Conference Papers and Presentations (School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA))

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/3786

- The School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) places an emphasis on innovative research on themes, topics, programmes and trends in public affairs in a democratic and changing South Africa and a rapidly advancing world arrangement.
- Research programmes are linked to effective teaching and the contextualisation of theoretical frameworks provided in the programmes.
- Students are required to engage in research analysis and application and are encouraged to participate in professional conferences, seminars and colloquiums.

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Policies and poverty in Southern Africa
(University of Pretoria, 2011-02) Brynard, P.A. (Petrus); petrus.brynard@up.ac.za; Annual SPMA International Conference on Public Administration (4th : 2011 : Pretoria, South Africa)
Paper presented at the 4th Annual SPMA International Conference on Public Administration, at the University of Pretoria, 17-18 February 2011, Pretoria, South Africa. Policies can address poverty, but policies are not a guarantee to eradicate poverty. Many factors figure into the poverty policy scene. Government’s understanding of the poverty, the particular type of poverty and the environment will naturally determine the nature of the policies. In some instances policies are blamed for the failure to address poverty, but at the same time the type of poverty makes it cumbersome for government to address all types of poverties with a single policy. This paper is going to take an overview of policies and poverty in a Southern Africa context. Poverty remains one of the biggest challenges in Africa. The poorer one is, the more difficult it is to escape poverty, despite the policy of government. There are quite a number of different policies addressing poverty, but there still seems to be a lack of a single holistic policy to address poverty in all its facets. The question is whether our poverty policies are overly optimistic or is poverty just too vast a problem.
Challenges of implementing a disability policy
(University of Pretoria, 2010-07) Brynard, P.A. (Petrus); International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration Conference (2010 : Bali, Indonesia)
Paper delivered during the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA)Conference in July 10-17, 2010, Bali, Indonesia.
Globalisation of leadership and governance for development : quo vadis
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2009-10) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (10th : 2009 : Port Elizabeth, South Africa); SAAPAM (10th : 2009 : Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 10th Annual Conference, Boardwalk, Port Elizabeth, 7-9 October 2009. The Conference theme was "The changing face of leadership and governance: adapt, influence, sustain".
Policy learning as a requirement for service delivery improvement
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2009-10) Brynard, P.A. (Petrus); South African Association of Public Administration and Management (10th : 2009 : Port Elizabeth, South Africa); SAAPAM (10th : 2009 : Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 10th Annual Conference, Boardwalk, Port Elizabeth, 7-9 October 2009. The Conference theme was "The changing face of leadership and governance: adapt, influence, sustain".
Privatisation and ensuring accountability in the provision of essential services : the case of water in South Africa
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Moeti, Kabelo Boikutso; Khalo, T.
Developing country governments are struggling to meet the basic needs and demands of citizens, and especially so for the rural poor. With tightly constrained budgets, these governments have followed the lead of developed countries that have sought to restructure public service delivery through privatisation, contracting out, public private partnerships and similar reforms. Such reforms in service delivery are generally welcomed when it is believed that private sector partners are better equipped to provide certain services than are governments. With respect to basic and essential services however, a higher degree of uncertainty and apprehension exist, as the focus shifts from simply minimising the costs of delivering services to broadening access to all citizens. Accordingly, the Bill of Rights (section 27(1)(b)) of the 1996 Constitution, stipulates that everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water. Affordable and/or subsidised water, then, is not a privilege but a basic right of all citizens. Citizens elect political representatives to serve in office with their sole mandate being to provide for the needs of the citizenry. As governments pass on, some amount of responsibility for service delivery to private businesses, these governments must be able to exercise control in order to account to the people for the work done by private partners. This paper examines the legislative and policy frameworks as well as the environment within which PPPs take place in South Africa, and the extent to which accountability can be strengthened in this environment. Within the aforementioned backdrop of PPPs and accountability, the constricted focus area of the paper aims to assess the extent to which the provision of clean and safe consumable water in South Africa are sustainable, cost-effective in terms of provision, and affordable to all.
Civic engagement and public policy implementation : the child support grant
(University of Pretoria, 2008-10-19) Brynard, P.A. (Petrus); petrus.brynard@up.ac.za; Biennial Conference CAPAM (19th : 2008 : Bridgetown, Barbatos)
Paper presented at the Biennial Conference, Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management, 19-23 October 2008, Bridgetown, Barbados. The amount of time required to define a certain policy proposal, as well as the policy problem itself, are logically determined by the particular issue at hand. Issues that are complex and value-laden generally have higher and more varied levels of involvement by various stakeholders. In some instances, the courts may influence policy content and processes, which sometimes renders this endless complexity even more shapeless and fluid. The support for, or opposition to the issue involved in the policy-making process, or even in the implementation of the policy, further shape and form the final policy to reflect differing values and ideological positions. The final policy involves an extremely complex set of interactions over time. It is therefore important to realize that successful policy-making requires democratic decision-making. Besides the elected policy-makers, the presence of an informed citizenry and self-organized groups may contribute valuable pieces to the final policy. Successful implementation of the policy again requires other critical elements like citizens’ expectations, participation, and continual political engagement. This paper focuses on aspects of citizen engagement and relates these aspects to the child support grant in South Africa in particular. The child support grant addresses the issue of child poverty.
The talent management approach to human resource management : attracting and retaining the right people
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Van Dijk, Hilligje Gerritdina; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". What provides a public organisation with its competitive edge? What makes it evolve into a more productive, better managed and efficiently organised entity? The argument can be made that the organisation’s product is its reason for existing, but without the appropriate human resource capacity, the product would not get delivered. This might be too simple an explanation, but authors agree that an organisation’s most important resource is its human resource. Talent is the product of ability (competence, education, training and experience), coupled with motivation (engagement, satisfaction, challenge and wellness) and opportunity. Talent management can be defined as the strategic integrated approach to managing a career from attracting, retaining, developing to transitioning the organisations’ human resources. In this paper attention will be given to identifying what attracts talent to the South African Public Service. Developing countries should seek new ways to lay their hands on an ever diverse, but always limited pool of talent. Research has shown that truly talented people tend to gravitate towards the best organisations and in this paper the case will be made for those aspects that characterise best organisations, namely those that instil the talent management mindset at all levels, those who integrate talent management in their recruitment strategies and those who grow their leaders.
Integrated development planning and budgeting at local government
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Valeta, L.; Walton, G.K.; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". The local government sphere plays a significant developmental role in the provision of public goods and services to the communities of South Africa. The effectiveness of municipalities in this sphere, to deliver on their mandate is largely dependent on their ability to plan and allocate public resources in a developmental and sustainable manner. This paper defines the relationship which exists between a municipality’s integrated development plan (the IDP) and the budget process (the budget). It is considered necessary, at the outset, to operationalise the context of a municipality’s legislative mandate, vision, the principles and the milieu within which an IDP exists, as well as the policy framework within which a municipality’s budget is framed and adopted. In the process, the purpose of local government in South Africa is examined. This discussion sets out the framework within which the mandate of a municipality is framed, the authority, and the requirement to formulate an integrated development plan, what this plan is, and what it serves to give effect to. Thereafter the relationship with the budget is explored from an interpretive perspective.
The leadership and ethics interface : strengthening human resources and organisational capacity for development
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Van Rooyen, Enslin; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". Leadership and ethics are concepts which are seen as important factors in human resources and organisational capacity in a developmental state. Leadership is necessary within the context of decision making and organisational performance whilst ethics refers to the particular conduct of those within organizations who are responsible for decision making. Recent examples of corruption, and less than exemplary conduct by South African public officials presented the vexed question as to how problems in this regard may be addressed. This article attempts to lend perspective to the leadership and ethics interface. Aspects relating to the establishment of an ethical framework and anti corruption strategy for government are briefly described and mention is made of the leadership aspects associated with good governance. To exemplify the above, two cases of organisations and measures taken by such organisations within the context of policy and the regulatory framework are cited.
The ombudsman institutions in the procurement of legal responsibilities in the Commonwealth : an overview of Canada, South Africa and Uganda
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Kuye, Jerry O.; Kakumba, Umar; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". As various reviews on the functioning of a modern administrative state continue to highlight the persistent maladies of bureaucratism in the public sector realm. The establishment of ombudsman institutions, the world over, is given credence by the need to foster improved performance in public administration and enhance governmental accountability to the public in ways that nurture the ideals of good governance. This paper examines the role of Ombudsman institutions in the procurement of legal responsibilities and the promotion of good governance, elsewhere in the Commonwealth, but with particular case reference to Canada, South Africa and Uganda. It analyses compelling literature on the Ombudsman institutions’ orientation, matters of regulatory and jurisdictional type, appointment. It also interrogates whether there is a standard that guides Ombudsman offices across. It is argued that, despite the varying legislative and jurisdictional mandates, there are common denominators that underpin Ombudsman institutions, punctuated by similar systemic weaknesses. It is further argued that, however thorough, independent and threatening the Ombudsman institution can be, it can never prevent wrongs from public agencies unless there is an adaptive political culture and administrative system that cherishes goodwill. The Ombudsman can thus, only thrive under a democratic dispensation with vibrant civic competence.
Capacitating the state through the promotion of sound ethics and professionalism within the teaching profession
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Tau, M.; Mathebula, D.; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". This paper acknowledges that, despite increasing expenditure in education in South Africa, there are indications that outputs and outcomes in education are not responding fast enough to increase spending in education within the country. Although parents and learners are also major stakeholders within education, the paper argues that any attempt to improve outputs and outcomes needs the support and commitment of teachers. This, therefore, calls for a need to promote sound ethics and professionalism within the teaching profession. This paper argues that although professionalism and ethical conduct by teachers have major impacts within the teaching and learning environment there has not yet been any common approach by government and teachers in South Africa. This creates a need for change of attitude from all concerned if the desired results are to be achieved. While some progress has been made to close the gap between the government and teachers on issues of professionalism there are still more to be done. Finally certain recommendations are proposed that involve various stakeholders so that an environment conducive for teachers’ professionalism and ethical conduct is created.
Globalisation and reflective policy-making in South Africa
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". Since 1994, the need to address the effects of globalisation in South Africa has been placed at the centre of the nation’s agenda. Several measures have been undertaken through the introduction of a range of policy and strategic changes aimed at addressing some constitutional and socio-economic issues which could create bottlenecks for the young democracy, especially on the urgent need of re-integration of South Africa into the global terrain. The integration of South Africa into the global system after its first all-inclusive general elections, coupled with its first democratic government is of great importance towards a reflective public policy-making in the present globalisation era. The purpose of this paper is to provide a deviation from the current globalisation debate by exploring some constitutional frameworks and measures that may have been instrumental to a remarkable transformation of the South African public policy-making process from the previous apartheid regime to the present democratic government, and further profile how these changes may have impacted on South Africa’s universal acceptance into the global community.
Enhancing local government systems and processes towards accountability : the case for external control agencies in Uganda
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-10) Kakumba, Umar; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); SAAPAM (9th : 2008 : Bloemfontein, South Africa); Fourie, D.J. (David Johannes)
Paper presented at the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) 9th Annual Conference, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 30-31 October 2008. The Conference theme was "Consolidating state capacity". The rationale for control and accountability in public administration and management is to ensure efficient and effective resource utilisation to foster public service provision, good governance and development. Thus, any movement towards more professional ethos in public sector management demands improved prudence in resource utilisation, increased responsiveness to the citizenry, transparency and, generally accountability. This paper presents and discusses the findings of a research study conducted to examine how the external control agencies of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) and the Inspectorate of Government (IG) have enhanced local government systems and processes towards accountability in Uganda. It is demonstrated that local government systemic problems are complex and diverse, and that the accountability deficiency is more ingrained in the inherently weak systems and processes prevalent in local governments (LGs). It is argued that the mere crackdown on those who abuse public authority and misuse public resources do not necessarily improve accountability and public sector effectiveness. Instead, identifying the organisationalstructural deficiencies and possible system reforms would be more appropriate to alleviate the problem. Commitment should thus, be put to undertaking system studies geared at improving systems and processes rather than mere inspections and monitoring exercises that encourage administrative tourism.
Re-thinking Pan-African public sector reforms : a case of the NEPAD capacity development strategy
(2007-05) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; edwin.ijeoma@up.ac.za; International Conference (2007 : Windhoek, Namibia)
Paper presented at the International Conference, Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek, 30 May- 1 June 2007. The history of Pan-Africanism is a subject that has attracted considerable interest among scholars and practitioners in African development issues. Pan-Africanism is associated with the quest for political independence by the early African leaders and freedom fighters alike. Soon after his country, Ghana, obtained independence in 1958(the third country to do so after the Second World War),Kwame Nkrumah warned the African continent that without serious commitment to a people-centered development process and mutual reliance, and without political unity at the continental level, neocolonialism would continue to balkanize Africa and poverty will be perpetuated. The focus of this article is not simply to give coherence to a shared ideology of Nkrumah and other frontline African leaders, but also to critique the Pan-Africanist ideology, revealing its myths, falsifications and lacunae, reinforcing its strong points and identifying its new sources of energy and new challenges facing the African continent in dealing with integration and other common issues. Links were made between the notions of nationalism; ethnicity and other related issues that could impact on Africa’s efforts towards achieving its much-needed economic integration. Conclusions were drawn on the premises of the new Pan-Africanist ideology, and its quest for African socio-economic growth and development. This article argued that the African Union/NEPAD strategies, if well applied, would result in the realisation of the Pan-African ideological goals and objectives in the new millennium.
Analysis of poverty issues towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) : a South African experience
(University of Pretoria, 2007-11-01) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; edwin.ijeoma@up.ac.za; South African Association of Public Administration and Management (8th : 2007 : Cape Town, South Africa)
Paper presented at the 8th South African Annual conference of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM), Cape Sun Hotels, Cape Town, 1-2 November 2007. The study provides a background and framework for the review of policies and actions adopted by the South African government and other stakeholders since the introduction of the Millennium Declaration. It begins with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.) summarizing the global consensus outlook for achieving them. It then turns to the conceptual framework used to link these development goals to the policies and actions of development in South Africa. The paper describes the framework as an instrument that underpins the proposed monitoring and evaluation strategies and, as initial application of the framework, reviews a range of policy indicators and supporting data to develop an assessment of the current status of policies and programmes directed to achieving the MDGs. in South Africa. The proceeding section considers some methods used with an aim to accessing key information that would inform decision-makers on the current state of affairs towards achieving the internationally agreed Goals at the South African country level.
Addressing unemployment among young graduates in South Africa : the role of entrepreneurship education
(University of Pretoria, 2008-08-21) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; edwin.ijeoma@up.ac.za; Ronald Brown Institute for Sub-Saharan Africa Business Conference (2nd : 2008 : Addis Ababa, Ethopia)
Paper presented at the 2nd Ronald Brown Institute for Sub-Saharan Africa Business Conference, 21-23 August 2008, Sheraton Hotels, Addis Ababa, Ethopia.
Sustainable development : an analysis of the global conceptual domain with an eye on praxis
(University of Pretoria, 2008-04-16) Ijeoma, Edwin Okey; edwin.ijeoma@up.ac.za; International Winelands Conference (11th : 2008 : Stellenbosch, South Africa)
Paper presented at the 11th International Winelands Conference, organized by the School of Public Management and Planning, 16-18 April 2008, University of Stellenbosch at Spier Hotels and Conference Centre, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Sustainable development as a global formulated concept can be traced back to the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft titled A Vindication of the Rights of Women and Thomas Paine, Right of Men published in 1792. These writers were concerned with giving everyone power over their lives and opportunities to live according to their own values and aspirations. In modern literature, the concept emerged in the ‘Limits to Growth’ of the early 1970s, with the concern that planetary resources cannot accommodate indefinitely the high rates of economic and particularly industrial growth of the times. The paper deviates from the current debate in which the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN) emerged as a strong advocate, by introducing the new millennium debate on determination of the domain of sustainable development in the fast globalizing world in which all key sectors of development need to cooperate with governments with the aim of solving myriads of complex global sustainable development problems at local, national , regional and international levels.
Citizen participation in local government and the process of rural development : the rhetoric and reality in Uganda
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2008-06) Kakumba, Umar; Nsingo, S.A.M. (Sipho Arote Mandaba)
Citizen participation is acknowledged in the governance and development discourse, as a mechanism for building capacity in the rural poor in the quest for poverty reduction and good governance. This article synthesizes recent studies on Uganda’s decentralised system of local governance and examines the extent to which participation in local programmes has enhanced the process of rural development. It is argued that, while some participatory framework exists as a result of devolving some powers and functions to local government units, the structures and processes remain feeble and do not support a genuinely participatory system. This is mainly due to the excessive central government whims and the local elite capture. While the central and donor-conceived plans may still be necessary for the rural poor, such strategies should be integrated into the rural schemes to enable freedom of choice, action and decision in order to attain strong local ownership and empowerment. This calls for political will from the central government leaders and the need to strengthen capacity for the local forces and social groups to infiltrate the hierarchies of officialdom associated with the local bureaucracies.
Role of managers towards a transformed public service
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2005-10) Fourie, D.J. (David Johannes)
A guiding principle for the South African public service is that of service to people. In terms of Section 11.1 of the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service meeting basic needs through service delivery should be addressed by providing the necessary infrastructural support to open up previously suppressed economic and human potential in both urban and rural areas. This in turn will lead to community empowerment and increased outputs in all the sectors of the economy. The Batho Pele White Paper requires that all users of public services be consulted regarding their needs, priorities and standard of services required. This means that public managers will have to transform their management functions to accommodate the requirements of the Batho Pele White Paper. The members of the public should be accepted as customers, meaning that a position in the public service implies that the occupant is a public servant, rather than merely a public official. This paper will provide an overview of the methods to increase employee commitment and productivity through the identification of the barriers towards effective information flow. This paper will conclude with a management model depicting the methods and processes involved in ensuring a transformed work ethic.
Using formal assessment methodologies to ensure a sustainable pool of managers
(South African Association for Public Administration and Management, 2005-10) Van Dijk, Hilligje Gerritdina
Human resource development is an important function contributing to a country’s growth potential. During periods of transformation, organizations are in particular need of an adequate supply of leaders and managers. In order to ensure the constant supply of qualified and experienced individuals with leadership and management skills, organizations design their own development interventions to suit their needs. Creating a sustainable pool of qualified and experienced managers will facilitate the achievement of equitable representation of designated groups in middle and senior management echelons. The creation of a sustainable pool of managers has to be guided by an objective assessment of current available management and leadership skills versus future requirements. This assessment should be based on a competency framework, ensuring the effective determination of real needs. The paper suggests that formalized assessment not only contributes to a more objective evaluation of development programmes, but also will ensure appropriate placement of employees in critical managerial and leadership positions. Creating a pool of sustainable managers would enable the public service to fill their key senior positions with internal employees instead of having to buy external skills. Specific realities will impact of the research including: • legislative reality impacting on employee composition and profile • ability of public service to retain qualified employees • integration of a ‘sustainable pools policy’ with the human resource function The paper will investigate the applicability of the proposed policy framework for management development, while focusing on the applicability of formal assessment methodologies to ensure sustainable pools of managers.

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