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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Intergovernmental Relations in South Africa: The Challenges of Co-Operative Government |
Author: | Tapscott, Chris |
Year: | 2000 |
Periodical: | Public Administration and Development |
Volume: | 20 |
Issue: | 2 |
Period: | May |
Pages: | 119-128 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | South Africa |
Subjects: | administrative reform central-local government relations Politics and Government Development and Technology Law, Human Rights and Violence |
External link: | https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-162X(200005)20:2<119::AID-PAD118>3.0.CO;2-G |
Abstract: | The ending of apartheid and the transition to democracy in South Africa brought with it fundamental changes to the form and function of the State, in particular a restructuring of intergovernmental relations (IGR) and a redefinition of the responsibilities of the different tiers of government. The new South African constitution actively promotes cooperation between the different levels of government. However, there is still uncertainty over the precise responsibilities of the different levels of the administrative echelon, which affects the capacity of the new government to deliver social services and to redress the inequities of the past. This article discusses the form and functioning of IGR in contemporary South Africa and deals with the structure of the State in the postapartheid era, relations between the provinces and the national government, the role of municipal government, mechanisms of cooperative government and conflict resolution, IGR relations at the vertical and horizontal levels, and control over the distribution of financial resources. IGR relations are always dynamic and evolve over time to accommodate social, economic and political changes. Thus attempts to codify IGR will not necessarily relieve intergovernmental tensions, because the most contentious issues in IGR are generally of a political and not of a technical nature. Bibliogr., sum |