Cost Recovery and the Crisis of Service Delivery in South Africa

Cost Recovery and the Crisis of Service Delivery in South Africa
Author: David A. McDonald
Publisher: Zed Books
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2002
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

There has been a dramatic shift worldwide from welfare municipalism - where the state both subsidized and provided essential municipal services - to a neoliberal vision of balanced budgets, fiscal restraint and privatization. Cost recovery is at the heart of this new municipal vision with far reaching implications for access to services, affordability and privatization. This book brings together a theoretical and empirical review of the impact of cost recovery on basic municipal services such as water, refuse collection and electricity, with particular reference to South Africa. It describes the theory and practice of cost recovery and presents six case studies drawing on participatory and ethnographic research. The final chapter examines alternative future possibilities, reformist or equity-oriented.

Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation

Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation
Author: Alexander Henderson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2014-10-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317519949

Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation provides a comprehensive and clear review of the theories and practices of structuring and managing complex local government services. Intended for both students and practitioners, this volume in the Public Solutions Handbook Series addresses concepts and processes of shaping collaborative arrangements in public service with goals of effectiveness and efficiency in mind. The Handbook begins with a review of theories of shared services and consolidation, highlighting conceptual foundations, practical barriers, and cultural considerations related to these efforts. Specific, practical advice follows, highlighting the processes of creating, implementing, and managing shared services and consolidation agreements. Municipal Shared Services and Consolidation is exceptionally well written and is amplified by examples, cases, illustrations, and a comprehensive bibliography.