Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Citizen engagement in South Africa: the case Prince Albert

Citizen engagement in South Africa: the case Prince Albert The purpose of this paper is to gain insight in how South African local governments organize citizen engagement. The new South African constitution provides ways to construct and implement citizen engagement at local level. However, understanding citizen engagement at local level is still a challenge and municipalities search for proper structures and mechanisms to organize citizen engagement efficiently.Design/methodology/approachInterviews with different municipal actors were analyzed using a single case study method. As a primary unit of analysis, a specific project in which citizen engagement is organized was used. In addition, document analysis and a focus group were used to deepen understanding.FindingsThe findings reveal that citizen engagement is a viable strategy to identify the needs of the community if facilitated by a third party and that learning leadership is important when organizing citizen engagement.Originality/valueThe value of this research is the exploration of the citizen engagement process. It sheds light on the conditions that play a role when a local government organizes citizen engagement. As local governments search for ways to effectively organize and structure citizen engagement, insight into these conditions is helpful. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Public Leadership Emerald Publishing

Citizen engagement in South Africa: the case Prince Albert

Siebers, Vinitha
International Journal of Public Leadership , Volume 14 (4): 13 – Oct 19, 2018
Download PDF
13 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/citizen-engagement-in-south-africa-the-case-prince-albert-LWnkLeMbN6
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
2056-4929
DOI
10.1108/ijpl-05-2018-0025
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight in how South African local governments organize citizen engagement. The new South African constitution provides ways to construct and implement citizen engagement at local level. However, understanding citizen engagement at local level is still a challenge and municipalities search for proper structures and mechanisms to organize citizen engagement efficiently.Design/methodology/approachInterviews with different municipal actors were analyzed using a single case study method. As a primary unit of analysis, a specific project in which citizen engagement is organized was used. In addition, document analysis and a focus group were used to deepen understanding.FindingsThe findings reveal that citizen engagement is a viable strategy to identify the needs of the community if facilitated by a third party and that learning leadership is important when organizing citizen engagement.Originality/valueThe value of this research is the exploration of the citizen engagement process. It sheds light on the conditions that play a role when a local government organizes citizen engagement. As local governments search for ways to effectively organize and structure citizen engagement, insight into these conditions is helpful.

Journal

International Journal of Public Leadership – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 19, 2018

Keywords: South Africa; Citizen engagement; Leadership; Local governments

References

  • From local government to local governance—and beyond?
    Andrew, C.; Goldsmith, M.
  • Qualitative case study methodology: study design and implementation for novice researchers
    Baxter, P.; Jack, S.
  • Decentralizing government and decentering gender: lessons from local government reform in South Africa
    Beall, J.
  • Public governance: balancing stakeholder power in a network society
    Bovaird, T.
  • Distinguishing difference types of coproduction: a conceptual analysis based on classical definitions
    Brandsen, T.; Honingh, M.
  • Community development and engagement with local governance in South Africa
    Buccus, I.; Hemson, D.; Hicks, J.; Piper, L.
  • Citizen-centered collaborative public management
    Cooper, T.L.; Bryer, T.A.; Meek, J.W.
  • Beyond community participation? Alternative routes to civil engagement and development in South Africa
    Emmett, T.
  • Putting the public back into governance: the challenges of citizen participation and its future
    Fung, A.
  • Exploring citizenship, participation and accountability
    Gaventa, J.
  • The work of leadership
    Heifetz, R.A.; Laurie, D.L.
  • Assessing the effectiveness of community based involvement
    Hicks, J.
  • Citizen participation indispensable to sustainable democratic governance and administration in South Africa
    Hilliard, V.G.; Kemp, N.D.
  • Citizen engagement processes as information systems: the role of knowledge and the concept of translation quality
    Horlick-Jones, T.; Rowe, G.; Walls, J.
  • Citizen participation in decision-making: Is it worth the effort?
    Irvin, R.; Stansbury, J.
  • Social cohesion, social capital, and health
    Kawachi, I.; Berkman, L.; Berkman, L.; Kawachi, I.
  • Constitutional citizenship in South Africa
    Klaaren, J.
  • Unequal citizenship in unequal cities: participatory urban governance in contemporary South Africa
    Lemanski, C.
  • Citizen participation as a contributor to sustainable democracy in South Africa
    Lues, L.
  • Bringing government to the people: women, local governance and community participation in South Africa
    McEwan, C.
  • Revitalising the ‘good’ in good local governance: calling for active participatory citizenship
    Mchunu, N.; Theron, F.
  • Direct public engagement in local government
    Nabatchi, T.; Amsler, L.B.
  • Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research
    Palinkas, L.A.; Horwitz, S.M.; Green, C.A.; Wisdom, J.P.; Duan, N.; Hoagwood, K.
  • Challenging elite understandings of citizen participation in South Africa
    Plessing, J.
  • Annual report prince Albert municipality
  • Public deliberation in an age of direct citizen participation
    Roberts, N.
  • Civil society, democratization, and foreign aid: civic engagement and public policy in South Africa and Uganda
    Robinson, M.; Friedman, S.
  • Bad public leadership in South Africa: the Jackie Selebi case
    Schwella, E.
  • Knowledge based governance, governance as learning: the leadership implications
    Schwella, E.
  • An analysis of public participation in the South African legislative sector
    Scott, R.
  • Participatie en Democratie in Gemeenten
    Siebers, V.
  • Het Succes van het Proces: Drie Lessen in Co-Creatie Uit Denemarken en Nederland
    Siebers, V.
  • Co-creation as a new form of citizen engagement: comparing Dutch and Danish experiences at the local government level
    Siebers, V.; Torfing, J.
  • Mixed methods sampling: a typology with examples
    Teddlie, C.; Yu, F.
  • Dynamics of public participation in local government: a South African perspective
    Tshoose, C.I.
  • Increasing public participation in local government by means of mobile phones: what do South African youth think?
    Van Belle, J.P.; Cupido, K.
  • A systematic review of co-creation and co-production: embarking on social innovation journey
    Voorberg, W.; Bekkers, V.; Tummers, L.