This study identifies the prevailing scarcity of urban public services and the conceptual relations among service delivery, patronage, bureaucratic activities and structural factors in the Lagos Metropolitan region. It examines the extent to which clientelism, bureaucratic decision rules and structural theoretical models explain water service delivery patterns in Festival Town (Festac), a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. The unprecedented pace of growth of the Lagos Metropolis since the mid-twentieth century gave rise to the spectacular spatial expansion of the continuous built up region. Urban industrial and governmental institutions have not kept pace with the population growth rate of Lagos. This demographic trend also continues to tax the urban service delivery system. The federal government policy proscription entailed the planning and creation of a new town, Festival Town (Festac), as a response to addressing the urban public service problem in the Greater Lagos. Festac is well serviced with modern urban infrastructural facilities for the delivery of water supply and water related services. In recent years, however, the local residents of Festac have been faced with a similar problem in water supply which is not different from that experienced by urban residents in other parts of Lagos. The painstaking efforts that detailed a pre-planned, designed and carefully considered development of a new urban community have not succeeded in creating a regularly functioning delivery of water supply and water related services. Various analytical tools were utilyzed in conducting the study. The study concludes that the central factors in the prevailing scarcity of water supply in Festac are technology and infrastructural dependence and dwindling federal state revenues, all of which exacerbate the internal production of essential urban public services and thereby making delivery problematic. The findings presented in this study demonstrate the significance of the specific articulation expressed in the link between the Nigerian export sector, the fiscal capacity of the federal state and public service financing. This study recommends that if the Nigerian public service delivery system is to overcome its contemporary problems, policies should be adopted which largely depend on existing internal resources.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / The study has been prompted by the initiative of the Local Government of South Africa in introducing the Integrated Development Plan in local municipalities in 1998 as an interim integrated plan. Local Municipalities in South Africa have to use “integrated development planning” as a method of planning for future developments in their areas. Apartheid planning left South Africa with cities and towns that have racially divided business and residential areas; are badly planned to cater for the poor; have long travelling distances to work and poor access to business and other services; have great differences in levels of service delivery between rich and poor areas; have sprawling informal settlements and spread-out residential areas that make cheap service delivery difficult. Rural areas were left underdeveloped and largely unserviced. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the IDP on service delivery in Emfuleni Local Municipality. The objectives of this study were: to evaluate the effectiveness of the IDP on service delivery and its implementation; to assess the capacity of the municipality to meet the IDP objectives and targets; to investigate the perceptions of the Emfuleni Local Municipality ward and Proportional Representative (PR) Councillors on their mandate and service delivery; and to identify and recommend strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the IDP on service delivery. The study was qualitative in design and collected data using interviews. The study found out that the public participation process, the Integrated Development Plan, service delivery protests and state of service delivery in Emfuleni has clearly shown that the Emfuleni Integrated Development Plan does not have significant impact on service delivery. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: that there should an alignment of projects with community needs, establishment of a monitoring and evaluation unit, strengthen the intergovernmental relations system and regular feedback, communication and interaction with communities. These systems and structures will ensure that there is regular and coherent participation and involvement of the community as far as possible.

Thesis (MPA. (Public Administration) -University of Limpopo, 2008 / Today, in South Africa, as we grapple with challenges brought by our new democracy, its appropriate to have practical guide that guide that can be used not primarily on issues of labour relations but also on issues of service delivery improvements. This study comes at the most opportune time, when all involved have to help shaping the public service and to come to grips with the implications of Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act 66 of 1996). The study’s main objective is to find out the major labour related conflicts that are prominent at Mokopane Provincial Hospital and broadly discuss them in order to find out if they are threats to service delivery. After identifying threats to service delivery, it shall be appropriate to recommend through the application of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act 66 of 1995), important areas that will enhance service delivery. In brief, this study is intending to close gaps between labour relations issues and service delivery.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research study attempts to understand levels of service delivery facing Lenyenye Township falling under the jurisdiction of Greater Tzaneen Local Municipal Council. The main focal point of the study is to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision of basic services such as electricity, water and roads by the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality. This study takes into account that there are other townships such as Nkowankowa, Khutjwana and Tickeyline that are also under the jurisdiction of Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, and therefore, the research made no attempts to compare levels of service in these towns as its main focus is Lenyenye Township. The findings of this case study are by no means a representation of the state of service delivery in the entire Greater Tzaneen Local Municipal area. The study is qualitative in nature as it attempts to understand how residents of Lenyenye Township perceive service delivery in their area. To get to the bottom of this investigation, interviews were conducted to supplement the data that is needed to make a case. The central elements of this study are community participation and financial management. According to White Paper on Local Government (1998), the above elements are the cornerstone of democracy, and that democracy should be visible and practical at grassroots. The study argued that provision of municipal services is also influenced by a high number of legislative frameworks some of which are still at a grappling stage by municipalities, for example; the implementation of White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (1997). The study also discovered that a local sphere of government interacts with other organs of state, private sectors and non-governmental institutions in programmes and projects meant to advance the provision of municipal service. Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality like any other municipality is experiencing its fair share of the challenges such as financial management, community participation, and skills shortage. The study revealed that Lenyenye Township is experiencing poor service delivery from the municipality.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The focus of the study was on the impacts of undocuments on the provision of housing, job opportunities and health in Limpopo Province: A case study of Polokwane Municipality and the measures taken by the government to deal with illegal immigrants. The study was qualitative in nature and concentrated on illegal Zimbabweans and South Africans residing in Western burg(RDP side),Greenside,Lethuli Park,buite and bok streets, Department of health and Social welfare, Department of Labour and the Department of Housing. The area of study was Polokwane Municipality under the Capricorn district. The research findings confirmed that illegal immigrants have negative impacts on the provision of housing, job opportunities and health facilities in Limpopo Province as many respondents indicated that illegal immigrants were residing in RDP houses, all of them have access to health facilities and most of them were employed but only pay tax through the purchasing of goods and commodities for use and resale in the country and back in Zimbabwe.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study has focused on the evaluation of effectiveness of public participation programmes towards service delivery within the Capricorn District Municipality. Public participation is supported by various pieces of legislation, such as the Constitution (1996) and the Municipal Systems Act (2000), which has placed the community at the centre of development in the local government sphere. It also occupies a key position for development within local government, as it is important in assessing successes and failures of programmes. In this study, the researcher used interview schedules as an instrument to assess the effectiveness of public participation programmes towards service delivery within the Capricorn District Municipality. The researcher used this instrument to get the views of the respondents - in this case ward committees - about effectiveness of public participation programmes in the Aganang and Blouberg Local Municipalities as the area of the study. The findings of the research revealed that there is lack of effective participation in municipal programmes by the community due to a lack of confidence in the local authority, in terms of providing regular feedback on commitments made about service delivery. The findings also revealed that a lack of education plays a significant role for the effective participation of communities within the municipal programmes. Based on the findings of the research, recommendations were made that mechanisms should be implemented to monitor the impact of public participation programmes, building community capacity to engage with municipalities as well as strengthening current public participation mechanisms (such as the IDP consultation process, public hearings and outreach programmes).

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This study undertook to look into the management of service delivery by the Limpopo Department of Public Works. Over the past four years the researcher, through his interaction and work with departmental officials, identified various weaknesses with management. The study examines various literature relating to management and service delivery issues. A comprehensive review was made by the researcher of the available departmental documentation. The study method used was qualitative. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and provided to management. This study found that indeed there are issues with management in the Limpopo Department of Public Works. Key findings were that the maturity and experience of management is critical to the functionality of an institution and that institutions need to embrace change, particularly within a technical environment.

This research project examines how managers in local-government-owned business organisations justify their adoption of an entrepreneurial orientation and their interpretation of their role in entrepreneurial terms. To explore these justifications, interviews were conducted with the senior management of four local-government- owned business operations and one local council. They were: Metrowater, The Edge, Taieri Gorge Railway, Chatham Islands Council and Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust. These interviews were then analysed, utilising a critical discourse method. In addition, interviews were also conducted with senior managers in the Rotorua District Council and Taupo District Council who provided a sharp contrast to the former organisations and suggested a means by which the neo-liberal approach within the sector might be countered. Through speaking with the various local govermnent business managers contacted for this project, I concluded that managers of local-government-owned business operations have a strong institutional identification with the private sector. This identity is so strong that many of the managers interviewed have rejected the very notion that they are public employees of any sort. The managers have adopted an entrepreneurial approach because they see this as essential to gain professional legitimacy with their peers in the private sector. This has caused them to place distance between themselves and the owners of the business that they manage (that is, the councils), and the local citizens they ostensibly serve, to the extent that they have described their job as providing goods and services to customers rather than providing services for citizens. I will show that the adoption of such an attitude is inappropriate when placed within the context of local-government-owned and operated business concerns. From the point of view of European settlement, New Zealand is a very young country, especially in the administrative sector. To provide a background to this project and to suggest the main lines of development of local government in New Zealand, I have included a prologue that outlines the history of local government in New Zealand.

In recent times, public engagement has become an increasingly prominent feature of modern public service provision. Contemporary Public Engagement (CPE) has been characterized by the proliferation of new and innovative mechanisms with which to engage and involve the public in any process in which their input is either desired or legally required. This thesis takes a qualitative approach to exploring CPE within the context of local public services in Scotland, with the explicit aim of contribution to the development of conceptual understanding and theory. The design of this project was based on a case study of the Clackmannanshire Community Health Partnership (CHP). The key empirical instruments were semi-structured interviews, a focus group, analysis of key CHP documents and participant observation by the researcher at CHP Committee meetings. This study makes three main contributions to existing knowledge. They are: a Conceptual Framework for explaining CPE within Scottish local public service provision, a Conceptual Model which is based on the Conceptual Framework and presents it at a higher level of abstraction, and the generation of substantive theory rooted in the case study data. The thesis makes two main recommendations. The first is that further comparative research should be undertaken in order to further develop and confirm the validity of Conceptual Model and substantive theory. The second is that meta-analysis should be undertaken to assist in the development of the proposed formal theory of Public Sector Reform.

M. Tech. Business Administration / A review of the relevant literature shows that the quality of municipal services that are routinely provided to residents of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality depends on the capacity of the City of Tshwane to utilize modern financial management and accounting procedures for performance monitoring and evaluation exercises. Fiscal discipline, good governance and service delivery depend on the degree to which prudent financial, auditing and accounting procedures are implemented by finance employees working for the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The study aims to explain the relationship between the quality of service delivery and the proper utilization of financial management and accounting at municipal level in the City of Tshwane.