Local municipality productive efficiency and its determinants in South Africa

This paper assesses the technical efficiency of 231 local municipalities in South Africa for 2007 and investigates the potential determinants of efficiency gaps using the non-parametric data envelopment analysis technique. Efficiency scores are explained in a second-stage regression model using a Tobit regression model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt, using such a technique, to assess technical efficiency at the local government level in the African context. The results show that, on average, B1 and B3 municipalities could have theoretically achieved the same level of basic services with about 16% and 80% fewer resources respectively. Furthermore, fiscal autonomy and the number and skill levels of the top management of a municipality's administration were found to influence the productive efficiency of municipalities in South Africa. Perhaps most importantly, the results depict a bleak picture of the democratic behaviour at the local level in South Africa. It appears that higher income and highly educated households do not feel the incentive to be active participants in public decision-making processes. The paper findings raise concerns over the future of local municipalities in the country, especially about their capability to efficiently deliver expected outcomes on a sustainable basis.     

Integrated development planning or strategic paralysis? Municipal development during the local government transition and beyond

The launch of the Local Government White Paper in March 1998 provides a blueprint for the final form of local government in South Africa after its progression from apartheid structures, through the democratisation of councils, t.o the creation of developmental local government. According to the White Paper local government will centre on municipalities which will coordinate all development activities at national, provincial and local level, from private and public sectors. Municipalities will need to gain control over their devel opment resources, including land use. This article scrutinises the municipal planning legislation that has emerged since the end of apartheid in the form of the Development Facilitation Act (DFA) and the Local Government Transition Act, and argues that the Land Development Objectives (LDOs) of the DFA may not be an appropriate way to achieve developmental local government. The article argues that development tribunals could usurp the executive authority of municipalities to determine land use and therefore risk being both unconstitutional and counterproductive. It recommends that existing plan ning legislation is rationalised into an integrated framework that gives local government structures both legislative and executive authority over land‐use planning.     

South Africa's infrastructure service delivery needs: The role and challenge for public‐private partnerships

South Africa's development challenges include over R100 billion needed in investment in infrastructure over the next ten years. Municipalities lack the institutional and financial capacity to address this alone and have to raise private sector finance to supplement their own resources and government grants. The borrowing of capital requires a well‐run administration that is able to raise sufficient revenue to meet all running costs, including loan redemption. Municipalities are showing increasing interest in municipal service partnerships (MSPs), including public‐private partnerships (PPPs), as a way of improving efficiency and accessing capital markets. This raises a number of challenges that include understanding and dealing with the continuing negative perceptions of the role of the private sector; clarifying the roles of the private sector and the government, especially local government; and addressing those issues necessary to produce effective and efficient MSPs in South Africa.     

Public‐private partnerships for waste management: Challenges for policies and procedures

Recently, all essential services in South Africa have been the focus of major efforts to ensure equitable access. This focus is quickly intensifying at all levels of government, as greater attention is directed at global environmental issues and at removing the imbalances in the socio‐economic conditions of the past. Unfortunately for solid waste management, unlike other essential services, this is happening at a time of declining financial resources, fewer national programmes and increasing regulation. Many municipalities in South Africa are turning to public‐private partnerships (PPPs) as a way of addressing the growing municipal solid waste management problem, especially with regard to extending services to previously disadvantaged, low‐income communities. This article seeks to define relevant issues, clarify the use of PPPs and generally suggest a way forward for local municipalities committed to meeting the challenges of maintaining and expanding solid waste management services.     

Estimating a poverty line: An application to free basic municipal services in South Africa

One of the key interventions aimed at improving the welfare of South African households has been local government's provision of a package of free basic municipal services to poor households. It is, however, not completely clear how different municipalities identify households that are eligible for these services. Evidence suggests that many municipalities currently provide services to all households with a monthly income of less than R1500 a month. This ‘free basic services poverty line’ is, however, low in comparison with a number of unofficial poverty lines used by policymakers and researchers in South Africa. This paper considers the impact of increasing the value of the free basic services line, in terms of the additional share and number of households eligible for support and the additional financial cost. We find that urban municipalities would face the steepest increases in their free basic services budgets with any potential increase in the free basic services poverty line.     

The impact of globalisation on local government in South Africa

Globalisation has been defined as a continuous evolutionary process whereby functions and influences cross boundaries from one state to another. The question is often raised as to whether a country such as South Africa can ignore global influences after years of isolation and integrate positively with the international community as a global player. The South African government has initiated the debate on the possible benefits of globalisation, especially in the local government sphere. Globalisation could, it is believed, facilitate economic and social upliftment in the communities served by local government. Whether it has the expertise and capacity needed to actualise these benefits is, however, debatable. The larger local authorities, or Category A municipalities, have supported the idea of globalisation and have begun formulating policies on international relations. The purpose of this article is, first, to determine the implications of globalisation for South African local authorities. Secondly, based on these findings, an attempt has been made to identify the criteria for integrating successfully into the international local government system. On the basis of these responses, a qualitative evaluation of the identified criteria was undertaken in order to determine the extent to which they have been met in South African local government.     

Restructuring the electricity distribution sector: Implications for local government

This article discusses the proposals for restructuring the South African electricity distribution sector, with specific reference to the impact that such restructuring may have on local government. Currently, local government distributors rely on revenue from electricity sales to generate a surplus that is channelled into the relief of rates and provision of other services. The removal of this source of revenue may further impede the efficacy of local government. Issues pertaining to accountability, tax incidence and the financial viability of municipalities will also be affected, and therefore require further thought and clarification before a policy process is set in motion which yields adverse consequences.     

FISCAL ILLUSION AT THE LOCAL SPHERE: AN EMPIRICAL TEST OF THE FLYPAPER EFFECT USING SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPAL DATA1

While South Africa operates a relatively decentralised governance and administrative structure, an important feature of the country's intergovernmental fiscal relations system is the gap that exists between the expenditure responsibilities of sub‐national authorities and their assigned revenue bases. The resulting vertical fiscal imbalance is mainly addressed via significant intergovernmental transfers to provinces and local governments. This factor presents strong a priori grounds for assuming that in the South African context, the heavy dependence of many local governments on intergovernmental transfers may generate fiscal illusion. Despite this, there have not been many empirical studies of fiscal illusion in South Africa's intergovernmental transfer system. This paper extends existing literature on fiscal illusion by using the fiscal year 2005/06 financial and expenditure data from 237 local government authorities in South Africa to evaluate the flypaper variant of the fiscal illusion hypothesis. Empirical results indicate that the marginal effects of municipal own‐source revenues on local expenditure exceed those of intergovernmental transfers. No statistical evidence in support of the flypaper hypothesis within the context of municipal expenditures in South Africa is found.     

地方政府隐性债务影响金融稳定的空间效应与门槛效应研究

现有关于地方政府债务的经济后果研究主要集中于地方政府债务对经济增长的影响研究.选取金融稳定这一视角,检验地方政府隐性债务对金融稳定的影响,同时考虑空间效应与门槛效应.以2009-2018年30个省份的面板数据为基础,研究发现:金融稳定与地方政府隐性债务均存在显著的正向空间集聚效应,即金融稳定性较好的省份周围的省份金融稳定性也较好,地方政府隐性债务较多的省份也会对周围地区产生溢出效应,考虑到空间效应后地方政府隐性债务与金融稳定之间的非线性关系依然成立,且地方政府隐性债务对金融稳定的影响为倒U型,即地方政府隐性债务对于金融稳定存在"先扬后抑"的作用,单门槛模型的回归结果进一步证明了这一结论.进一步分析表明提升政府支出效率以及减少政府干预度可以有效缓解政府隐性债务对金融稳定的负向影响.     

LIQUIDITY CREATION IN SOUTH AFRICAN BANKS UNDER STRESSED ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

The financial crisis placed severe pressure on global bank liquidity. Many banks were unable to create sufficient liquidity and had to receive government support or face default. This paper attempts to determine the impact of the financial crisis on liquidity creation within South African banks using a model previously applied to US banks. Four measures of liquidity creation are discussed and applied to data spanning 2004‐2009. Although created, liquidity decreases steeply from 2007, liquidity levels in 2009 remain about 45% higher than those of 2004. The four large South African banks created about 80% of the total market liquidity. The authors are aware that the liquidity measures discussed in this paper may not accurately reflect the manner in which South African banks created liquidity before and during the financial crisis as the period under review was characterised by various other factors. These factors include the concurrent rise in securitisation, considerable changes in the South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) stance on monetary policy, historic low‐interest rates during the period and severe curtailing of local inter‐bank dealing. It remains possible that these factors may have had an impact on the way in which South African banks created and disseminated liquidity. This possibility will be the subject of future research.     

Spillovers of the Conventional and Unconventional Monetary Policy from the US to South Africa

This paper assesses the effect of US monetary policy on South Africa during the period 1990–2018. We separately analyse and compare the effect of conventional monetary policy, before the Global Financial Crisis, and unconventional monetary policy, after the US monetary policy reached the zero-lower bound. Our impulse response function results indicate that monetary policy in South Africa responds mainly to local inflation, economic activity and financial conditions. While there is strong correlation between the global and South African financial cycle, the financial cycle is not transmitted to the real economy because of the sluggish response of industrial production and domestic credit, especially after the global financial crisis. We see this as an indication of the effects of structural issues to the real economy and constrained households’ balance sheet which has prevented the local economy to take advantage of low local interest rates and the global economic recovery after the crisis.     

企业分担了地方政府的财政压力吗? —基于出口退税分担机制改革的经验研究

分税制改革形成了新的财政集权,地方政府是否会将财政压力转移到企业身上,提高企业税收负担？以2004年出口退税分担机制改革为外生政策变化,使用1998-2009年工业企业数据库,利用双重差分法研究了财政压力与企业税负关系。研究发现;(1)出口退税分担机制改革后,地方政府财政压力增大,位于出口大省的企业实际税负显著上升,这说明当地企业分担了地方政府的财政压力;(2)进一步研究表明,国有企业税负提高最多,外资企业次之,私营企业最小;(3)相对于非出口企业,从事出口贸易的企业承担了更多的税负。各级政府应该完善转移支付制度,缓解地方企业因财政压力导致的税负高企。     

The socio-economic differences between landfill and street waste pickers in the Free State province of South Africa

Waste picking is an important survival strategy of many people throughout the developing world. South Africa has a sizeable waste picker population who ply their trade on municipal landfill sites as well as on the streets of cities and towns. This study lifts the lid on this neglected area of research by analysing and comparing landfill and street waste pickers side by side in a socio-economic context. Samples of waste pickers were drawn from the three main municipalities of Mangaung, Matjhabeng and Metsimaholo in the Free State province of South Africa and a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Among the findings was that waste picking offers a financial lifeline when, due to inadequate schooling and grinding poverty, individuals would be hard pressed to find employment in the formal economy. The study lays an important foundation for further comparative and qualitative research into this important segment of South Africa’s informal economy.     

The contribution of trout fly fishing to the economy of Rhodes,North Eastern Cape,South Africa

Recent government legislation, which calls for the eradication of trout from ecosystems where they may cause harm, could damage the tourism appeal of many South African catchments. However, no South African studies have tried to quantify the economic impact of removing trout from rivers and streams. This study aimed first to value the Rhodes trout fishery, North Eastern Cape, South Africa, and second to assess whether the trout fly fishing industry in Rhodes could form the foundation for the implementation of a local economic development initiative. Overall, the study found that the trout fishing industry directly generates approximately R5 658 240 per annum, and sustains a minimum of 39 direct job opportunities for the community of Rhodes, and can therefore provide the impetus for the creation of a tourism-based local economic development programme.     

Supporting Local Economic Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa

South Africa's apartheid era has left a bitter legacy of retarded economic development. Local Economic Development has been identified by the South African government as a key strategy through which issues of development and, more importantly, poverty alleviation can be addressed by local governments. This paper reviews current Local Economic Development policy in South Africa, before proceeding to an examination and analysis of the impact of the primary government support mechanism designed to promote such development initiatives, namely the Local Economic Development Fund. Whilst such support is of vital importance, far greater levels of intervention will be needed to fully address the massive scale of current local development needs.     

The Impact of Political Competition on Economic Growth: Evidence from Municipalities in South Africa

This paper examines the impact of political competition on economic growth. In this paper, I show that internal political dynamics, distinct from the type of political system, can having different effects on growth. Using results from the 1994 and 1999 elections in South Africa, I show that municipalities with higher levels of political competition have shown lower levels of economic growth. I use individual level surveys to show that this political competition is associated with political paralysis, dissatisfaction with the current democracy and government and lower optimism about the future.     

金融官员与地方政府隐性债务风险：抑制还是提升——来自289个地级市的经验证据

文章基于2009-2018年289个地级市数据样本，结合"烙印理论"，考察了金融官员对地方政府隐性债务风险的具体效应及其作用机理。研究发现，相对于非金融官员，金融官员能显著地抑制地方政府隐性债务风险，表现为"治理效应"。进一步研究表明，巡视未覆盖地区、地区金融生态环境越佳和制度环境越好时，金融官员抑制地方政府隐性债务风险效果越明显。文章实证分析了官员的金融经历对地方隐性债务风险的作用机理及具体效应，有效地诠释了"金融副省长现象"，为金融干部队伍建设和金融监管提供理论解释与经验证据支持，也为现阶段防范化解重大风险攻坚战提供了启示。     

The municipal infrastructure investment unit: The government's PPP‐enabling strategy

The South African government is committed to helping local governments make full use of service delivery ‘partnerships’ in improving the quality of essential urban services for its citizens, as so many other governments are now doing worldwide. A key part in this effort is being played by the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Unit (MIIU), a not‐for‐profit company established in 1998 for the purpose of using grant funding and technical help to guide the process of preparing and negotiating concession contracts and other forms of municipal service partnerships at the local level across South Africa. This article covers the MIIU's operations and rationale in an effort to describe one important way in which the government is responding to the challenges associated with extending basic municipal service provision to all of its citizens.     

Disaster risk reduction initiatives in South Africa

The field of disaster management in South Africa has developed dramatically over the past seven years. The paradigm shift from civil protection to disaster risk management brought with it the realisation that the management of disaster risk is paramount to reducing successfully the vulnerability of these communities most at risk. The resilience and coping mechanisms of communities affected by disasters have demonstrated the importance of local and traditional knowledge in the reduction of risk and the effects of hazards. This article aims to explore various initiatives for disaster risk reduction in South Africa undertaken by government departments and non-governmental organisations from 1994 to 2003. It describes the various methods and systems employed to reduce risk and vulnerability. A case study of the February 2000 floods in the Limpopo province of South Africa provides insight into local coping mechanisms and indigenous methods of risk reduction.     

An empirical analysis on the effects of the inflation targeting framework on monetary policy in South Africa

This article examines the impact of the adoption of an Inflation Targeting (IT) framework in 2000 on the conduct of South Africa’s monetary policy. Taylor rule analysis is used to test empirically whether the implementation of IT in South Africa can be shown to have impacted on the conduct of monetary policy. In particular, the article analyses whether the implementation of the IT framework yields the expected changes when comparing the conduct of monetary policy pre and post the adoption of the IT framework. Thereafter, an analysis of term structure of interest rates, which serve as a proxy variable for market expectations, is used to test whether South Africa’s IT framework has resulted in more predictability and transparency in monetary policy conduct. Lastly, the article analyses the impact of the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, the so‐called Great Recession, on the predictability and transparency of monetary policy in South Africa.