Imagining an Institutionalised Social Dialogue in the South African Local Government-Led Development Landscape

Abstract

The world, because of globalisation and the recent economic crisis, has entered an era that recognises the importance of the participation of all stakeholders in economic development matters. This era is accompanied by a decentralisation process that led to an emphasis on participatory approaches to development issues at the local level. However, no participatory approach has been recognised as the most appropriate mechanism for development forums. In the midst of this, social dialogue is proposed as such a participatory approach that can integrate the public, private, businesses and financial institutions in the bid to create effective responses to immediate developmental challenges. The article established that South Africa is still struggling to create efficient economic development planning structures that can address the key failings of local economic development (LED). This article imagines the utilisation of an institutionalised social dialogue in the South African local government-led development space as an antidote to current failures of LED and disparities between the public, private and civil society. Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) can therefore be imagined as appropriate social dialogue structures that can mitigate the current failures of LED through integrating different capacities and resources from local stakeholders. This article therefore recommends the institutionalisation of social dialogue through LEDAs as the collaborative economic development planning agency at the local government-led development landscape.

Keywords:

• social dialogue
• local economic development
• local economic development agencies
• integrated development planning
• inequalities
• poverty
• unemployment

Acknowledgement

The financial assistance of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, in collaboration with the South African Humanities Deans Association towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NIHSS and SAHUDA.

Notes on contributor

Isaac Khambule is a PhD Candidate in Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, BRICS Research Centre, under the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery Unit. He holds a Masters of Commerce Degree Specialising in Local Economic Development (University of KwaZulu-Natal), Bachelor of Arts Honours specialising in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (University of Cape Town) and a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Sciences and Philosophy (University of KwaZulu-Natal). He is currently pursuing a doctoral study focusing on the role of subnational institutions in economic development. His research interest is in the relationship between the State and Development, International Development, Political and Economic Governance, Regional and Local Economic Development and State Institutions. Isaac has previously worked at the South African Local Government Association’s Economic Development and Planning Unit and University of KwaZulu-Natal as a researcher.

ORCID

Isaac Khambule http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4227-6916

Notes

1 South Africa officially adopted its minimum wage at the start of 2017.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences [grant number SDS16/1121].