Social innovation and service delivery by local government: a comparative perspective

English: Orientation: An increase in the world population, estimated at 7.3 billion mid 2015 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2015:1), inevitably puts pressure on the availability of resources (food, water, energy, and shelter, to name a few). Successfully meeting this demand for resources, and ultimately delivering sustainable services to societal needs, will depend to a large extent on the processes that are implemented by local government(s) (LG/LGs) and on how these needs are met through citizen participation and innovation. It is noted, therefore, that social innovation (SI) is often utilised by LGs to address the demand for resources and ultimately deliver sustainable services to societal needs of the twenty-first century (Sørensen & Torfing 2011:847; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2014; Cipolla & Moura 2012:44; Novy & Leubolt 2005:2023–2034; Hart, Jacobs, & Mhula 2013:29). The real measure of SI is in its application resulting in sustainable services for its users (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions 2013:7), which is often seen as the creation of public value (Meričkova, Nemec, & Svidronova 2015:532). Providing sustainable services and creating public value through service delivery seem to confront LGs globally with the challenge of how to effectively use SI in the improvement of service delivery. In light of this, this thesis investigates the use of SI in the service delivery of LG through a comparative look at the City of Ghent (CoG) (East Flanders province, Belgium) and the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) (Free State province, SA). Research purpose: The purpose of this study is embedded in contextual research, explanatory research, and generative research. Through contextual research, the use of SI during LG service delivery (referred to as the or a phenomenon), as well as how it exists within the different LG contexts, was explored. Explanatory research highlighted the driving forces behind the use of SI during LG service delivery and its occurrences, examining reasons for associations between what exists regarding the nature of the phenomenon and how the phenomenon is organised in different local contexts. Generative research was used in respect of the public administration and SI discourses, the policy and LG spheres in Belgium (East Flanders province) and SA (Free State province), the LG service delivery environments in the CoG and the MMM, and the framework for the enhanced use of SI in LG service delivery. Motivation for the study: This study was carried out in view of SI remaining a latent area in the South African LG sphere despite its growing use in public sector service delivery globally, with specific reference to LG. The increased utilisation of SI in LG service delivery globally thus warrants exploration. A comprehensive understanding of the use of SI in LG service delivery was therefore deemed important in order to inform a framework for the enhanced use of SI during LG service delivery. Lastly, service delivery challenges in the MMM makes it prudent to investigate alternative strategies, such as SI, in order to improve LG service delivery. Research design, approach and method: Through a qualitative research design, combined with a case study approach, the use of SI during service delivery was explored as a phenomenon about which little is known and which requires a holistic understanding. Qualitative research methods were used to both collect and analyse the data, and data collection instruments included documents (naturally occurring data), semi-structured interviews (generated data), and focus group discussions (generated data). Main findings: From the shortcomings of traditional Public Administration (PA), New Public Management (NPM), and New Public Governance (NPG) regarding citizen participation in LG service delivery, it is clear that a Pubic Administration and governance theory should be developed that will be able to position citizen participation as central to LG service delivery. The findings illustrate that open governance systems would not automatically result in sustainable, quality, and quantity service delivery, as this depends extensively on who participates in devising solutions as well as on the delivery and governance of services. During the governance of services in the LG service delivery system, social systems and technical systems should be used in equilibrium in order to address the complex societal challenges of the twenty-first century. In respect of collaboration, this study highlighted that the use of SI during the co-production of LG service delivery is premised on a symbiotic, interdependent, and reciprocal relationship between citizens, LG officials, and politicians. Practical implications: The practical implications highlighted by this study include, first, the meticulous planning of citizen participation when SI is used during the respective stages of the co-production service delivery cycle. Further, a conducive internal organisational context is required that advances citizen participation in the governance and decision-making of service delivery but which is likewise optimal for enhancing the use of SI during the respective co-production service delivery stages. Adding to this, LG officials and politicians have an important role to play in understanding the value proposition of participation in service delivery to citizens. This value proposition is integral to building and establishing a relationship of trust between citizens, LG officials and politicians. Lastly, consensus concerning the concept of SI, its use, and its implementation is important in light of its consistent use and application within a municipality. Contribution: Over decades, public sector organisations globally have been undergoing various transformations in attempts to improve how they exercise their primary responsibility of service delivery. These transformations influenced the functioning of these organisations, their service delivery processes and systems, their policy implementation, and their governance of decision-making. In the main, these transformations were guided by the introduction of public administration and governance theories, amongst which PA, NPM, and NPG, that influenced the practice of public administration and management during certain timeframes. Amidst these transformations, meaningful citizen participation has not been receiving the attention it deserves, although the implementation of citizen participation by public sector organisations has evolved immensely since the introduction of PA. These organisations are challenged with finding a balance between meeting citizens’ growing service delivery demands and expectations, whilst simultaneously facilitating meaningful citizen participation in governing service delivery and deriving solutions to complex societal and service delivery challenges confronting citizens. To strike this balance, the present thesis presents the use of SI during LG service delivery in order to stimulate the discourse regarding the use of SI within the academic discipline of PA as well as in its practice. It is hoped that this will encourage scholars to investigate the relevance of the conventional PA and governance theories for addressing the complex service delivery problems of the twenty-first century. Further, the study aims to establish the use of SI in LG service delivery as a priority on the PA research agenda. Adding to this, the study presents novel insights regarding similarities as well as differences in the use of SI through a comparative perspective between two LGs, namely the MMM and CoG. Based on the findings from the focus groups and semi-structured interviews, a framework is introduced for the adoption of an SI strategy. This strategy offers a practical approach to the use of SI by outlining the respective roles of citizens, LG officials, and politicians as the triad that underlies the use of SI during service delivery. The framework provided through the adoption of this SI strategy gives citizens political and administrative accountability, builds trust, gives citizens ownership in joint problem solving, empowers citizens through participatory decision-making processes, and advances democratic principles and values. This strategy proposes that convergence between the technical and social systems is central to the use of SI and its use in improving service delivery.