into a better place. According to this research the residents of Skurups wants to improve the section of Education and the children the most. They also wishes to improve Experience and activities. This will in the end improve the living standard for the residents of Skurup and make Skurup into a place where people want to live. Paper type - Research paper. Keywords - Skurup, municipality, value propositions, quality of life and improve living.

AbstractPurpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore what the residents of Skurup wishes to improve in the municipality of Skurup and if the improvements can be generalized on gender. The paper will give answer to if the improvement can be based on which gender the respondents belongs to. If there is a connecting between living improvement and gender in the municipality of Skurup. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative study in the form of 200 surveys is used to let us know what the residents of Skurup wishes to improve. The method will consist of primary data, which is collected through surveys. Supplement in the empire will consist of secondary data from databases like Web of Science, Scopus, Diva, Emerald insight and Google scholar. Implications/Findings - The study reveals what the people in Skurup wishes to improve in their municipality and if the result is affected by gender differences. The paper increases understanding of how a municipality can make their place good to live in based on different gender preferences. As women and men prefer different things, the attributes which they wishes to improve varies based on different gender aspects and can ́t be generalised on the whole population, as there are other affecting factors. Originality/value - The research paper gives accurate information about what the residents of Skurup wants to improve and if the improvement factors has anything to do with gender. It increases understanding of how a municipality can make their place good to live in, for different genders. It also provides information to the municipality of Skurup what they should improve according to the sample of residents. Paper type - Research paper. Keywords - Gender differences, municipality, Skurup, improve living and value propositions.

Through a preliminary study, made by the writers of this paper, it turned out that the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle does have some flaws, which can result in making the work with stormwater less effective than it could be. The aim for this project has been to find possible solutions that in the long run could improve the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle. A goal was to collect data from operators to see where they saw room for improvement. A literature study and a survey had been made in order to potentially find more undetected flaws in the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle. The result from the used methods was that there are flaws in the communication, informing-process, the reporting of the work with stormwater and financing. The writers of these papers’ suggestions is, among some, to clarify the funding, make a contact-list, to encourage stakeholders to report their work with stormwater and to formulate a common goal for the stormwater. The results show that there is potential for improvement for how the current work with stormwater is being done. If the suggestions are taken into consideration the municipality of Gävle might come closer to realizing their vision, being one of the best eco-municipality in Sweden. / Det visade sig i en förstudie av rapportförfattarna att dagvattenhanteringen i Gävle kommun har brister som kan resultera i att dagvattenhanteringen inte blir lika effektivt som den skulle kunna vara. Syftet med projektet var att ta fram ett antal förbättringsförslag för att i längden hjälpa Gävle kommun att få ett bättre dagvattenarbete. Ett mål var att samla in data från aktörer för att se var de ansåg att det fanns förbättringsmöjlighet. Genom att genomföra en litteraturstudie, en jämförelse mellan några kommuners dagvattenpolicy och en enkätundersökning var tanken att eventuellt identifiera ytterligare förbättringsmöjligheter i dagvattenarbetet i Gävle kommun. Resultatet att det finns förbättringsmöjligheter gällande kommunikation, informering, rapportering och finansieringsansvar. Författarna har givit några förbättringsförslag bl.a. att tydliggöra finansieringen, sammanställa en kontaktlista, presentera sitt dagvattenarbete i miljörapporter och sätta ett gemensamt mål för dagvatten. Resultatet från detta projekt och från förstudien visar att det finns förbättringspotential för dagvattenarbetet i kommunen. Om förbättringsförslagen skulle tas i åtanke skulle Gävle kommun kunna komma närmare sin vision, att bli en av de bästa miljökommunerna i Sverige.

During the refugee crises in Sweden 2015, it became clear that there are several disadvantages with the Swedish reception system. It is well known that refugees and other immigrants are not distributed equally among the country's municipalities. An even distribution is important for a successful reception and integration according to the Swedish Authorities and Regions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze what factors could be the reason for an uneven distribution of refugees in Sweden. To analyze the question, secondary data is used from 2006 to 2015 in order to make pooled regressions and Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) models. Different data is collected that may be related to the dependent variable of new arrivals per capita based on previous studies and theories. In addition, we are aware that there are more aspects that can affect the municipal reception but cannot be measured in this study. The study found that the following investigated variables are associated with the number of arrivals received in a municipality. It was shown that the percentage of former foreign-born in the municipality had a positive correlation with the proportion of new arrivals and it also suggested that these new arrivals settle in areas with others from similar backgrounds. An unexpected result was the percentage of seniors in a community that affects the dependent variable positively. Additionally, the average income in a municipality shows a negative correlation, whereby this result could be explained from people with similar incomes living in similar areas. The study also analyzed the education level of people which shows a negative relationship that can be justified in a similar way. It was also found that unemployment affects new arrivals positively but the results are not clear.  It was found that housing deficits have a negative relationship with the dependent variable, whilst housing surplus has a positive correlation which was expected. Countryside municipalities show a positive result that is statistically significant and the metropolitan municipality has a negative impact, however this result is not statistically significant. As for political power, this does not show any connection with the dependent variable on new arrivals. It can be explained by using the median voter theorem which explains how the parties attract the greatest number of voters.   Keywords: Refugee policy, Refugee, Municipality, Regression analysis. / Under flyktingkrisen i Sverige 2015 blev det påtagligt att det finns brister i det svenska mottagningssystemet, det uppmärksammades att nyanlända inte fördelas jämnt mellan landets kommuner. En jämn fördelning är enligt Sveriges kommuner och landsting (SKL) viktig för ett lyckat mottagande och integration. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka frågan: ”Vad kan den ojämna fördelningen av nyanlända mellan landets kommuner bero på?” För att analysera frågeställningen används i uppsatsen sekundärdata mellan 2006–2015, metoden som används är poolade regressioner och minsta kvadratdummyvariabel (LSDV) modellen. Data samlas över sådana variabler som bör ha ett samband med den beroende variabeln nyanlända/capita utifrån tidigare studier samt teorier. Utöver valda variabler är vi medvetna om att det finns fler saker som kan påverka kommuners mottagande men som inte mäts i denna studie. Studien finner att ett antal av de undersökta variablerna har ett samband med antalet nyanlända som mottages i en kommun.  Andel tidigare utlandsfödda i kommunen har ett positivt samband med andel nyanlända vilket kan bero på att många nyanlända bosätter sig i områden där det finns personer med liknande bakgrund. Medelinkomsten i en kommun visar sig ha ett negativt samband till den beroende variabeln vilket möjligen beror på att personer med liknande inkomst bosätter sig i liknande områden. Utbildningsnivå är också negativt relaterat till andel nyanlända som mottages i en och kan motiveras på liknande sätt som medelinkomst. Andel pensionärer i en kommun har ett positivt samband med den beroende variabeln vilket är ett oväntat resultat. Arbetslöshet har också ett positivt samband med andelen nyanlända men resultaten är otydliga. Bostadsunderskott har ett negativt samband med den beroende variabeln medan bostadsöverskott har ett positivt samband vilket var väntat. Landsbygdskommuner visar ett positivt samband som är statistiskt säkerställt, storstadskommun har ett negativt samband men resultatet är inte signifikant. Politiskt styre visar inte något samband till den beroende variabeln nyanlända per capita vilket kan förklaras med hjälp av medianväljarteoremet.   Nyckelord: Flyktingmottagande, nyanlända, kommuner, regressionsanalys.