Den här studien har studerat styrning och maktfördelning inom ramen för delegationsordningarna i Utbildningsnämnden i Uppsala kommun. Genom att studera vem som äger rätt att fatta vilket beslut samt var i hierarkin det sker försöker studien ta reda på om det skett några förändringar över tiden 1991-2021. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i de delegationsorngar som fanns när Uppsala kommun var indelat i olika kommundelsnämnder och tittar på hur de förändrats över tid sedan huvudmannaskapet för skolan övergick till kommunerna. Ambitionen med kommunaliseringen var att skapa ett mer verksamhetsnära beslutsfattande. Studiens resultat pekar i riktning mot att det visserligen skett en decentraliseringen, på så sätt att beslutsfattandet över skolan förflyttats från staten ner till kommunal nivå, men att det inom Uppsala kommun snarare skett en förändring mot ökad centralisering av styrningen, med en ökad byråkratisering som följd. Rektorerna har förlorat mycket av det delegerade beslutsfattandet de hade i början på 1990-talet och idag ligger det mesta av beslutsfattandet på någon i linjechefsposition inom förvaltningen. / This study has analysed governance and the distribution of power within the frame of the schedule of delegation in the standing Committee of education in the Council of Uppsala. By studying which body has the authority to make a specific decision, and where in the power hierarchy, this thesis is aiming at figuring out if there have been any changes of the distribution of power over time. A starting point for this analysis is the schedule of delegation whick were place at the time when the city of Uppsala was divided in diffrent local councils. How where they structured at the time of the municipality school reform and what were the ambitions of more locally rooted decision making? The result of the study suggests that there have, in fact, been a decentralisation of power from the central national level to a local level, but that within the local administration we have seen a change that points to a higher degree of centralisation and bureaucratization, contrary to the initial intention of the reform. The school principals have lost a lot of the earlier delegation authority. Today much of the decisions lay instead in the hands of middle management at the council administration.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The awareness of the environmental crisis and the impact of rising poverty globally has led to the search for sustainable solutions. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) describe the solution as a secure peaceful world, a healthier environment and a better quality of life for all. Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) are important development actors in realising this goal. They work within civil society and focus on the empowerment of the vulnerable and marginalised through the transfer of skills, resources and power. Their flexibility, commitment to social justice and strong relationships with the community allow NGOs to develop creative responses, developing new models for sustainable solutions. A weakness of NGOs is the inability to provide reliable evidence of the effect, or impact, of programmes and their contribution towards a better society. Further the reliance on donor funding can change the focus of accountability from the beneficiaries to donors and stakeholders. The study is based in the given reality that NGOs are required to adopt a more strategic outcomes orientated approach to programme and project planning to be able to measure the impact of services to improve the effectiveness of services and prove their added value to society. This is most often done through the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) as a planning model, as many governments, multilateral aid agencies and donors use this model to develop policies and determine funding priorities. This study therefore gives an overview of the literature regarding the principles, benefits and challenges of the LFA from various sources. These are considered within the diverse and complex development context and how the complexity affects the use of this tool in planning, monitoring and evaluation. The LFA is based on the Management by Objectives model. The LFA provides a relatively objective, systematic and thoughtful guide to project planning which enables organisations to measure their progress in realising goals. The visually accessible log frame explains how the use of resources will contribute towards reaching the goal. It enables the organisation to present their projects to a wider audience increasing its accountability to donors, stakeholders and beneficiaries. Yet, organisations are often very critical of the use of the Logical Framework Approach as it assumes that society is a stable environment where factors can be manipulated to bring about expected results. It ignores the dynamic, complex and frequently unpredictable nature of society and the non-linear path of social learning and empowerment. Further the model can be misused and exploited to enforce power relationships resulting in the development of inappropriate or irrelevant projects that do not meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries. The study concludes that, despite all the criticisms, the Logical Framework Approach can be a very useful tool and provides recommendations that will help find a balance between the structured planning process and the participative and creative social learning techniques. NGOs can be focussed and accountable and still remain more responsive to the needs of communities.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The Republic of South Africa has drawn increasing attention from the international community for its new approaches towards solving a variety of problems and thus enhancing good governance in Africa in general. Such problems include, but are not limited to, poverty and systemic corruption. The constitutional and legislative frameworks that underpin governance in municipalities are identified and explained. These constitutional and legislative frameworks include the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (RSA, Act 108 of 1996) and the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (RSA, Act 56 of 2003). The manifestations and consequent dangers of poor governance as well as strategies to instil good governance in municipal functionaries are also identified. The manifestations of poor governance include poor financial management, ill-advised appointments and misguided patriotism in service delivery. The consequences of poor governance in local government include high incidents of violence, decline in municipal service payments and the consequent deterioration in service delivery. It is herein argued that municipal functionaries must be able to identify the manifestations of bad governance for them to serve as effective whistle-blowers. The role of the national integrity system as a strategy for combating the manifestations of bad governance is also identified. The national integrity system refers to the holistic approach (or various strategies) for instilling good governance amongst municipal functionaries. These include an anti-corruption strategy for local government (also known as “a local government integrity system”), constitutional strategies and exemplifying ethical behaviour by municipal functionaries. Constitutional strategies include the Auditor-General and the Public Protector. It is argued that preventing unethical conduct such as corruption assists in raising municipal revenues and thus towards improved service delivery. The study concludes by asserting that big, corrupt actors must be named and punished to convince an already cynical citizenry that the avowed anti-corruption drive is more than just lip service. It is, accordingly, important that one of the “first big fish” should preferably come from the governing party to ensure that the party is not accused of protecting its members against charges of corruption.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Total Quality Management (TQM) sets out a framework for managers on how to improve business performance in all types of organisations. Organisational excellence must be integrated into the strategy of business through an understanding of the key business processes and the development of people.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / In the run-up to the Millennium Development Goals of 2015, the United Nations Global Compact and others are targeting major corporations to play an active leadership role in promoting sustainable development. Increasingly, corporations are encouraged to do so while pursuing profit-making business opportunities yielding social good in developing countries. Beyond corporate citizenship, the ideal of “inclusive capitalism” is popularized by C.K. Prahalad, who evangelizes to corporations about the benefits of marketing to the untapped market opportunity offered by the 4 billion poor consumers that make up the “Bottom of the Pyramid”. Hewlett Packard, under former CEO Carley Fiorina embraced this concept; and, supported by President Thabo Mbeki, launched a high profile project to test this proposition at the 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Launched as a three year Public Private Partnership between Hewlett-Packard, the Limpopo Province and the Mogalakwena Municipality, the project aimed at “creating breakthrough models of sustainable development, not altruism, at global replication, not local exclusivity”. Influenced by the author’s status as an IT industry insider in Africa, this narrative case study draws on privileged access to sources. While a single case study cannot serve to validate or discredit a development model, it can effectively expose tensions and contradictions within a model The case examines what happened in the company’s search for these “breakthrough models” in South Africa, and reveals how the competing logics between business realities and development imperatives are not easily reconciled. Early language around the inclusive capitalism or BOP discourse emphasizing unlimited business opportunities and poverty eradication through profits may set unrealistic expectations for business executives.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / One of the problems with development planning is a lack of community participation. This is due to the top-down approach that dominates development planning. To improve chances of sustainable development there is a need to shift from a top-down approach towards a bottom-up approach. The bottom-up approach promotes people-centred development. People-centred development focuses on people and enhances their capacity to influence the direction and implementation of the development process. Communities can only influence the development process through their participation. International bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank support the concept of community participation in development planning. The South African policy framework also provides for community participation. The change agents should utilise this opportunity by sharing knowledge and by learning from the indigenous knowledge of the community. This knowledge exchange between the community and the change agents creates a platform for social learning, capacity building and empowerment. It is through this platform that sustainable development could be achieved. This kind of development process accommodates the building blocks of development. This study examines the level of community participation in a housing development project at the Boystown informal settlement. It was found that there is a lack of community participation in this project and that the project could be a success if there is a higher level of participation by the beneficiaries.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Though the Maganja da Costa District in Mozambique has potential for the development of natural resources, the District is neither economically self-reliant nor empowered and is the poorest within the country. Thus, the research question set for this study is: What are the main factors that inhibit poor people in the study area from effectively using local resources for their livelihoods and what possible alternatives could enable them to achieve economic empowerment? In an attempt to answer the question, the following aspects were investigated: the systems of local resources, product and indigenous knowledge use and management; the local mechanisms of acquiring and sharing information, knowledge and skills; the obstacles to acquiring and sharing information, knowledge and skills; the influence of such obstacles on the management of local resources and livelihood strategies, as well as on the community’s organisational, leadership and entrepreneurship capacity. An exploratory study was conducted in the study area using the qualitative method, involving participatory action research. A comparative literature review and field work was conducted in order to collect the data. Raw data were collected in two phases: While pilot research took place over 5 days, more extensive research took place over 21 days. During the extensive research, in-depth household interviews were conducted, using semi-structured personal interviews, focus group interviews and discussions, direct observations and cross-checking methods employing a sample size of 101 respondents randomly selected and 10 key informants. The Statistical Programme of Social Science (SPSS) was used to process and analyse the raw data. The results show that the main factors that inhibited poor people in the study area from effectively using local resources and products for their livelihood were: i) a lack of knowledge, skills and talents; ii) the inadequate mechanisms in place for sharing local information, knowledge and skills; iii) the ineffective community organisation and leadership; iv) a lack of entrepreneurship skills and capabilities; v) the inadequate existing infrastructure, transport and trading systems; vi) a low level of partnership and networking; vi) a disruption of socio-cultural cohesion; and vi) inadequate mechanisms for planning, implementation and management of local development strategies, programmes and projects by local government. Most of the government’s development strategies in Mozambique focus on economic growth, which does not necessarily entail the economic empowerment of poor people. The role of traditional leadership has been neglected, which has resulted in the disruption of traditional values and belief systems that might otherwise have positively contributed to socio-cultural cohesion. The role that community building could play in assisting poor people in the study area to establish common values, and to develop collective goals and actions, should enable them to acquire and/or share information, knowledge, skills and talents in such a way as to strengthen themselves. Such strengthening of organisational, leadership and entrepreneurship capacities and skills could significantly contribute to attaining economic self-reliance, poverty alleviation and sustainable development, if the community building approach were to be adequately applied. Additional research is required in order to identify appropriate mechanisms for making further advances in applying such an approach in rural Mozambique, especially in the study area.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The study asserts that Swaziland’s socio-economic development challenges cannot be effectively tackled by the Government and civil society alone but requires the participation of the private sector. The study explores the prospects for collaboration between the state and business in the context of MDGs, PPPs and CSR. The study highlights the importance of the participation of beneficiaries in the design and implementation of development projects. The importance of beneficiary participation in the design and implementation of development initiatives is discussed in the context of “good governance” linked to the notion of sustainable human development. The case studies are aimed at poverty reduction/alleviation. Linkages between the private sector and SMEs in advancing broad economic growth are explored in the case studies. It is argued that economic growth is a necessary condition for creating employment and fighting poverty underpinned by the MDGs. The Moneni upgrading project (section 3.2) explores the extent the initiative aims to improve the living standards of low-income and poor communities in line with the MDGs. The STH case study (section 3.3) is a spin off from government. The STH seeks to provide a market intermediary for the SME sector particularly rural based cultural “handicraft” industries in Swaziland as way to mitigate the effects of poverty for marginalised rural producers. The last case study (section 3.4) discusses the entrepreneur of the year awards (EYA), an initiative aimed at reducing poverty and promoting local economic empowerment and sustainable development in Swaziland. The study recommended further research in view of the major constraints highlighted by the study. It was problematic to engage in critical and detailed discourse because the concepts explored by the study are new in the Swazi development context. The other dimension that compromised detailed analysis was posed by the unavailability of research data related to both the Swazi private sector and SME sectors. The majority of the SME sector operate at micro level and have insignificant economic turnover. Further studies are important to explore ways to promote linkages for growth of these sectors in the context of poverty reduction/alleviation.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Globally participatory democracy is viewed as essential to ensure a high level of legitimacy, contribute to empowerment and strengthen democracy. Although South Africa is a representative democracy, it also adheres to the principles of participatory democracy as Parliament and the nine Provincial Legislatures are constitutionally mandated to elicit public participation in its decision-making and policy processes. This study’s main aim is to determine whether the public participation strategies employed in the South African legislative sector at present are effective and enhance decision-making and policy processes. Following a discussion of the theoretical context and rationale for public participation, a limited international perspective on public participation was given. The study proceeded to explore the application of public participation in the local South African context with specific focus on the legislative environment. In order to provide evidence in support of the research statement an investigation was done on the current state of public participation in the South African legislative environment. Responses from a semi-structured questionnaire on public participation in the South African legislative context were processed into a comparative table to obtain an overall picture of the legislative sector. From the findings it is clear that there are many positive factors and innovative ideas in place across the legislative sector, yet the weaknesses still far outweigh the strengths.

Thesis (MA (Public and Development Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The role of public participation within government administration is set out in Chapter 10 of the Constitution (South Africa, 1996) which states that “people’s needs must be responded to, and the public must be encouraged to participate in policy making”. Public participation processes are encapsulated within various legislative mandates such as the Integrated Development Plans, the White Paper on Local Government (South Africa, 1998c) and the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (South Africa, 1997b). Public participation is critical to the success of sustainable development and therefore South Africa should justifiably “promote public participation, including through measures that provide access to information regarding legislation, regulations, activities, policies and programmes” (United Nations, 2002:71). The strategies implemented to produce what can be considered successful public participation is an aspect not thoroughly considered in the development process. For this reason this study delves into the various facets of public participation and the environment it operates in. The research methodology encompasses the use of the Mamre low-income housing project as case study, qualitative, primary and secondary data as well as a comparative literature study. where 100 respondents were Face-to-face interviewsed face-to-face were conducted with 100 respondents from the Mamre community, withthrough the use of a structured questionnaire. Face- to- face interviews were also conducted with a municipal housing officer involved in the projectcase study. The results of the questionnaires were then investigated againstcompared to the public participation model depicted in chapter 3 as well as the interview answers given by the municipal housing official in terms of the public participation strategies employed. Qualitative and secondary data, as well as a comparative literature survey, informs the content of this study. The study examines the role that public participation plays in development by means of the public participation strategies employed within different contexts and iii formulates a public participation model with recommended public participation strategies to be utilised within four different phases. To emphasise the importance of implementing the correct, context-appropriate public participation strategies, this study uses the Mamre low-cost housing project as a case study to demonstrate how the lack of the appropriate public participation strategies can result in the failure of sustainable development. Having considered all of the above, a number of recommendations are made which can be considered when embarking on a project similar to this one. In the case of Mamre, an opportunity for improvement still exists, as the project is yet to be completed. The recommendations are based on categorising the public participation strategies Blaauwberg Municipality employed throughout the Mamre low-cost housing project according to the public participation model presented in chapter 3. The recommendations incorporates the lessons learnt from Cupido and suggests a preproject strategy and pre-project planning workshops (which explains, amongst other things, .what authentic and empowering public participation actually is). The research results indicate that if a more structured approach is applied to existing strategies, the public participation process can be rendered authentic and empowering. Therefore, further recommendations are aimed at improving the strategies already utilised by Blaauwberg Municipality, to optimise the public participation process.