Browsing by Author "Levy, Brian"

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    A retrospective comparative analysis of the maternal and child health MDGs in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda: Beyond 2015
    (2019) Ntukanyagwe, Michelle M.; Levy, Brian
    The timeline of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) elapsed in 2015, global indicators showed that Africa still accounts for almost half of all child deaths globally and has the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. By the year 2015, Africa as a continent was unable to meet the maternal and child health MDG targets. This study seeks to retrospectively compare, the progress made on the maternal and child health related Millennium Development Goals namely: MDG4- Reduce child mortality and MDG5- Improve Maternal Health, in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Indicators show that, only Rwanda was able to achieve the maternal and child health MDGs. Specifically, the study provides a contextual understanding of the policy interventions implemented by Rwanda, despite starting from a lower base in comparison to Burundi and Uganda due to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The study also sought to understand how broad governance indicators specifically, government effectiveness and control of corruption vary between the three countries: Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda as well as their impact on maternal and child health trends. The study illustrates how Rwanda’s governance is underpinned by a system that is strongly hinged on ideological clarity, good leadership, country ownership for effective policy execution and enforcement of accountability through home grown solutions like imihigo. The integration of imihigo within the health sector has, in addition to other innovative interventions, like the implementation of the Community Health Insurance Policy, deployment of over 60,000 community health workers, innovative use of ICT in health like rapid short message service (sms), drones among others. In contrasting the governance of the health sectors in Rwanda and Uganda, one of the striking differences is that in Rwanda, there are strong linkages between the local and central levels for policy implementation and evaluation, and between the health sector and finance ministry. These are indicative of strong intra-governmental accountability. Uganda on the other hand, despite having good laws and policies in place, still faces poor implementation and lack of strong accountability mechanisms, due to low levels of ownership. The contrast is also sharply illustrated by Rwanda’s higher score in the indicative measures of “government effectiveness and control of corruption”. In short, better quality governments usually have positive effect on development outcomes thanks to overall efficiency in the delivery of public services. Specific recommendations include for Uganda to generate good local governance, effective implementation of decentralisation, follow through of policies and enforcement of accountability for performance failures, the use of community health workers to address existing scarcity of health sector personnel as well as the adoption of ICT policies to support the implementation of health interventions.
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    An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Water Quality Monitoring and Drinking Water Quality Compliance by Environmental Health Practitioners at Selected Metropolitan and District Municipalities in South Africa during 2013-2014
    (2018) Cele, Aneliswa; Levy, Brian
    Access to safe drinking water is a basic right accorded to all people, and their well-being is critically dependent on both the quality of water and its availability, and how well these are managed. Water quality monitoring is an important activity for ensuring water supplied to the community is safe for human consumption. The legislation safeguarding the delivery of safe water has been evolving and implementation varies. Demand by communities for improvement in services places more pressure on the municipalities. The aim of the study is to assess the water quality compliance and explore the effectiveness of water quality monitoring by Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in South Africa. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of water quality monitoring and the water quality compliance rate in municipalities in the country. The specific objectives of the study:  describe the water quality monitoring system by local municipalities in the country;  assess the compliance rate of domestic water quality samples taken by EHPs per municipality;  assess the staffing norm of EHPs per municipality in comparison to the population served; and  establish the relationship between the results of water compliance rate and the number of EHPs per municipality. A retrospective qualitative and quantitative study was conducted of the water quality compliance rate using the District Health Information System (DHIS) data for the period 2010-2014, with the focus on the period 2013-2014. Detailed analysis was conducted on water quality compliance rate per municipality per month, EHPs staffing norm in municipalities per province, and the compliance rate of domestic water samples taken by EHPs per municipality. The compliance rate was compared to the number of EHPs and also to the population served. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to test for association of the water quality compliance rate and number of EHPs per Municipality. Data was also analysed on health outcomes, specifically the reports of acute diarrhoea outbreaks during the same year in the North West, KwaZuluNatal and Northern Cape provinces. The results reveal that water quality monitoring is not implemented effectively by most municipalities. The national microbiological compliance rate for the selected municipalities in 2013 to 2014 was at 88.8%, which is below the acceptable compliance standard (100%) in iii terms of SANS 241. It was also observed that the staffing status is not compliant with WHO norms: Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo has a shortage of 95%, and in Amajuba and Zululand District Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal at 88%. Gaps in the routine data of the DHIS could not allow for a more comprehensive analysis of water quality compliance rate monitoring. Whereas the study has shown a weak positive association between the water quality compliance rate and the environmental health practitioner staffing rate in the municipalities, the Pearson's Coefficient Correlation test results were not statistically significant (R2 =0.0186). The regression line shows a slight positive relationship and the correlation coefficient is also positive. While, a variability may be perceived, it is not statistically obvious nor significant and maybe the result of inappropriate data in the DHIS, tools applied or a flawed assumption of a positive relationship between these two variables. The system exists to ensure a safe drinking water supply to communities. Gaps in legislation, formal guidelines and other contributing factors at different levels need to be addressed by various key stakeholders. As part of the water quality monitoring programme implementation by municipalities, there should be a strong emphasis on data management and communication amongst stakeholder including the Department of Health. Similarly, serious gaps in staffing for environmental health services (70%) need to be addressed to meet the WHO staffing norms. The following are recommended to strengthen water quality monitoring at municipal level: 1. There must be a strong policy to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders on water provision services: water services authorities, environmental health services and the community to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. 2. Review legislation to harmonise functional powers between different ministries, including reviewing the powers of MECs responsible for health to support environmental health services at municipality level, and look at the roles and responsibilities of other relevant stakeholders. 3. EHPs should be more independent from municipal structures to allow for system that will function more efficiently without any hindrance. 4. The shortage of staff guided by the WHO Norm of 1: 10 000 EHPs per population needs to be addressed by municipalities. 5. Data management including reporting and communication should be strengthened at all levels.
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    B-BBEE and its impact on the South African construction industry
    (2016) Mpanza, Jabulile; Levy, Brian
    This dissertation seeks to critically investigate, examine and describe how four large South African construction companies have responded to and engaged with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). Using these companies as a case study, namely, Murray & Roberts, WBHO, Group Five and Basil Read, the paper highlights the extent to which BEE and later B-BBEE implementation has been effective in so far as meeting its objectives as articulated in the scorecard that is embedded in the Construction Sector Black Economic Empowerment Charter. Moreover, the study discusses the strategic changes undergone by each of the firms over a twenty year period (1994-2014) in their efforts to comply with policy, while remaining profitable and sustainable. Additionally, through an evaluation of these corporate strategies and various growth paths, the paper aims to articulate the approaches employed by each company in the face of a reformed political environment, assessing the common tendencies displayed in the industry. The paper consequently seeks to fill in the gaps in literature with regards to the strategies that large companies in the construction industry have gradually adapted in order to continue operating in a democratic South Africa. Thus, through its investigations, it addresses how and why the (1) industry designed and adapted its corporate strategies to fit the institutional arrangements, i.e. B-BBEE, (2), how the industry has responded and implemented BEE, and (3) how the industry has influenced the policy.
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    Case Study: Commissioning of Du Noon Community Health Centre in the City of Cape Town Health District
    (2018) Grammer, Kathryn; Levy, Brian
    There is limited formal documentation of success stories in the Metro District Health System (MDHS) and its contribution towards strengthening the broader health system through increased access and quality of primary health care (PHC) in the City of Cape Town Health District. This case study explains how a cohesive, decentralized DHS team commissioned the largest new PHC facility in Western Cape as a tangible milestone of success of learning by doing, through improved internal district capabilities and external alliances
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    Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP): A solution to institutional challenges in Zambia’s Medical Supply Chain or another technical solution?
    (2019) Chenga, Kaputo Melody; Levy, Brian
    Do technical solutions override or fast track institutional reforms? This study interrogates the extent to which Zambia’s newly introduced Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) is addressing the procurement challenges [for essential drugs and medical supplies] in the Ministry of Health (MoH). A brain child of the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA), the e-GP is but one of the components of the wider procurement reform agenda. The e-GP was introduced with the intention of enhancing efficiency, effectiveness and Value for Money (VfM) in public procurement. Since 2016, ZPPA has been piloting the approach in selected Procurement Entities (PEs), a combination of sector ministries and state parastatals. Based on review of project documentation, publicly available data, and interviews from key stakeholders; the study explores and interrogates the contextual and institutional challenges characterising the e-GP design and pilot implementation phases, and the extent to which these realities impact the achievement of the intended outcomes. A fair amount of information from interviewees was provided under conditions of confidentiality, thus individuals are not often identified. It is perhaps too early to ascertain the extent to which the e-GP is realising the intended objectives. This is partly explained by the project’s slow start, occasioned by delayed procurement which had knock - on effects on the overall project’s pace. An interrogation of the history and political economy of Zambia suggests however that it is the opaque challenges bordering on the political economy which is the single most binding constraint to reforms; defining the process, the pace and outcomes. The design of the e-GP was generic and non-participatory. There is no evidence to suggest that the process had provided opportunity for PE’s to define and customize the problems that mattered for them to be addressed by the e-GP. Instead, the e-GP seems to have been sold to PEs as a best practice solution. Because of the deep incentive fabric at both organizational and individual levels, the project seems to have some traction. Effort of various actors does not appear to be supportive of each, often latently contradicting each other. Project progress is held constant by the relative ability of the ZPPA to push some strands of work within some pilot PEs. This relative ability of the ZPPA shields the low levels of acceptance and questionable authority within PEs and among actors. Progress on the e-GP appears like a façade of success; suggestive of isomorphic mimicry.
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    An exploration of actions to forge public entrepreneurship in the implementation of the expanded public works programme in the Eastern Cape
    (2016) Mageza, Quinton Qengeba; Levy, Brian
    The dissertation begins by outlining the history and objectives of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) as one of the key government interventions to address poverty and unemployment. The paper moves on to analyse the Vukuzakhe programme which is an initiative of the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works within the infrastructure sector of the EPWP. This analysis looks at policy assumptions in respect of institutional arrangements that informed the development and implementation of the Vukuzakhe Programme. The study goes on to identify and assess the outcomes of public entrepreneurship with the context of the Vukuzakhe programme. The hypotheses made are that: A: "The success of the Vukuzakhe programme was as the result of effective acts of public entrepreneurship." B: "The successful and effective acts of public entrepreneurship were demonstrated in the way in which change was orchestrated and directed, through the building of internal capacity and ability to marshal support from diverse stakeholders."
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    Exploring skills development within the interface of public and private sectors
    (2016) Malambe, Lucas; Levy, Brian
    Designed to be in line with the then government's apartheid policy, the manpower training system created a highly polarised national skills development system characterised by huge socio-economic inequalities, and an unemployment and poverty problem that was defined along racial lines (McGrath, 1996). The defeat of apartheid in the 1990s meant that the new government desperately needed to address these socio-economic challenges. It needed to do so while also trying to catch up with a rapidly globalising world economy characterised by rapid change, unprecedented competition, new technology, fast-growing emerging markets, workforce diversity, and a demand for new skills. The Draft 1997 Green Paper on Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa advocated for a state-driven national skills development system in partnership with firms, labour and a range of public and private training providers (Republic of South Africa, 1996: 62). The Green Paper led to the promulgation of a number of skills development legislations including the Skills Development Act (SDA) (No. 97 of 1998). The SDA envisaged Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to act as key agencies in the delivery of skills development and workplace experience seen as essential in addressing the triple challenges of inequality, unemployment, and poverty (Republic of South Africa, 1998). Despite this new bold vision, SETAs have been relentlessly criticised for failing to respond to the demand for medium and high skills in an inclusive manner because of a crisis in governance and administration, poor planning, and corruption (Marock, Harrison-Train, Soobrayan & Gunthorpe, 2008; Barclay, 2012; Scott & Shuttleworth, 2007). SETA Boards tend to be riven with conflict as a result of their often opposing expectations and mandates, and the infighting spills over to executive managers and to the rest of the organisation. Boards that are preoccupied with internal power struggles are wont to lose focus on their fiduciary duties which revolve around the implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) (Scott & Shuttleworth, 2007). Even though optimum value can be derived from having institutional arrangements that are geared to the implementation of projects supporting organisational strategy, one in three of all strategy implementations fail as there is often a major rift between strategy (as designed by principals) and the actual projects (as implemented by agents) (Buys & Stander, 2010). Levy (2014) theorised that where the public is linked to service delivery nodes via politicians and policymakers who are in turn linked to service delivery providers, it is crucial to align the goals of agents with that of their principals. The SETA arrangement is, nonetheless, unique in that Board members are appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training in their capacity of representing a particular constituency such as a union or a business association. Even so, stakeholders must work together to optimise joint benefits and minimise their temptations to otherwise shirk, free ride or pursue selfish goals.
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    Governance reforms and national benefits : problems and prospects in Marange diamond mining in Zimbabwe
    (2016) Makombe, Percy Fungayi; Levy, Brian
    Zimbabwe is among the top diamond-producing countries and is believed to hold a quarter of the world's diamond reserves. Yet it is still one of the poorest countries as the economy is slumped and growth has slackened, and it is expected to further weaken. This study tracks the history of diamond mining at Marange diamond fields, describing what has played out since the discovery of huge diamond deposits in 2006.The study considers potential entry points to try and effect reform in diamond mining in the country. It also explores the governance options and their experience, distinguishing between domestic and global mechanisms and exploring the prospects for each. The study interrogates the strength and ability of various stakeholders to affect reform casting light on the politics and power dynamics at play.
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    Investing in new electricity generation in South Africa : what short-circuited decision-making, 1998-2014?
    (2014) Hamukoma, Nchimunya; Levy, Brian
    At the beginning of 2008, South Africa faced its most severe electricity supply crisis to date. The crisis led to a severe contraction of mining industry output and had a knock on effect on the rest of the economy. This dissertation aimed to explore how such a crisis could occur in a South Africa, when in the years leading up to the crisis, the state owned electricity utility, Eskom, had won awards as one of the lowest cost, most efficient and technologically innovative electricity companies internationally. In order to explore this, the method of the analytic narrative was used, this was supported by process tracing that identified the key period of research as the years 1998- 2004. The paper explored themes of administrative complexity, competing stakeholders and multiple objectives. It was found that the crisis could be credibly explained as having stemmed from the interaction of complex power relations across the public service in a climate of unresolved political conflict and time sensitive decision making.
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    Islands of effectiveness in co-government arrangements : the case of three coalition-led municipalities in South Africa
    (2016) Salie, Saarah; Levy, Brian
    Co-government arrangements are a necessary evil that provides political parties with an opportunity to take office, exercise power and share the spoils of power. My dissertation examines the reforms and principles that are most useful in co-government arrangements, which are characterised by unstable, complex and sometimes predatory political environments, to ensure that governance and developmental gains can be achieved. Using case studies of the co-government arrangements in three local municipalities, all based in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and led by an array of small opposition parties, I make two arguments. Firstly, senior public officials can act as a countervailing platform to achieve governance gains by implementing a range of reforms and principles. The most pertinent of these being to make concessions in coalition arrangements that have a kingmaker and by implementing a functional political-administrative interface to protect the integrity of the powers and functions delegated to both arms of the municipality. Secondly, political principals with mixed interests can effectively cooperate to find joint gains. Some of these reforms and principles require that forums be put in place to encourage effective communication to expedite decision making that enable governance gains, while the coalition agreement should have comprehensive terms to guide the rules of engagement of the parties in the co-government arrangement. Coalition led governments at a municipal level can thrive if coalition partners communicate effectively, act in goodwill towards a common goal and uphold credible commitments to serve with integrity.
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    Local governments' changing power in South Africa's energy system: reshaping the regulatory space for renewable energy, from the bottom up
    (2017) Hermanus, Lauren; Levy, Brian
    In 1994, South Africa's post-apartheid government inherited a highly-centralised energy sector, in which all aspects including planning, procurement, generation, distribution, pricing, and management were determined through top-down institutional arrangements and investments, centred around Eskom. In 2016, however, following rounds of energy sector reform, and the successful implementation of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), this centralised configuration of power showed signs of disruption. Municipalities began to ambitiously redefine their role by building on opportunities related to renewable energy, resulting in an emergent challenge to centralised energy policy and planning. This dissertation sought to explore how this contestation took shape and to explain how seemingly ad hoc actions have created new possibilities, as well as new regulatory frameworks, by municipalities for municipalities. To achieve this, an analysis of the evolution of decentralised renewable energy generation in South Africa between 2008, when it first began, and 2016, was undertaken, applying the method of process tracing to two case studies. In order to contextualise these bottom-up processes within the national political economy of energy, process tracing was also applied in a high-level analysis of countervailing movements that consolidate centralised energy planning and procurement during the same period, with a particular focus on national plans to undertake massive investments in nuclear energy. It was found that municipalities' bottom-up actions have positioned them to drive renewable energy in such a way that seriously challenges the historical configuration of power that has determined South Africa's energy future up to now.
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    NetOne Cellular Private Limited's underperformance : causes and the way forward
    (2016) Munyaradzi, Rwakurumbira; Levy, Brian
    This research is a case study analysis of NetOne Cellular (Pvt) Ltd, a state enterprise in the mobile cellular telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe which has failed to perform to government and public expectation since its launch in 1996. At the advent of mobile telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe in the 1990s, it was expected that the Government of Zimbabwe would reap huge revenues in the lucrative telecommunications industry by being the pioneer and monopolising the provision of mobile telecommunications in the country. Government therefore, set up NetOne, initially as a department under the Postal and Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) and later turned it into an incorporated company in 2001. The company has however failed to perform to expectations despite the advantages which usually go with government protection and favouritism in comparison to its competitors Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and Telecel Zimbabwe. This study provides evidence of the company's poor performance, an analysis and discussion of the underlying and proximate causal factors thereto as well as a set of recommendations and possible ways forward. The study seeks to explore and prove that the Zimbabwean political settlements, mismanagement of economic rents, as well as the scourge of poor corporate, undercapitalisation, unfavourable sectoral and regulatory dynamics negatively impact on NetOne's performance. Derived from the foregoing the above are the cascading effects of inadequate leadership and business practices within the organisation which also played a major role in the company's modicum growth and underperformance over the years. It concludes that the Zimbabwe political settlements and failure to manage and effectively exploit political rents is the major contributor to the company's failure and lead to both external and internal poor governance of the company thereby affecting its performance.
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    Not about rules, but about good deals: The political economy of securing inclusive capital investment and transformation in South African mining
    (2023) Nxele, Musawenkosi; Levy, Brian; Bazillier, Remi
    This PhD studies the imperative of racially transforming South Africa's economy in a way that spurs the growth of capital investment that is socially and locally inclusive. Part I explores the role of bargains among elites (“deals”) in facilitating investment. It studies deals as the basis of credible commitment and as the “arena of action” in the context of a relatively robust rule of law. What kind of deals produce capital investment and transformation, and what kind of deals produce predation and isomorphism? Using process tracing methodology, the research traces deal in platinum mining between 1994 and 2018. Part II examines the extent to which this investment is socially inclusive in alleviating local poverty, creating local employment, and reducing local inequality. This part relies on individual level census data of 20 million observations and geocoded mining data of over 400 mines to evaluate the local impact of mining investments on income poverty, employment, and inequality between 1996 and 2011. The study finds compelling evidence that “deals are the basis of credible commitment” to securing investment. The rule of law alone is important but insufficient as it leaves “residual uncertainty” for investors. The evaluation of the impact of mining investments on local communities suggests a qualification, at the local level, of the “resource curse” hypothesis. Mining brings benefits in terms of income poverty alleviation and employment. However, the high-low cycles of commodity price booms create employment volatility and exacerbate inequality. Mining investments inherently involve trade-offs that can be moved in net positive directions with good deals between business and the state, and local communities. The research thus contributes to the literature on property rights and investment, state-business relations and development, and natural resource governance for development.
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    Political economy of port institutional and pricing reform in South Africa
    (2014) Zulu, Jessicah Maneya; Levy, Brian
    The late 1970's witnessed many countries in the developing world shifting away from earlier models of development which were built around Import Substitution Industrialisation (lSI). These countries were experiencing economic problems which are common to the application of lSI policy particularly, high cost domestic production and overvalued exchange rates (Rodriguez, 2003). In this regard, many developing countries moved increasingly towards export-led growth strategies and trade policies which encouraged private sector competitiveness in a global economy - a model laid out in the "Washington Consensus". This model comprises a set of broad free market economic ideas which advocate macroeconomic stability, free trade, floating exchange rates and free markets to help improve economic welfare under uncertain conditions (Williamson, 2004). In the case of South Africa, also a developing country, similar challenges were experienced with the adoption of the lSI policy. Gross Domestic Product (GOP) and investment rates were low, exports of goods and services were volatile and at times negative and the external capital account had been in deficit since the 1970's (Department of Trade and Industry [DTI], 2008). Furthermore, exports were highly concentrated around mineral commodities and the tariff regime was indiscriminatingly protective of the domestic industry (DTI, 2008). The lSI policy, coupled with the sanctions against apartheid resulted in low levels of productivity and high levels of unemployment in the South African economy.
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    The politics and governance of basic education: A tale of two South African provinces
    (2016-11) Levy, Brian; Cameron, Robert; Hoadley, Ursula; Naidoo, Vinothan
    This paper synthesises the findings of research on the politics and governance in South Africa, undertaken at multiple levels, and using multiple methods. The research explored two core questions: how politics and background institutions influence educational bureaucracies; and the relative merits of hierarchical and horizontal governance. South Africa’s institutional arrangements provide a ‘natural experiment’ for analysing these questions. While policymaking, the regulatory framework and resourcing are uniform nationally, responsibility for implementation is delegated to the country’s nine provinces, which differ substantially from one another, both politically and institutionally. The Western Cape emerges as a strong performer relative to other South African provinces. However, econometric analysis confirms that, notwithstanding strong bureaucracy and abundant resources, its outcomes were below those achieved in Kenya. The institutional arrangements also assign substantial responsibilities ‘horizontally’ to school governing bodies, where parents are in the majority. School-level case studies detail how in the Western Cape a combination of strong bureaucracy and weak horizontal governance can result in unstable patterns of internal governance, and sometimes a low-level equilibrium of mediocrity. In the Eastern Cape, pro-active engagement on the part of communities and parents sometimes serves as a partial institutional substitute – supporting school-level performance even where the broader governance environment is dysfunctional.
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    The potential and limits of performance management: Improving basic education in the Western Cape
    (2016-07) Cameron, Robert; Levy, Brian
    The focus of this paper is on the management and governance of education at provincial level – specifically on efforts to introduce performance management into education by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), and their impact. Post-1994 the WCED inherited a bureaucracy that was well placed to manage the province’s large public education system. Subsequently, irrespective of which political party has been in power, the WCED consistently has sought to implement performance management. This paper explores to what extent determined, top-down efforts, led by the public sector, can improve dismal educational performance. The paper concludes that the WCED is (and long has been) a relatively well-run public bureaucracy. However, the sustained, determined efforts to strengthen the operation of the WCED’s bureaucracy have not translated into systematic improvements in schools in poorer areas. One possible implication is that efforts to strengthen hierarchy might usefully be complemented with additional effort to support more horizontal, peer-to-peer governance at the school level.
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    Rescuing urban regeneration from urban patronage: towards inclusive development in the Voortrekker Road Corridor
    (2016) Uppink, Lauren Kim; Levy, Brian
    The Voortrekker Road Corridor in Cape Town was recently identified as an Integration Zone according to National Treasury's Integrated City Development Grant (ICDG). Prior to this a number of private and public stakeholders founded the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, in response to the need for a coordinating body to champion inclusive regeneration and local economic development in the corridor and neighbouring northern suburbs. Funded wholly by the City of Cape Town for its first three years of operation, the Partnership had after two years in operation appeared to have made little progress in catalysing interest and tangible investment in the area, even on a micro level. This dissertation utilises the qualitative analysis method of process tracing for the period of 2012-2015 to explore themes of urban governance and conversely urban patronage. It firstly considers whether the apparent stasis is due to the Partnership being subjected to capture by strong private and political elites. Subsequently it examines whether incremental, micro-level governance initiatives and acts of public entrepreneurship, though seemingly small, have the potential to build momentum capable of overcoming such threatening predatory networks, and in so doing redirect the organisation towards achieving substantive inclusive and equitable regeneration.
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    The role of politics in the construction of a capable bureaucracy
    (2017) Malale, Ishmael; Levy, Brian
    This research explores the role of politics in the construction of a capable bureaucracy. The dominant discourse deals with the structural attributes of a developmental state, and eschews the inherent politics of the construction or emergence of bureaucracy in a state. The focus of the research is about how capable bureaucracies emerge out of an abidingly complex and messy political reality. This research endeavours to unravel the complex, dynamic, often messy inherent intersection of politics and bureaucracy. It is argued that politics are an inherent ingredient of the fermentation of a capable bureaucracy, in which the agency of political actors is critical and that public reforms often spawn from particular critical junctures. This research undertakes a comparative study of South Korea, Unites States of America and South Africa, and juxtaposing the first two comparators with South Africa in order to draw important lessons for the latter. The endeavour looks at the pre-history, critical junctures, and the moment of consolidation to demonstrate how history shapes and influences the institutional realities of different countries; examine the proximate events or driving forces that contribute to or precipitated the emergence of capable bureaucracies in the successful comparators and distill lessons for South Africa. In the United States of America public service reforms fostered by broad coalitions in collaboration with political actors eradicated patronage and ensured economic progress. In South Korea the symbiotic relationship of meritocratic bureaucracy with an uncorrupt political elite ensured high speed growth. The research strives to demonstrate that building a capable bureaucracy is not a straightforward affair - exposing the nature of challenges and complexities of setting up a capable bureaucracy, thus contributing to the discourse - grappling with constructing a capable bureaucracy in South Africa.
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    South Africa’s evolving political settlement in comparative perspective
    (2015-05-28) Levy, Brian; Hirsch, Alan; Woolard, Ingrid
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    The implications of comprehensive and incremental approaches to public sector reform for the creation of a developmental state in South Africa: Case study of the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa
    (2018) Pretorius, Pieter; Levy, Brian
    In 1994, the first democratically elected government in South Africa faced the significant task of shaping new institutions and delivery transmission mechanisms capable of developing and implementing policies aimed at inclusive socio-economic growth and development. Evidence shows that the South African public sector is generally not yet able to be a key driver of development, at least not to the extent required to reduce poverty and inequality to the levels envisioned in the National Development Plan. The study argues that comprehensive public sector reform based on the principles of New Public Management was inappropriate given the unique South African political and institutional context and that incremental approaches to development are more likely to achieve results. This leaves room for the emergence of islands of effectiveness where public entrepreneurs or multi-stakeholder governed arrangements could be employed as alternative or complementary delivery transmission mechanisms. Operation Phakisa, an adaptation of the Malaysian Big Fast Results methodology, introduced a radical new approach to improving government impact. The Operation Phakisa methodology made certain assumptions about (or perhaps deliberately ignored) prevailing principal-agent relationships in South Africa and the readiness of these relationships to be challenged and transformed. Through the development and application of an analytical framework, the study examines the role of islands of effectiveness (using the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa as a case study) as possible alternative or complementary delivery transmission mechanisms. While the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa did not create sufficient scope for multi-stakeholder governance arrangements, some initiatives, most notably the Oil and Gas initiative, did benefit from public entrepreneurs that were able to navigate complex political and institutional realities to achieve results. Based on the outcome of the analysis, the study concludes with recommendations that could enhance the effectiveness of future iterations of Operation Phakisa.