Conference Agenda

Problem Statement and Purpose

Many countries (including Slovakia) have significantly fragmented system of local self-government. Small municipalities with hundreds of inhabitants have very limited own capacity to deliver local public services within their scope of responsibility (in-house production). They need to decide (for example in the waste management area) for external mode of production (alternative service delivery mode). The goal of this research is to evaluate intermunicipal cooperation as the method of alternative service delivery for selected local public services (with the focus on the waste management area).

Methodology

The data will be collected in the Czech Republic and in the Slovak Republic, from representative samples of municipalities (using data in the central registry and direct research on spot). The plan is to compare intermunicipal cooperation with other forms of delivery of local public services. As minimum, simple cost-efficiency method will be used, in case of available data multicriteria method can be added to dela also with qualitative aspects of the service delivery.

Findings

The already existing data (like Bel and Gradus, 2018 or Bel et al, 2014) suggest that intermunicipal cooperation may be the lowest costs delivery form. Our results may confirm this assumption or to show a different picture. The discussion part will reflect the results.

Proposals

Municipalities should regularly test the lecal service delivery mode.

References

[1] BEL, G. GRADUS, R. 2018. Privatisation, contracting-out and inter-municipal cooperation: new developments in local public service delivery. Local Government Studies, 44(1), 11 – 21.

[2] BEL, G., FAGEDA, X., MUR, M. 2014. Does Cooperation Reduce Service Delivery Costs? Evidence from Residential Solid Waste Services. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24, 85–107.

Problem Statement and Purpose

Problem statement

Extant legislative frameworks and policy documents designed for good governance characterize public sector administrations in most African States. Indeed, regional and continental organizations have designed a series of conventions and legislative instruments to address the burgeoning crisis of governance in the continent. Nevertheless, these mechanisms have failed to assuage the rising tide of public discontentment with the provision of basic services in the face of rising corruption and mismanagement of public resources. With constant service delivery protests that often threaten public stability, South Africa and Nigeria, the two largest economies in the continent, have been battling the vicious cycle of public discontentment with no significant improvements. With governing systems that prioritise public interests, the two countries are victims of compromised institutions designed to safeguard public interests, thereby weakening adherence to the rule of law. The legislative institutions saddled with the oversight of public policies for good governance are weak thereby becoming more complicit in the mismanagement of the public sector.

Purpose

Adherence to the rule of law is critical for good governance. Effective service delivery hinges on the capacity of the legislature to exercise its oversight power to monitor the implementation of public policies according to the prescribed legislative frameworks. This study aims to advance the primacy of apolitical legislative institutions in the exercise of oversight power to reinvent the culture of effective public delivery in public sector management.

Methodology

This is a qualitative study that relies on public documents and interviews as data collection instruments. A perusal of the extant rules of the legislative institutions as well as the outcomes of their various oversight activities would be explored to gain insights into the factors hindering effective oversight of implemented public policies. Interviews of key informants in the legislative institutions provide the necessary insights into the attitudinal dispositions of legislators to adhere to the rule of laws that guide the exercise of legislative oversight powers.

Findings

The study acknowledges that the qualities of the legislative frameworks designed for good governance through effective service delivery are carefully crafted to advance public interests if managed within the context of the laws. Nevertheless, political elites, in collaboration with senior bureaucratic officials, often compromise the rules to advance personal interests at the expense of the welfare of the public. The weak oversight capacity of the legislative institutions through deliberate manipulation renders the policy objectives ineffective.

Proposals

The challenge of good governance is neither systemic nor institutional but the prevailing manipulative culture of the bureaucratic and political elites to circumvent extant rules and statutes for personal aggrandizement. Thus, a reinvention of the culture of probity and accountability through activated rather than political public participation in the administration of the public sector would reorientate public desires to action the composition of legislative institutions characterised by individuals of high integrity in public leadership.

References

Egugbo, C. C. (2020). Public service delivery in Nigeria’s fourth republic: issues, challenges and prospects for socio-economic development. Journal of Public Administration, Finance and Law, (17), 72-80.

Ekeke, A. C. (2023). Right to Peaceful Protest in Nigeria and the Recurrent Syndrome of Brutalization: The# EndSARS Protest Debacle. Journal of African Law, 67(2), 317-327.

Ile, I. and Fagbadebo, OM. 2023. Democracy and Political Governance in South Africa: The African Peer Review Mechanism. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development, Springer International Publishing.

Kalonda, J. K., & Govender, K. 2021. Factors affecting municipal service delivery: A case study of Katima Mulilo Town Council, Namibia. African Journal of Public Affairs, 12(2), 1-26.

Ndasana, M., Vallabh, D. & Mxunyelwa, S., 2022, Understanding the Service delivery protests in South Africa: A case study of Duncan Village. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review 10(1), a644

Thusi, X., & Selepe, M. M. (2023). The impact of poor governance on public service delivery: A case study of the South African local government. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 6(4), 688-697.

Thusi, X., Matyana, M., & Jili, N. (2023). Lack of political will: a barrier to public service delivery in South Africa and a high cost for citizens. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities (JSSSH) E-ISSN, 9(2), 137-147.

Vhumbunu, C. H. (2021). The July 2021 protests and socio-political unrest in South Africa: Reflecting on the causes, consequences and future lessons. Conflict Trends, 2021(3), 3-13.

Problem Statement and Purpose

Municipalities globally face many challenges ranging from financial viability, urbanisation, and poor service delivery. Several solutions have been proposed and implemented to address municipalities' challenges. A review of extant literature indicates dominance by the global north and that municipal mergers or amalgamations are a way to address challenges such as financial viability with mixed results. Some studies have shown more benefits, and others have shown that mergers lead to more problems than benefits.

The study conducts a systematic literature review on the financial viability of merged municipalities in developing countries.

Methodology

The paper employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework to analyse 32 studies published in peer-reviewed journals and grey literature between 2014 and 2024. It assessed definitions, evaluated the theoretical frameworks utilised in current literature, and scrutinized annual trends, geographical differences, research settings, and prior study outcomes to propose potential avenues for future research within a developing country context.

Findings

There was no consensus on the definition of financial viability and the papers were widely distributed across various journals. The dominant methods used were case studies, interviews, and document analysis with most studies on South Africa. The number of studies fluctuated over time, 75% being journal articles. The findings were mixed on the consequence of municipal mergers on financial viability. The studies recommend regulators to strengthen transparency, and stakeholder consultations, consider factors beyond financial viability in municipal amalgamation decisions, and conduct socio-cultural impact assessments before making demarcation decisions. Lastly, to revisit some past boundary determination decisions and reduce the frequency of municipal mergers.

Proposals

The research provides valuable insights into the analysis of the financial viability of merged municipalities. It offers guidance for future studies by delineating potential areas of exploration and proposing paths for further investigation. Ideally, if a merger is deemed necessary, it should occur during relative financial stability, with provincial and national governments offering close oversight and aid throughout the process.

References

Sitishe, N., Ntshangase, B.A., Kloper, R., Lubbe, S. and Msosa, S.K., 2023. An analysis of the financial viability of municipalities in Freestate Province: the case of Mangaung Metro Municipality. SocioEconomic Challenges, 7(3), pp.184-199.

Drew, J., McQuestin, D. and Dollery, B., 2023. Fiscal outcomes arising from amalgamation: more complex than merely economies of scale. Public Management Review, pp.1-19.

Erlingsson, G.Ó., Ödalen, J. and Wångmar, E., 2021. How coerced municipal amalgamations thwart the values of local self-government. Urban Affairs Review, 57(5), pp.1226-1251.