Decentralisation in South Africa¤

The Role of Political Parties at the Local Government Level A Refl ection on South Africa at the time of the Policy Process of Review on Decentralisation

The ongoing review of decentralisation in South Africa will defi nitely affect political parties’ legitimisation mechanisms at the local level. For this reason, one may expect the same actors, together with civil society organisations (CSOs), to be actively involved in the policy process of review. Their apparent low involvement in this process is taken as this policy brief’s starting point, wh...

Decentralisation and Democratic Governance Experiences from India, Bolivia and South Africa

Exploring the Functioning of Decision Space: A Review of the Available Health Systems Literature

Background The concept of decision space holds appeal as an approach to disaggregating the elements that may influence decision-making in decentralized systems. This narrative review aims to explore the functioning of decision space and the factors that influence decision space.   Methods A narrative review of the literature was conducted with searches of online databases and academic journals ...

Decentralizing government and decentering gender: lessons from local government reform in South Africa

Localization and decentralization are frequently presented as good for women. However, the reality is not so clear-cut. Local government is the tier that is closest to people but relationships, structures and processes of local governance can both limit the space for women’s participation and the policy potential for addressing gender issues. The experience of democratic reform in South Africa ...

Implementation of the Mental Health Care Act (2002) at district hospitals in South Africa: Translating principles into practice.

Legislation prior to 2002 tended to reinforce the alienation, stigmatisation and disempowerment of mentally ill patients in South Africa. In line with international developments in mental health legislation, the Mental Health Care Act (2002) was promulgated in South Africa. Its core principles--human rights for users; decentralisation and integration of mental health care at primary, secondary ...