Creating Enhanced Capacity for Local Economic Development (LED) through Collaborative Governance in South Africa

Abstract

The complexities of the twenty-first century have paved way for the emergence and proliferation of cross boundary collaboration in the lexicon of localised and territorial development. Collaborative governance is increasingly playing a vital role in addressing the multi-dimensional challenges of the contemporary era. This paper seeks to contextualise collaborative governance as a possible remedy that could help to salvage the incapacitated municipalities and be more resourceful in their developmental mandate of fostering localised territorial development. In addition, the article discusses some of the contextual limitations of commonly applied state-led and civilpowered approaches to address socio-economic problems in municipalities. To constitute a resilient collaborative governance capable of improving system management and responsiveness to socio-economic issues in municipalities, the paper tends to shed light on the emergence of another type of approach, the hybridcentric collaborative approach. Given this scenario, what would be the specific roles and relationship between the state and non-state?