Local Government Reform in South Africa: An Analysis of Financial Management Legislative Compliance by Municipalities

Title
Local Government Reform in South Africa: An Analysis of Financial Management Legislative Compliance by Municipalities
Publication Date
2009
Author(s)
Graves, Nigel
Dollery, Brian E
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1002/pad.544
UNE publication id
une:5144
Abstract
South African local government has undergone radical transformation. The reform process included a local government financial management best-practice technical assistance programme (MFMTAP) targeting financial management and especially budget quality reform. Dollery and Graves (2009) earlier examined the efficacy of the South African National Treasury (NT's) municipal budget funding compliance technique for measuring adherence to the Municipal Finance Management Act's (MFMA) budget funding requirements using a single metropolitan municipality case study. This article further evaluates the robustness and validity of the funding compliance instrument as a reform performance measurement tool by comparing the results of four geographically and demographically different municipalities. Also introduced is a performance 'trend' instrument similar to a 'Likert scale' for comparing municipal performance. Optimal tax revenue theory is invoked to examine this key revenue variable for producing a compliant budget. The article finds the 'budget funding' reform component of the Best-Practice Technical Assistance (BPTA) programme presently ineffective and unsustainable.
Link
Citation
Public Administration and Development, 29(5), p. 387-414
ISSN
0271-2075
1099-162X
Start page
387
End page
414

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