Public Administration Challenges: Cases from Africa offers useful knowledge about typical lived realities of public administration in an African context. 

Researched case studies enrich scholarly knowledge and understanding for public officials to better understand and manage the complex public administration challenges that they face. The case studies in this volume serve to integrate contextual knowledge and experience with theory in view of building an ethical, capable and developmental public service.

The case studies in this volume were borne from the partnership between the South African National School for Government (NSG) and European Union (EU). The project involved 25 researchers from five South African universities, the Ghana Institute of Public Management and Administration (GIMPA) and Particip (Germany). 

The book’s 15 case studies report on typical challenges in public administration in South Africa and Ghana by looking at:

• The Disastrous Gauteng Mental Health Marathon Project
• Child Support, School Nutrition And Feeding Programmes In South Africa And Ghana
• Governance And Accountability In Securing A Service-Provider To Pay Social Grants
• Financial Governance Challenges In South African Municipalities
• Problems With Wastewater In Emfuleni And With Providing Public Toilets In Ghana
• Access To Higher Education And Sustainable Risk Management At A Technical And Vocational Education And Training (TVET) College In South Africa
• Implementing Monitoring And Evaluation Frameworks And Social Innovation In South African Municipalities
• Employment Equity In The South African Police Service
• Employee Health And Wellness In The Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Administration.

Public Administration Challenges: Cases from Africa makes an original contribution to public administration scholarship. It can aid public servants in mastering statecraft and can enhance the skills and expertise needed to serve the public efficiently and professionally. 

The book can benefit subject specialists, public officials, students and anyone interested in public administration.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Case studies as an approach to challenges in public administration

PART 1: CARING AND PROTECTING

• Chapter 2: The management of a policy implementation project: The disastrous Gauteng Mental Health Marathon Project
• Chapter 3: A policy instrument to relieve child poverty: The case of the child support grant in South Africa
• Chapter 4:  Implementation of a national school nutrition programme:The case of selected South African schools
• Chapter 5: The political-administrative interface and unintended consequences of public policy: The case of the Ghana School Feeding Programme 

PART 2: PROMOTING QUALITY OF LIFE

• Chapter 6: Perspectives from below on Emfuleni’s wastewater woes: In search of resolving a wicked problem
• Chapter 7: Democratic governance and development: The case of public toilet provision in district communities in Ghana
• Chapter 8: A rapid change in public policy: The case of access to higher education in South Africa
• Chapter 9: Social innovation to enhance service delivery by local government: The case of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality

PART 3: ENABLE FOR SUCCESS

• Chapter 10: Governance and accountability in public-sector procurement: The case of procuring a service-provider for social grant payments
• Chapter 11: Co-operative financial governance: A case study of the distressed Mpofana Local Municipality in South Africa
• Chapter 12: Sustained poor audit outcomes: The case of the Amathole District Municipality
• Chapter 13: Employment equity and an improved quality of life: The case of a white woman and the South African Police Service
• Chapter 14: Supervisor training as antecedent to employee health and wellness programmes: The case of the Provincial Administration of KwaZulu-Natal
• Chapter 15: Sustainable risk management in the TVET sector: The case of a typical college
• Chapter 16: Implementing monitoring and evaluation at local government level: The case of a South African district municipality 

PART 4: RESEARCH-INFORMED PRACTICE 

• Chapter 17: Researched cases: Authentic scenarios as a way of learning for public administrators
• Index