Abstract
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The onset of democratic transformation in South Africa in 1994 and the subsequent public administration reforms that followed on each sphere of government created excitement and expectations for better services beyond recognition. Seldom before has constitutional change of so fundamental a nature as we experienced in South Africa been achieved in a peaceful manner. Change, however, does not necessarily imply a positive outcome and although having been a democracy for 24 years, does South Africa remain a highly unequal society especially taking cognisance of the recent recorded cases of corruption on local government level.
Public administration reform and transformation implies an outcome of an efficient public service which is vital to a well-functioning country that maximises its developmental potential and the welfare of its citizens. In this regard, local government should play a particularly important role in developing countries, working to extend services and reduce inequalities, and demonstrating to citizens that their society is capable of organising itself in an efficient way. In Africa and specifically South Africa the public service of which local government forms part of, is unfortunately rapidly gaining a reputation for corruption, inefficiency, and incompetence as governmental institutions routinely receive qualified audits, thereby undermining, rather than maximising, the developmental potential of the country.
The new challenges of governing and governance seem increasingly complex, placing governments in situations that are quite different from those known before. Good governance is reflected in terms of value driven perspectives which manifest itself in effective, legitimate, democratic government, and high levels of institutionalization or combinations of the above. This also coincides with the introduction of an array of public policy documents in an endeavour to improve public services to all inhabitants.
However, improved service delivery does not only necessitate the generation of creative ideas and their formalization in policy documents, but requires inter alia an expert, skilful and dedicated workforce to implement these ideas. Efficient and effective policy implementation is therefore evident to ensure the afore-mentioned. As an academic field, Public Administration and Management is obligated to advance theoretical and pragmatic understanding of governmental institutions and processes. Such understanding, however, cannot be advanced solely by the explication of current knowledge through education and service, but it also requires the generation of new knowledge (widely understood as a necessary and sustainable source of efficiency and effectiveness) through research and managing this knowledge. In this paper, these aspects will be addressed to ensure that international lessons are shared to demonstrate the use of scientific research in policy implementation within the EEC and CE regions.
Regarding the research method, a literature study of appropriate primary sources containing authoritative publications, books, journals, the internet and official documents such as departmental policies will be conducted to gather information, while the field operations include interviews with practitioners and academics in the field of public administration and management.
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