This reworked book focuses on the transformation of informal settlements into official low-cost formal settlements in the Western Cape, using a participatory approach. The provided conceptualisation of the "informal settlement" unpacks the realities of an underdeveloped settlement, which is far from the main activities of the city or town; where the dwellers are vulnerable to social and economic challenges with no access to basic services. Apart from the upgrading issues, the author ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:22:18

George Hull's compilation of essays on the theory and praxis of equality, titledThe Equal Society, invokes nostalgia – an intellectual stroll down memory lane, from the classical works of Plato and Aristotle to Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. A highly contested concept in the history of philosophy and the philosophy of social justice, equality continues to enthuse the cognitive faculties of successive generations of thinkers. As the concept of equality is continuously refin ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:19:13

This article analyses the mainstreaming implementation of Gender and Development (GAD) in barangay governance. With this, it addresses gender and development problems to mainstream GAD policy by acknowledging the role of the government, especially its leadership, in the delivery of GAD services and the involvement of the civil society. This study uses the descriptive method of research to describe the demographic profile of the respondents, their level of knowledge and level of implementation ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:16:16

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has developed into an active discipline and practice in South Africa over the past two decades. This is evident in the number of M&E activities undertaken in government, civil society, academic institutions, private sector consultancies and donor agencies. Various institutions at the centre of government have also been mandated to ensure that M&E takes place government-wide, and Parliament and Legislatures have incorporated M&E into their oversi ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:13:20

This article examines the concept of the "street-level bureaucrat", as was defined by Michael Lipsky, in the context of modern public education in urban American spaces. Using meta-analysis, this article looks at modern public administration theory and the changes in policy approach to American public education reform to determine the viability of Lipsky's definition in the modern context. This article cites the notable changes in the roles and expectations of educators in high- ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:10:06

The 2015 measles outbreak in California has reignited a debate on the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations and, by implication, has called into question the legitimacy of public health officials. This paper investigates the American public health system and the threats to the legitimacy and status of public employees. Drawing on the example of the measles outbreak in California, we analyse the rhetoric surrounding the crisis, which was used by three major media sources concerning the outb ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:07:24

Mergers and acquisitions are one way to make non-performing enterprises productive and profitable. The City of Johannesburg Municipality (CoJ) has gone through a process of merging some of its municipal owned entities (MOEs) in recent years. Taking the case of the merger of the Johannesburg City Parks and Johannesburg Zoo to form a new company called the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, this paper draws from secondary sources such as municipal documents and data from interviews with different ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:04:26

Most national parks in the world monitor visitor numbers through their pay point or main entrance records. Such monitoring and studies are crucial for public managers to investigate and understand how experiences are influenced by the visitors' background and by the social, biophysical and managerial conditions of a park. However, many naturally-protected areas are not fenced. Such areas are usually located in remote areas. However, the Table Mountain National Park, which is the context o ...

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2021-Jun-24 08:01:23

In South Africa, the right to housing is enshrined in the Constitution: "Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing". The obligation to ensure that this happens is placed on the state. In other words, the state is required to "take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right". It is further stated in the Constitution that "no one may be evicted from their home, or have t ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:55:04

The institutional structure of the public sector in the Republic of Belarus is rather complex, with the key role in it belonging to the state. The latter is appealed to when it becomes necessary to correct and compensate for the market failures. The recent crisis in the housing and utilities sector illustrates to what extent the Belarusian public sector is capable of compensating for the market failures and alleviating social inequality. The article considers why the Soviet welfare system was ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:50:48

The South African National Development Plan (NDP) affects both government and governance on all levels, namely national, provincial and local. Politicians, political scientists and civil servants need to be acutely aware of this. This article explores the intentions of, and the challenges meted out to, the NDP. The research takes note of the attempts to establish a functional state to enhance growth and prosperity for South African communities, especially the poor and marginalised. The NDP ca ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:46:34

The structure, ideology and policy strategies of Argentina's public sector under Peronist leaders were examined for this historical analysis. The image of a pendulum is often used to describe Argentina, because the government's policies have swung from neoliberalism during the democratisation process in the late 1980s through the 1990s to the socialist and nationalist policies of 21st century Peronism. While bureaucratic reform has been attempted on many occasions, the country has not ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:43:11

In most sub-Saharan African countries there has been stagnant agricultural productivity and a subsequent slow pace of rural poverty reduction. Given that one of the main reasons for low agricultural productivity is low input use, most sub-Saharan countries introduced input subsidies to increase the yield and eventually contribute to the national economy. Using an empirical literature review and case studies, this study aimed to examine the economic implications of input subsidy uses among sma ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:39:25

Among the articles that make up this edition are those initially presented in a symposium at the University of Delaware, which all lend themselves to comparative studies and the construction of knowledge. The dynamics of power and decision making are explored in a range of settings, discourses and practices. Self-reflective and critical analyses of social, cultural, historical and political contexts are central to work in social sciences and global understanding, and lead to better practices ...

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2021-Jun-24 07:35:55