Citizen engagement in South Africa: the case Prince Albert
International Journal of Public Leadership
ISSN: 2056-4929
Article publication date: 13 August 2018
Issue publication date: 19 October 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to gain insight in how South African local governments organize citizen engagement. The new South African constitution provides ways to construct and implement citizen engagement at local level. However, understanding citizen engagement at local level is still a challenge and municipalities search for proper structures and mechanisms to organize citizen engagement efficiently.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with different municipal actors were analyzed using a single case study method. As a primary unit of analysis, a specific project in which citizen engagement is organized was used. In addition, document analysis and a focus group were used to deepen understanding.
Findings
The findings reveal that citizen engagement is a viable strategy to identify the needs of the community if facilitated by a third party and that learning leadership is important when organizing citizen engagement.
Originality/value
The value of this research is the exploration of the citizen engagement process. It sheds light on the conditions that play a role when a local government organizes citizen engagement. As local governments search for ways to effectively organize and structure citizen engagement, insight into these conditions is helpful.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author hereby would like to thank Professor Erwin Schwella and Dr. Dirk Brand from the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, for their feedback and contribution to the research.
Citation
Siebers, V. (2018), "Citizen engagement in South Africa: the case Prince Albert", International Journal of Public Leadership, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 232-244. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-05-2018-0025
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited