Natural resource endowments are largely freely supplied by nature to ‘lucky’ communities yet the ... more Natural resource endowments are largely freely supplied by nature to ‘lucky’ communities yet the ability to transform such endowments into meaningful resources are context dependent. There are many communities endowed with specialized natural resource yet has not been transformed into sustainable developmental resource for society. Adopting an ethnographic approach using the case of “a hitherto threatened wildlife species transformed into major community resource”, this study discusses the role of ‘champions’ in the development of adaptive response for sustainable natural resource governance. The study discusses how the actions and peculiar strategies of an individual [champion] helped to salvage the threatened wildlife species to revive and survive through an adaptive governance and institutional response. Consequently, the natural resource endowment has become productive resource which anchors the socio-economic development of the Boabeng-Fiema rural community. Five key strategies adopted by the champion have been illustrated in a schematic diagram and well discussed using narratives and visuals. The paper has implications for rural management and the socio-economic transformation of rural communities endowed with peculiar natural resources.
Natural resource governance is enhanced and structured by rules, norms and strategies which make ... more Natural resource governance is enhanced and structured by rules, norms and strategies which make institutionalism quintessential in the natural resource governance discourse. Adopting a retrospective analysis of classical theoretical literature and recent empirical experiences of natural resource institutions, this paper discusses institutional analysis as pertains to the natural resource governance context. Synthesizing from relevant literature, this review designs and discusses an analytical framework to illustrate how formal and informal institutions structure natural resource governance. The key elements in the framework are: biophysical element, process and institutional element, behavioral choice element, enforcement mechanisms and an outcome element. The paper argues that for formal rule to be more effective, it greatly depends on its relationship with the informal institutions and more importantly their enforcement complementarities. The study, consequently, discusses key elements that influence the effectiveness of natural resource rule enforcement. This review concludes that both formal and informal institutions serve as catalysts to reinforce natural resource governance; however, the two could also combine to form a clandestine network to facilitate unethical resource exploitation. The paper puts forward that, it is not institutions per se but the " nature of interaction " between formal and informal institutions together with the " enforcement mechanisms " which will to a large extent determine the kind of resource outcomes.
Natural resource governance is underpinned by institutions which evolve 'cir-cumstantially' over ... more Natural resource governance is underpinned by institutions which evolve 'cir-cumstantially' over time. An attempt at understanding the contemporary institutions and governance structure of a resource requires an in-depth ethnographic enquiry. Adapting a four-phase institutional analysis framework, this study discusses the evolution and adaptation of wildlife governance structures and institutions using the unique experience of Boabeng–Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. The study adopted a transdisciplinary research approach which was participatory and consultative. The key observations are that: wildlife institutions have gone through three main evolutionary phases, a pre-collaborative phase, which was exclusively underpinned by informal institutions; a critical juncture stage, where contextual challenges led to an adaptive response; the third and contemporary phase is a collaborative governance regime, where the erstwhile informal institutions have been complemented by formal state structures and institutions to synergistically enhance viability of the wildlife species. In spite of the problems posed to community members by the monkeys (wildlife), the study still observes a cordial human–wildlife relationship. Based on the study outcomes, we derive four key conclusions which have implications for institutionalism and natural resource governance.
Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance regime based on 'collaborati... more Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance regime based on 'collaboration', a network-based model that links various stakeholders [state and non-state actors], ostensibly to maximise public value. The 'consensus model' has its underpinning 'rules of the game'; without which collaborative outcomes may end up being conflictual and counter-productive. Adopting a critical stage review, this paper draws mainly from theoretical and recent empirical literature to unpack the factors that catalyse collaborative natural resource governance. We reflect on these to design an 'ABC framework' aimed at providing signpost to agencies, governments and conveners of collaboration on how to execute this socio-technical process to maximise value. The framework hinges on three broad pillars: Adopting and advancing human skills, Building integrity and legitimacy and Creating a sense of attachment to the resource in question. We discuss these with specific indicators synchronized from recent collaborative experiences in the literature.
Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance approach based on 'collabora... more Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance approach based on 'collaboration', a network-based model that links various stakeholders [state and non-state actors], ostensibly to maximise public value. The 'consensus model' has its underpinning 'rules of the game'; without which collaborative outcomes may end up being conflictual and counter-productive. Adopting a critical stage review, this paper draws mainly from theoretical and recent empirical literature to unpack the factors that catalyse successful collaborative natural resource governance. We reflect on these to design an 'ABC framework' aimed at providing signpost to agencies, governments and conveners of collaboration on how to execute this socio-technical process to maximise value. The framework hinges on three broad pillars: Adopting and advancing human skills, Building integrity and legitimacy and Creating a sense of attachment to the resource in question. We discuss these with specific indicators synchronized from recent natural resources collaboration experiences in the literature. Mostly people and communities hold on to a perception that " their interests directly conflict with the other party's interests, even when creative win-win solutions are possible " (Bazerman, 1986:128)
It is clear that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or ... more It is clear that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or “wicked” public problems and, as such, natural resource governance has to be approached from a complexity science perspective. The rise of adaptive co-management as an approach to ecosystem management and the emergence of innovative and novel collaborative governance models are manifestations of this trend. What is not so clear, however, is how our understanding of complex adaptive systems, resilience thinking, adaptive management and governance should be translated in terms of the role institutions of higher learning must play in their teaching, research and community interaction endeavours. The questions this article wants to explore are: How can the adaptive capacity of socio-ecological systems be enhanced through education and learning, and what is (or should be) the role of institutions of higher learning in this regard? The opportunities and challenges for universities are reflected upon against the background of the emergence of collaborative environmental governance models in the Western Cape Province.
South Africa is currently experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift from an outdated colonial-style ... more South Africa is currently experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift from an outdated colonial-style all pervasive apartheid system to a more open and individualized democratic political culture. The impact of this value change is still open-ended and no definitive assessment of its scope, contents, impact and consequences for the civil service system is possible at this moment in time. For comparative purposes the paper is organised around six sub themes: firstly as a point of departure the history and development of the South African civil service system are described and an effort is made to identify and classify the development into distinct phases; the second focus of analysis is human resource management in government organisations, also known as the internal labour market; thirdly the application of the concept of representativeness in South Africa, especially in so far as it reflects past policies and the influence of the present transition, are described; fourthly the politicization of the civil service as it applies to both the old and post-apartheid regimes is explored; fifthly the perceptions of the previously advantaged citizens and disadvantaged communities of the civil service, and changes currently occuring, are discussed under the heading of public opinion; and finally reform and changes in the civil service system, especially those embarked on by the new democratic elected government which aim to fundamentally reshape the public service to fulfill its role in the new dispensation, is touched upon. In conclusion, an attempt is made to integrate the trends and characteristics identified above to classify the emerging new civil service system in terms of the civil service configurations developed for comparative purposes.
Climate change with its potential to disrupt all facets of life on earth is arguably the greatest... more Climate change with its potential to disrupt all facets of life on earth is arguably the greatest environmental threat that humankind has faced to date. The debates on the best methods and means of dealing with the threat are occupying the agendas of diverse actors in the international, national and local arenas. In an effort to address the effects of climate change, governments and policy-makers attempt to translate the results of this vibrant debate into meaningful policy at home. This article attempts to describe this journey from debate through policy into action, taking the complexities of policy environment into account. At the outset the largely divided international climate change regime endorses the contradictory stance of energy-intensive developing nations such as South Africa and inhibits the fostering of a meaningful climate change policy environment at a national level. The policy context with regard to climate change in South Africa is analysed and the salient causes of the troubled policy environment, aside from those commonly associated with developing nations, are identified as largely administrative. Finally, the policy environment in South Africa is examined at local level and, while local governments enjoy more autonomy under the new dispensation, the administrative fragmentation experienced at a national level permeates down to the local sphere, with the EThekwini Municipality serving as a case in point.
South Africa boasts one of the world's richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world-r... more South Africa boasts one of the world's richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world-renowned for its biodiversity. The Cape Floristic Region, particularly, is the world's sixth and smallest floral kingdom and the only one housed within the confines of a single country and predominantly within the Western Cape Province. It is also the richest, with more than 9 000 plant species. This region is considered one of the world's 25 most threathened biodiversity hotspots; most of the priority areas fall outside of existing statutorily protected areas and are mainly on privately owned land. Ensuring ecological sustainability across a diverse range of productive sectors and landscapes requires partnerships and a form of environmental governance that mediates the interactions between society, the economy and ecological functions. The collaborative environmental governance process is complex, as a result of the multitude and diverse range of socio-economic and political issues; the cross-cutting nature of environmental issues that span national, provincial and local spheres of government; and the uncertainty and unpredictability of ecological processess and functions, particularly on a landscape scale. This article focuses on the Gouritz initiative, a landscape-scale conservation and development initiative in the Western Cape. It was established in recognition of the challenges of concurrent governance for the long-term protection of the area's globally significant biodiversity. The continued efforts of collaborative planning, implementation and adaptation in the Gouritz Initiative have demonstrated that despite the complex, ongoing challenges associated with cooperative environmental governance, conservation initiatives can be successful if society's nees, most of which are socio-economic, are balanced with the need for biodiversity protection.
It could be argued that the quest for integration is at the core of sustainable development imple... more It could be argued that the quest for integration is at the core of sustainable development implementation issues. Although there is no simple answer to the integration challenge there is no doubt that organisational integration and coordination comprise a critical ingredient in any prescription package. The reasons why it is difficult to achieve integration is encapsulated by the notion of the ‘limits to governance’ which describe the organisational complexities and constraints facing traditional governance. At the basic theoretical level the interactions between organisations are explained in terms of the two organising principles of competition and collaboration, while coordination could be a product of three alternative modes of governance. The general acceptance of the idea that a decentralised set of formal and informal agreements among diverse groups and organisations in the form of networks and partnerships holds the most promising institutional prospect, is explored in from two angles: firstly from a macro perspective considering the changing role of the state and secondly a bottom-up perspective focusing on the notion of organisational innovation in resource management. Finally some conclusions are drawn as to the prospects of networks being able to achieve integration and coordination in environmental management.
To cope with the increasing complexities of environmental challenges, innovative models of govern... more To cope with the increasing complexities of environmental challenges, innovative models of governance that are capable of greater fl exibility, speed and adaptability have emerged. Following international trends, new collaborative partnerships varying greatly in form and purpose have developed over the last 15 years. The Western Cape Province, world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, has also experienced a proliferation of ‘collaboratives’. In an effort to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of building social capital and institutional capacity in these types of governance settings, this article focuses on the evolution of one of the more successful of these new forms – the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve – from an organisational learning perspective before refl ecting on the question of whether the concepts of social capital and organisational learning are useful to explain its apparent success. Although the fi ndings are inconclusive, a suffi cient number of pointers have emerged from the exploration of the case study to warrant further research on the role of social learning and social capital as explanations of why particular collaboratives seem to be more successful in achieving desirable outcomes than others.
To cope with the complexities of environmental governance, new innovative models of collaborative... more To cope with the complexities of environmental governance, new innovative models of collaborative governance (or co-management) have emerged in South Africa over the last 15 years. Resilience is defined as the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and still retain its basic function and structure, and is dependent on the system’s adaptive capacity or its ability to reorganise and renew itself in the face of change. This notion of resilience is growing in importance as a concept for understanding, managing and governing complex socio-ecological systems. Increasingly, collaborative governance is also being combined with learning-based approaches such as adaptive management, which was originally formulated as a way to deal with uncertainty and complexity.
In the Western Cape, which is world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, institutional innovation has also flourished in the environmental governance arena. This article focuses on a selection of these new collaborative governance models and will attempt to analyse their evolution from a resilience perspective paying particular attention to the concepts of adaptive capacity, social capital and organisational learning. In conclusion, some observations and reflections will be offered on the implications of applying resilience thinking in practical collaborative governance settings.
South Africa boasts one of the world’s richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world r... more South Africa boasts one of the world’s richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world renowned for its biodiversity. The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is the world’s sixth and smallest floral kingdom and the only one housed within the confines of a single country and predominantly within the Western Cape Province. It is also the richest, with more than 9 000 plant species. This region is considered as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots and most of the priority areas fall outside of existing statutorily protected areas and are mostly on privately owned land. This article focuses on the introduction of a new governance approach and policy instrument in 2003 to contribute towards the conservation of globally important “off-reserve” biodiversity remnants in the Cape Floristic Kingdom in the Western Cape, known as the Conservation Stewardship Programme. The governance paradigm is characterised by a growing use of non-regulatory policy instruments such as the so called ‘new’ environmental policy instruments (NEPIs), which include economic and voluntary approaches as well as persuasion. These are proposed, designed and implemented by non-state actors, sometimes working alongside state actors, but sometimes also independently. The co-management solution rests on the assumptions that local people must have a stake in conservation and management, and that the formation of partnerships between government agencies and resource users is essential. The programme will be described, analysed and evaluated as a case study before some concluding remarks are offered.
Conflicts and dis-functionality in public schools is frequently the root of poor school performan... more Conflicts and dis-functionality in public schools is frequently the root of poor school performance and learner outcomes. This often is a direct result of poor school governance. Studies have previously identified a number of factors affecting the standard of school governance. On of these is absence of "effective monitoring and evaluation" system for school governance. The current approach of Whole School Evaluation which incorporates the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) unfortunately does not possess adequately measurement for school governance to identify specific areas of failure. The authors have designed a measurement instrument to address this particular gap in management of public schools. This is in the form of a balanced scorecard based on Kaplan and Norton (1996) but only developed specifically for measuring the public, educational and non-profit sector. A number of school governance performance areas based on the regulatory frameworks like th South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) have been linked to specific indicators and measures and streamlined towards meeting key targets for achieving satisfactory school outcomes.
It is clear that that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of comple... more It is clear that that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or “wicked” public problems, and as such natural resource governance has be approached from a complexity science perspective. What is however not so clear, is how our understanding of complex adaptive systems, resilience thinking, adaptive management and governance should be translated in terms of the role institutions of higher learning must play in their teaching, research and community interaction endeavours. The question how the adaptive capacity of socio-ecological systems can be enhanced through education and learning is further explored and reflected upon in this paper.
The fragmented, incoherent and complex nature of modern society necessitated governments to find ... more The fragmented, incoherent and complex nature of modern society necessitated governments to find alternative ways and adopt new roles to cope with ‘the limits to governance’ which threaten to overwhelm public action. It is in this context that the trend towards decentralised units that are self-regulated and diverse, which can act locally and freed from much of the standardising constraints characteristic of hierarchical government, must be viewed and where managers act as brokers leveraging resources held by third parties in stead of controlling in-house resources. In the environmental field organisational innovation flourished and collaborative environmental management has become the leading paradigm for addressing complex environmental issues throughout the world. South Africa has followed international trends with new collaboratives emerging at regional or local level over the last decade. Based on differences in process and form, five examples have been selected to illustrate some of the South African experiences in organisational innovation and experimentation with new governance forms. The growing interest in collaboration has led to the development of assessment tools that could be applied to study the evolving models. An overview is given of what has been learned so far as well as the prospects and challenges for the future. These evolving models offer an exciting window of opportunity for social and organisational learning and can make an important contribution to innovation in management in South Africa.
The multi-stakeholder approach reflects some of the most frequently and fervently debated issues ... more The multi-stakeholder approach reflects some of the most frequently and fervently debated issues in discussions on governance, democracy, equity and justice in recent years. The term multi-stakeholder is used to include all role-players, government institutions, stakeholders, clients, non-governmental organisations and community based organisations. It is generally accepted that sustainable development requires a process and ultimately consensus-building among all stakeholders as partners to build relationships and knowledge that will enable them to develop sustainable solutions to new challenges. It is against this background that the processes leading up to the establishment of new decentralised regional water management institutions in South Africa is described and analysed. The process in the Olifants-Doorn Water Management Area to draft the required proposal for the establishment of a catchment management agency is used as a case study (hereafter referred to as the Olifants-Doorn process). The authors argue that the Olifants-Doorn process up to the formal establishment of the Olifants-Doorn Catchment Management Agency (CMA) is a considerable success story evaluated against the principles of good governance. This is evaluated especially in terms of improving stakeholder equality through capacity building.
Natural resource endowments are largely freely supplied by nature to ‘lucky’ communities yet the ... more Natural resource endowments are largely freely supplied by nature to ‘lucky’ communities yet the ability to transform such endowments into meaningful resources are context dependent. There are many communities endowed with specialized natural resource yet has not been transformed into sustainable developmental resource for society. Adopting an ethnographic approach using the case of “a hitherto threatened wildlife species transformed into major community resource”, this study discusses the role of ‘champions’ in the development of adaptive response for sustainable natural resource governance. The study discusses how the actions and peculiar strategies of an individual [champion] helped to salvage the threatened wildlife species to revive and survive through an adaptive governance and institutional response. Consequently, the natural resource endowment has become productive resource which anchors the socio-economic development of the Boabeng-Fiema rural community. Five key strategies adopted by the champion have been illustrated in a schematic diagram and well discussed using narratives and visuals. The paper has implications for rural management and the socio-economic transformation of rural communities endowed with peculiar natural resources.
Natural resource governance is enhanced and structured by rules, norms and strategies which make ... more Natural resource governance is enhanced and structured by rules, norms and strategies which make institutionalism quintessential in the natural resource governance discourse. Adopting a retrospective analysis of classical theoretical literature and recent empirical experiences of natural resource institutions, this paper discusses institutional analysis as pertains to the natural resource governance context. Synthesizing from relevant literature, this review designs and discusses an analytical framework to illustrate how formal and informal institutions structure natural resource governance. The key elements in the framework are: biophysical element, process and institutional element, behavioral choice element, enforcement mechanisms and an outcome element. The paper argues that for formal rule to be more effective, it greatly depends on its relationship with the informal institutions and more importantly their enforcement complementarities. The study, consequently, discusses key elements that influence the effectiveness of natural resource rule enforcement. This review concludes that both formal and informal institutions serve as catalysts to reinforce natural resource governance; however, the two could also combine to form a clandestine network to facilitate unethical resource exploitation. The paper puts forward that, it is not institutions per se but the " nature of interaction " between formal and informal institutions together with the " enforcement mechanisms " which will to a large extent determine the kind of resource outcomes.
Natural resource governance is underpinned by institutions which evolve 'cir-cumstantially' over ... more Natural resource governance is underpinned by institutions which evolve 'cir-cumstantially' over time. An attempt at understanding the contemporary institutions and governance structure of a resource requires an in-depth ethnographic enquiry. Adapting a four-phase institutional analysis framework, this study discusses the evolution and adaptation of wildlife governance structures and institutions using the unique experience of Boabeng–Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. The study adopted a transdisciplinary research approach which was participatory and consultative. The key observations are that: wildlife institutions have gone through three main evolutionary phases, a pre-collaborative phase, which was exclusively underpinned by informal institutions; a critical juncture stage, where contextual challenges led to an adaptive response; the third and contemporary phase is a collaborative governance regime, where the erstwhile informal institutions have been complemented by formal state structures and institutions to synergistically enhance viability of the wildlife species. In spite of the problems posed to community members by the monkeys (wildlife), the study still observes a cordial human–wildlife relationship. Based on the study outcomes, we derive four key conclusions which have implications for institutionalism and natural resource governance.
Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance regime based on 'collaborati... more Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance regime based on 'collaboration', a network-based model that links various stakeholders [state and non-state actors], ostensibly to maximise public value. The 'consensus model' has its underpinning 'rules of the game'; without which collaborative outcomes may end up being conflictual and counter-productive. Adopting a critical stage review, this paper draws mainly from theoretical and recent empirical literature to unpack the factors that catalyse collaborative natural resource governance. We reflect on these to design an 'ABC framework' aimed at providing signpost to agencies, governments and conveners of collaboration on how to execute this socio-technical process to maximise value. The framework hinges on three broad pillars: Adopting and advancing human skills, Building integrity and legitimacy and Creating a sense of attachment to the resource in question. We discuss these with specific indicators synchronized from recent collaborative experiences in the literature.
Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance approach based on 'collabora... more Complexities of the post-NPM era have resulted into a new governance approach based on 'collaboration', a network-based model that links various stakeholders [state and non-state actors], ostensibly to maximise public value. The 'consensus model' has its underpinning 'rules of the game'; without which collaborative outcomes may end up being conflictual and counter-productive. Adopting a critical stage review, this paper draws mainly from theoretical and recent empirical literature to unpack the factors that catalyse successful collaborative natural resource governance. We reflect on these to design an 'ABC framework' aimed at providing signpost to agencies, governments and conveners of collaboration on how to execute this socio-technical process to maximise value. The framework hinges on three broad pillars: Adopting and advancing human skills, Building integrity and legitimacy and Creating a sense of attachment to the resource in question. We discuss these with specific indicators synchronized from recent natural resources collaboration experiences in the literature. Mostly people and communities hold on to a perception that " their interests directly conflict with the other party's interests, even when creative win-win solutions are possible " (Bazerman, 1986:128)
It is clear that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or ... more It is clear that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or “wicked” public problems and, as such, natural resource governance has to be approached from a complexity science perspective. The rise of adaptive co-management as an approach to ecosystem management and the emergence of innovative and novel collaborative governance models are manifestations of this trend. What is not so clear, however, is how our understanding of complex adaptive systems, resilience thinking, adaptive management and governance should be translated in terms of the role institutions of higher learning must play in their teaching, research and community interaction endeavours. The questions this article wants to explore are: How can the adaptive capacity of socio-ecological systems be enhanced through education and learning, and what is (or should be) the role of institutions of higher learning in this regard? The opportunities and challenges for universities are reflected upon against the background of the emergence of collaborative environmental governance models in the Western Cape Province.
South Africa is currently experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift from an outdated colonial-style ... more South Africa is currently experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift from an outdated colonial-style all pervasive apartheid system to a more open and individualized democratic political culture. The impact of this value change is still open-ended and no definitive assessment of its scope, contents, impact and consequences for the civil service system is possible at this moment in time. For comparative purposes the paper is organised around six sub themes: firstly as a point of departure the history and development of the South African civil service system are described and an effort is made to identify and classify the development into distinct phases; the second focus of analysis is human resource management in government organisations, also known as the internal labour market; thirdly the application of the concept of representativeness in South Africa, especially in so far as it reflects past policies and the influence of the present transition, are described; fourthly the politicization of the civil service as it applies to both the old and post-apartheid regimes is explored; fifthly the perceptions of the previously advantaged citizens and disadvantaged communities of the civil service, and changes currently occuring, are discussed under the heading of public opinion; and finally reform and changes in the civil service system, especially those embarked on by the new democratic elected government which aim to fundamentally reshape the public service to fulfill its role in the new dispensation, is touched upon. In conclusion, an attempt is made to integrate the trends and characteristics identified above to classify the emerging new civil service system in terms of the civil service configurations developed for comparative purposes.
Climate change with its potential to disrupt all facets of life on earth is arguably the greatest... more Climate change with its potential to disrupt all facets of life on earth is arguably the greatest environmental threat that humankind has faced to date. The debates on the best methods and means of dealing with the threat are occupying the agendas of diverse actors in the international, national and local arenas. In an effort to address the effects of climate change, governments and policy-makers attempt to translate the results of this vibrant debate into meaningful policy at home. This article attempts to describe this journey from debate through policy into action, taking the complexities of policy environment into account. At the outset the largely divided international climate change regime endorses the contradictory stance of energy-intensive developing nations such as South Africa and inhibits the fostering of a meaningful climate change policy environment at a national level. The policy context with regard to climate change in South Africa is analysed and the salient causes of the troubled policy environment, aside from those commonly associated with developing nations, are identified as largely administrative. Finally, the policy environment in South Africa is examined at local level and, while local governments enjoy more autonomy under the new dispensation, the administrative fragmentation experienced at a national level permeates down to the local sphere, with the EThekwini Municipality serving as a case in point.
South Africa boasts one of the world's richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world-r... more South Africa boasts one of the world's richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world-renowned for its biodiversity. The Cape Floristic Region, particularly, is the world's sixth and smallest floral kingdom and the only one housed within the confines of a single country and predominantly within the Western Cape Province. It is also the richest, with more than 9 000 plant species. This region is considered one of the world's 25 most threathened biodiversity hotspots; most of the priority areas fall outside of existing statutorily protected areas and are mainly on privately owned land. Ensuring ecological sustainability across a diverse range of productive sectors and landscapes requires partnerships and a form of environmental governance that mediates the interactions between society, the economy and ecological functions. The collaborative environmental governance process is complex, as a result of the multitude and diverse range of socio-economic and political issues; the cross-cutting nature of environmental issues that span national, provincial and local spheres of government; and the uncertainty and unpredictability of ecological processess and functions, particularly on a landscape scale. This article focuses on the Gouritz initiative, a landscape-scale conservation and development initiative in the Western Cape. It was established in recognition of the challenges of concurrent governance for the long-term protection of the area's globally significant biodiversity. The continued efforts of collaborative planning, implementation and adaptation in the Gouritz Initiative have demonstrated that despite the complex, ongoing challenges associated with cooperative environmental governance, conservation initiatives can be successful if society's nees, most of which are socio-economic, are balanced with the need for biodiversity protection.
It could be argued that the quest for integration is at the core of sustainable development imple... more It could be argued that the quest for integration is at the core of sustainable development implementation issues. Although there is no simple answer to the integration challenge there is no doubt that organisational integration and coordination comprise a critical ingredient in any prescription package. The reasons why it is difficult to achieve integration is encapsulated by the notion of the ‘limits to governance’ which describe the organisational complexities and constraints facing traditional governance. At the basic theoretical level the interactions between organisations are explained in terms of the two organising principles of competition and collaboration, while coordination could be a product of three alternative modes of governance. The general acceptance of the idea that a decentralised set of formal and informal agreements among diverse groups and organisations in the form of networks and partnerships holds the most promising institutional prospect, is explored in from two angles: firstly from a macro perspective considering the changing role of the state and secondly a bottom-up perspective focusing on the notion of organisational innovation in resource management. Finally some conclusions are drawn as to the prospects of networks being able to achieve integration and coordination in environmental management.
To cope with the increasing complexities of environmental challenges, innovative models of govern... more To cope with the increasing complexities of environmental challenges, innovative models of governance that are capable of greater fl exibility, speed and adaptability have emerged. Following international trends, new collaborative partnerships varying greatly in form and purpose have developed over the last 15 years. The Western Cape Province, world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, has also experienced a proliferation of ‘collaboratives’. In an effort to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of building social capital and institutional capacity in these types of governance settings, this article focuses on the evolution of one of the more successful of these new forms – the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve – from an organisational learning perspective before refl ecting on the question of whether the concepts of social capital and organisational learning are useful to explain its apparent success. Although the fi ndings are inconclusive, a suffi cient number of pointers have emerged from the exploration of the case study to warrant further research on the role of social learning and social capital as explanations of why particular collaboratives seem to be more successful in achieving desirable outcomes than others.
To cope with the complexities of environmental governance, new innovative models of collaborative... more To cope with the complexities of environmental governance, new innovative models of collaborative governance (or co-management) have emerged in South Africa over the last 15 years. Resilience is defined as the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and still retain its basic function and structure, and is dependent on the system’s adaptive capacity or its ability to reorganise and renew itself in the face of change. This notion of resilience is growing in importance as a concept for understanding, managing and governing complex socio-ecological systems. Increasingly, collaborative governance is also being combined with learning-based approaches such as adaptive management, which was originally formulated as a way to deal with uncertainty and complexity.
In the Western Cape, which is world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, institutional innovation has also flourished in the environmental governance arena. This article focuses on a selection of these new collaborative governance models and will attempt to analyse their evolution from a resilience perspective paying particular attention to the concepts of adaptive capacity, social capital and organisational learning. In conclusion, some observations and reflections will be offered on the implications of applying resilience thinking in practical collaborative governance settings.
South Africa boasts one of the world’s richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world r... more South Africa boasts one of the world’s richest and most diverse natural landscapes and is world renowned for its biodiversity. The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is the world’s sixth and smallest floral kingdom and the only one housed within the confines of a single country and predominantly within the Western Cape Province. It is also the richest, with more than 9 000 plant species. This region is considered as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots and most of the priority areas fall outside of existing statutorily protected areas and are mostly on privately owned land. This article focuses on the introduction of a new governance approach and policy instrument in 2003 to contribute towards the conservation of globally important “off-reserve” biodiversity remnants in the Cape Floristic Kingdom in the Western Cape, known as the Conservation Stewardship Programme. The governance paradigm is characterised by a growing use of non-regulatory policy instruments such as the so called ‘new’ environmental policy instruments (NEPIs), which include economic and voluntary approaches as well as persuasion. These are proposed, designed and implemented by non-state actors, sometimes working alongside state actors, but sometimes also independently. The co-management solution rests on the assumptions that local people must have a stake in conservation and management, and that the formation of partnerships between government agencies and resource users is essential. The programme will be described, analysed and evaluated as a case study before some concluding remarks are offered.
Conflicts and dis-functionality in public schools is frequently the root of poor school performan... more Conflicts and dis-functionality in public schools is frequently the root of poor school performance and learner outcomes. This often is a direct result of poor school governance. Studies have previously identified a number of factors affecting the standard of school governance. On of these is absence of "effective monitoring and evaluation" system for school governance. The current approach of Whole School Evaluation which incorporates the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) unfortunately does not possess adequately measurement for school governance to identify specific areas of failure. The authors have designed a measurement instrument to address this particular gap in management of public schools. This is in the form of a balanced scorecard based on Kaplan and Norton (1996) but only developed specifically for measuring the public, educational and non-profit sector. A number of school governance performance areas based on the regulatory frameworks like th South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) have been linked to specific indicators and measures and streamlined towards meeting key targets for achieving satisfactory school outcomes.
It is clear that that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of comple... more It is clear that that the environmental issues facing us today are prime manifestations of complex or “wicked” public problems, and as such natural resource governance has be approached from a complexity science perspective. What is however not so clear, is how our understanding of complex adaptive systems, resilience thinking, adaptive management and governance should be translated in terms of the role institutions of higher learning must play in their teaching, research and community interaction endeavours. The question how the adaptive capacity of socio-ecological systems can be enhanced through education and learning is further explored and reflected upon in this paper.
The fragmented, incoherent and complex nature of modern society necessitated governments to find ... more The fragmented, incoherent and complex nature of modern society necessitated governments to find alternative ways and adopt new roles to cope with ‘the limits to governance’ which threaten to overwhelm public action. It is in this context that the trend towards decentralised units that are self-regulated and diverse, which can act locally and freed from much of the standardising constraints characteristic of hierarchical government, must be viewed and where managers act as brokers leveraging resources held by third parties in stead of controlling in-house resources. In the environmental field organisational innovation flourished and collaborative environmental management has become the leading paradigm for addressing complex environmental issues throughout the world. South Africa has followed international trends with new collaboratives emerging at regional or local level over the last decade. Based on differences in process and form, five examples have been selected to illustrate some of the South African experiences in organisational innovation and experimentation with new governance forms. The growing interest in collaboration has led to the development of assessment tools that could be applied to study the evolving models. An overview is given of what has been learned so far as well as the prospects and challenges for the future. These evolving models offer an exciting window of opportunity for social and organisational learning and can make an important contribution to innovation in management in South Africa.
The multi-stakeholder approach reflects some of the most frequently and fervently debated issues ... more The multi-stakeholder approach reflects some of the most frequently and fervently debated issues in discussions on governance, democracy, equity and justice in recent years. The term multi-stakeholder is used to include all role-players, government institutions, stakeholders, clients, non-governmental organisations and community based organisations. It is generally accepted that sustainable development requires a process and ultimately consensus-building among all stakeholders as partners to build relationships and knowledge that will enable them to develop sustainable solutions to new challenges. It is against this background that the processes leading up to the establishment of new decentralised regional water management institutions in South Africa is described and analysed. The process in the Olifants-Doorn Water Management Area to draft the required proposal for the establishment of a catchment management agency is used as a case study (hereafter referred to as the Olifants-Doorn process). The authors argue that the Olifants-Doorn process up to the formal establishment of the Olifants-Doorn Catchment Management Agency (CMA) is a considerable success story evaluated against the principles of good governance. This is evaluated especially in terms of improving stakeholder equality through capacity building.
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Papers by Kobus Muller
In the Western Cape, which is world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, institutional innovation has also flourished in the environmental governance arena. This article focuses on a selection of these new collaborative governance models and will attempt to analyse their evolution from a resilience perspective paying particular attention to the concepts of adaptive capacity, social capital and organisational learning. In conclusion, some observations and reflections will be offered on the implications of applying resilience thinking in practical collaborative governance settings.
In the Western Cape, which is world renowned for the Cape Floristic Region and as one of the world’s 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots, institutional innovation has also flourished in the environmental governance arena. This article focuses on a selection of these new collaborative governance models and will attempt to analyse their evolution from a resilience perspective paying particular attention to the concepts of adaptive capacity, social capital and organisational learning. In conclusion, some observations and reflections will be offered on the implications of applying resilience thinking in practical collaborative governance settings.