1. Call for Papers: The nexus between decentralisation, network
governance and rural livelihoods

                      Guest Editor: Professor Betty C Mubangizi; NRF/SARChI Chair on

Sustainable Local (Rural) Livelihoods. University of KwaZulu-Natal

Introduction

In the context of decentralisation, as embraced by many developing countries, a lot has been written on the value of involving the citizenry in programmes and projects that affect their livelihoods. However, in this Post-Weberian public administration, bureaucratic structures blend their activities with those of other actors operating in the civic and private domain. Thus, within a decentralised government system, a network of actors drawn from the civic structures, private entities and, through, intergovernmental relations, other levels of government are typically involved in the delivery of essential livelihood-impacting services. There is thus a link between decentralisation, network governance and sustainable livelihoods and understanding this nexus is important in designing and monitoring rural development projects.

2. Key Words:
Decentralisation, network governance, pockets of excellence, service delivery, rural livelihoods, and gendered rural poverty.

3. JEL classifications: D73 (Bureaucracy, Administrative processes in public organisations)

4. Motivation

While the poor and the socially excluded in Western societies are likely to be found in towns and cities, in South Africa, and indeed in most African countries, they are more likely to be found in rural and far flung areas of the country and are also most likely to be women. Processes that respond to poverty and social exclusion thus have to take cognisance of not only the spatial aspects but also the gender dimension of poverty and exclusion. Although NGOS and the private sector play a role in addressing the phenomenon of poverty, the role of the state is quintessential in bringing about meaningful change in that respect. This is particularly pertinent to the South African context where the many years of colonial and apartheid policies advanced rural subjugation with women withstanding the worst of these policies. Beyond the effects of colonialism and apartheid, globalisation and climate change are affecting livelihoods leading among others to a rural-urban nexus that is both complementary and interdependent but also un-reciprocal and exploitative.

In Africa, decentralisation has not only brought Government closer to its people, it has also created space for participation within the Local Government sphere. As such, it has greatlyimproved the chances of accelerating service delivery and promoting sustainable livelihoods. However, Mubangizi (2010) is of the opinion that not all citizens within Local Government units have benefited from decentralisation in equal measure. A critical problem with regard to rural-based municipalities is that Local Government institutions are viewed as the main drivers to achieve the ideals of sustainable livelihoods. Yet, as many writers have pointed out, in rural areas, Local Government is often ill equipped to handle developmental challenges (Ntsebeza 2006; Davids 2003 and Mubangizi 2008). Maladministration, inadequate resources, climate change and a plethora of reasons compound to prevent desired development outcomes in rural areas. Yet amidst all this there are notable pockets of excellence where against all odds some public units and entities appear to function quite well and deliver on their promises.

One aspect of decentralisation has been the rise in network governance. Namara, Karyeija and Mubangizi (2015:84) note that LGs in many African countries devised new governance approaches, such as network governance and public–private partnerships, in order to include other players in delivering public services. Usually, such external providers have linkages with each other – thus increasing the complexity. These horizontal and vertical relationships
involving the public, private and community actors in delivering livelihood-impacting services ought to be managed and monitored, and it is this aspect that has seen this interface increasingly becoming the subject of an academic focus.

Against this backdrop, and drawing on organisational theory, institutional theory network governance theory and many others, it is necessary for academics and practitioners to take a more systematic look at the ways in which democratic decentralisation affects pro-poor policy and poverty reduction in rural areas.

In particular, contributors to this Issue will explore what actors, other than local government units, play a role in delivering livelihoods-impacting services and, within such a network of actors, how pro-poor rural friendly goals are interpreted and implemented. We also need to understand and explain how such complex networks of actors are (could be) managed and monitored. Further, we attempt to explore and explain what pockets of excellence exist in rural areas and what features enable them to perform better than other public units in similar settings. In this way, this Issue will provide an avenue for theoretical and empirical analysis on the above while contributing to filling the discourse gap that exists in this context.

5. Novelty and methodology: Original contributions that discuss the intersection between theory and practice and which demonstrate the nexus between decentralisation, network governance and rural livelihoods are encouraged. A multidisciplinary approach to tackling these issues is particularly encouraged.

6. Methods: Contributions of a conceptual nature, of a qualitative, quantitative or mix methods are welcome.

7. Data and empirical analysis: Submission of a conceptual nature, making use of primary and secondary data, descriptive and/or inferential statistical analysis will be considered.

8. Policy considerations: Contributions are expected to flag major conclusions and recommendations for policy consideration by, among others, national government, multilateral organisations.

9. Invited leading contributors: International, regional and national authors (scholars and practitioners) are anticipated to make a contribution to this special issue.

Notes for Prospective Contributors:
Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.

All papers are refereed through a blind peer review process.
All papers must be submitted electronically to Dr Leonard Chitongo ChitongoL@ukzn.ac.za and
Prof Betty Mubangizi: Mubangizib@ukzn.ac.za with the subject line: Journal of Reviews on Global Economics

Important Dates:

Manuscripts submission : 30 February 2020
Notification of acceptance to authors : 30 May 2020
Revisions communicated to authors : 30 June 2020
Final Notification of decision : 25 August 2020
Anticipated publication date : 30 October 2020