The role of municipal knowledge management vehicles in facilitating international knowledge sharing and policy mobility: the Durban story

ABSTRACT

Despite increasing scholarly focus on inter-city policy mobilities there has been insufficient emphasis on understanding the role of municipal institutional factors in enabling global policy translation. This paper argues that the value of knowledge management vehicles in city-to-city learning and ‘knowledge-sharing enablers’ deserves prominence. The author employs autoethnography as a method of qualitative inquiry, chronicling Durban’s Municipal Institute of Learning’s establishment, successes and challenges through changing institutional landscapes. In a context where rapid urbanisation has African planners looking to learn from other cities, the story offers both useful lessons in knowledge exchange practice and opportunities for critical scholarly reflection.

KEYWORDS:

• Policy translation
• knowledge management
• organisational learning
• city-to-city learning
• municipal policy mobilities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The cities of Bamako, Doulla, Lagos, Lusaka, Nairobi and Rabat looked to Durban for leadership guidance in planning and city governance.

2. For data on later travel, please see the MILE website www.mile.org.za which tracks international travel.

3. Due to scope restrictions, the research focus of MILE and its role in engaging with academia is excluded here.

4. From data extracted from www.mile.org.za, capacity enhancement offerings dropped to 11 in 2018 and 7 in 2019.