Outcomes-based participatory gender planning and budgeting in South African local government context: a case of selected municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Sikhosana, Nqobile
- Date: 2022-07
- Subjects: Municipal budgets
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/23381 , vital:57620
- Description: This research is focused on the premise that engaging women and men in municipal budget preparation can be a precondition for achieving gender-sensitive service delivery outcomes. It follows, logically, that empowering citizens and granting them authority to control budget allocations has the potential to play a mediating role in transforming the financial management environment within the framework of local government in South Africa. Without representation of heterogeneous social classes, budget allocations in South Africa will continue to reflect the needs of those who hold the top echelons of municipal administrative machinery. Given the complexity of the flawed participatory structures and persistent gender inequality, the mixed methods approach was used as an investigative method to gain a deeper understanding of the participatory genderresponsive budgeting trend and its subsequent impact on service delivery outcomes in the Eastern Cape Province. The findings showed that men's participation and resource re-allocation elements had a significant effect on gender-responsive budgeting but women's participation and transparency had no significant impact. More so, findings also revealed that there is no difference in the manner in which the two municipalities have adopted the two concepts. The long-term results of male domination and the ignorance of transparency and women participation in budget formulation is the establishment of gender-blind budgets that fail to deliver gender-sensitive service delivery outcomes. Based on secondary data analysis, evidence showed that there is a lack of gender dimension in the municipal outcomes and this has contributed towards gender inequalities in terms of access to services. However, results indicated that the full involvement of women and giving then authority to have a voice in budgetary decisions, coupled with the transparent incorporation of gender priorities in the stages of the budget cycle can lead to the formulation to gender sensitive budgets. This knowledge allows the adoption of a participatory gender responsive model for local government. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2022
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Succession politics and state administration in Africa: the case of Zimbabwe
- Authors: Chikerema, Arthur Fidelis
- Date: 2021-02
- Subjects: Africa -- Politics and government , Public administration , state governments
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21355 , vital:48494
- Description: The research probes the impact of succession politics on state administration in Africa, Zimbabwe as a case study. Power transition in any political landscape promotes the regeneration and configuration of the political architecture and the functionality of the administrative apparatus of the state. Government performance may thus be viewed as a result of political processes and dynamics that influence governance in a polity. Political succession determines the composition of administrative organs of the state and many political leaders wish to work with administrative apparatus, which are compatible with their ideological orientation. Regular transfer of executive power is the major test of stability, legitimacy and maturity of a nation’s political system, but in Zimbabwe, political leaders have shown a consistent trajectory of violating or amending state and party constitutions to prolong their stay in power (Constitutional coup or a third term tragedy). This has been compelled by ruthless silencing of dissent by suffocating political activism culminating in strong personalities and weak institutions. Succession politics in Zimbabwe resembles executive dominance, egocentrism, excessive appointing powers which are compounded by lack of institutional framework for succession. This undermines the professional independence of the bureaucracy, which in turn inhibits the pursuit of sound governance. Therefore, passing the baton to the next leader has been a challenge; resulting in the personalization of, governments and political parties by leaders. While constitutions provide for elective congress for purposes of electing party leadership and/ or renewing their mandates, there is strong literature pointing to the capture of representative institutions such as Parliaments through strong normative values by leaders. This erodes the role of Parliaments or congresses as a democratic institution, as leaders have used it to “endorse” themselves. The research examines the influence of succession politics on state administration, especially on how the institution of the state and party politics in Zimbabwe conflate with the public administration system leading to state malfunction. This research adopts a qualitative research design that provides an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations on political succession and state administration in Zimbabwe. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, complemented by document review and analyzed through thematic content analysis. The study found out that, despite the existence of the legal frameworks that promote seamless power transition, political, societal and historical factors exacerbate Zimbabwe’s succession dilemma. Colonial legacy, societal laxity, the military factor, capture of state institutions by the political elite, lack of a retirement institutional mechanism, the principle of sovereignty and politicization of the succession process were found as the major hindrances to Zimbabwe’s succession trajectory. It recommends broad based and genuine civil service, electoral, security and political (politics with ethics and values) reforms to dismantle the current legacy imbedded in the political system. , Thesis (PhD) (Public Administration) -- University of Fort Hare, 2021
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