The Politics of Decentralisation and Donor Funding in South Africa's Rural Water Sector
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3167019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mary Galvin (0000-0001-9367-620X), Mary E Galvin (University of California, Berkeley), Adam Habib (0000-0003-4064-6482, University of KwaZulu-Natal) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 865-884 |
| Publication date | 2003-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0305707032000135860 |
| OpenAlex | W2062705582 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
Decentralisation appeals to actors across the political spectrum and has become a cornerstone of development orthodoxy. Although the new South African government has adopted a range of policies that promote decentralisation, competing tendencies toward centralisation have become increasingly evident. This article examines how donors have supported decentralisation in South Africa, how they have affected the implementation of decentralisation policies, and what impact, if any, donors have had on the form of decentralisation. The implementation of decentralisation is considered in the context of the rural water sector, which has been a priority arena for decentralisation. Based on key informant interviews with 47 government, donor and NGO officials, we outline three donor-supported programmes in Northern Province and KwaZulu-Natal. Our findings lead us to differentiate between community-oriented and state-centric forms of decentralisation. Although donors claim to support community-oriented decentralisation, in practice they promote state-centric decentralisation. Not only does this reinforce the institutional bias of government, but it also undermines the original motivation and rationale for decentralis ation. There are indications that some donors have begun to recognise this danger and are intervening to promote community-oriented decentralisation. However, given South Africa's structural realities, we conclude by questioning whether this is possible at the present historical juncture
Centralisation · Decentralization · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Public Administration
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| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,4 |
| Citation span | 2006 - 2020 (15) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |