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Public Administration (PA) as an academic discipline has traditionally been anchored in the principles of state-centric governance, national implementation policies, and the management of domestic public affairs. However, the rise of global and transnational governance has significantly reshaped the context in which public administrators operate. This reality has a direct bearing on the corpus of knowledge taught in PA and the teaching thereof. Preparing for new governance realities and their demands necessitates a review of the competencies that prospective civil servants should have to navigate global and transnational affairs. The purpose of this article is to explore the potential influence of global and transnational governance on the corpus of knowledge of PA and its implications for teaching. It comprises an investigation of the dynamic relationship between the changing landscape of global governance structures, the evolving challenges faced by public administrators, and the adaptation of educational curricula and teaching approaches to equip future civil servants with the requisite competencies, skills, and knowledge. The findings made and the recommendations offered underscore the need for a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to PA teaching in the era of rapid globalisation.

Public institutions, such as the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) increasingly function in multi-project environments to translate strategies successfully into service-delivery initiatives. However, this 'projectification' often causes projects to be designed and executed haphazardly. This can lead to budget and schedule overruns, and the general wastage of an organisation's resources. Project failures often occur where organisations do not ensure that specific projects are aligned with their core strategies. The purpose of this article is to combine the theories and principles of organisation, management, strategic management, and project management in an effort to pinpoint core determinants that can help establish the extent to which an organisation manages the alignment of its strategic projects. In the present study, the author applied the principles of interdisciplinarity, systems thinking, and organisational integration. The combined core determinants that were uncovered were then used in an empirical investigation of SASSA. The purpose of this investigation is to identify particular challenges the organisation faces in aligning their strategies and projects successfully. Thereafter, a number of recommendations follow to address these challenges.

Enter any additional information or requests for the Library here. ; Epistemological constructivism is generally the product of a priori knowledge and a particular interpretation of phenomena. Constructivism within the social sciences can be regarded as a foundational point of departure for purposes of scientific inquiry. A conceptual framework as product of constructivism is usually designed based on a sound theoretical framework, which lies on a much broader cognitive scale of abstraction. An analytical framework is thus forged from a conceptual framework in order to understand the potential (causal) relationships between concepts in the search for meaning. The concepts sustainable development and government are both highly complex and multidimensional. This article attempts to ring-fence the question: What does the role of government entail in sustainable development? To gain understanding of this role a constructivist approach is followed in which a conceptual and an analytical framework are designed for scientific inquiry.

Enter any additional information or requests for the Library here. ; South Africa is characterised by an interdependent, three-sphere system of co-operative government. To foster coordination and co-operation in this system requires alignment of government programmes. Chain thinking provides a logical framework to probe the path of transforming policy into institutional strategies, programmes and projects. In a network of actors and governmental processes it becomes a highly complex endeavour to sift through the various chains in government, in order to pinpoint areas that require more effective cooperation and coordination. By utilising a literature survey in an interpretivist research paradigm, the aim of this paper is to propose dimensions and elements of a public service value-chain network model to provide an analytical and conceptual framework for a detailed analysis of value chains on vertical, horizontal and institutional levels in government.

Enter any additional information or requests for the Library here. ; The emergence of the so-called networked or knowledge society profoundly transforms governance approaches on a global scale by introducing new forms of collaboration and exchange between society and government. Government institutions and agencies had to respond by optimally utilising ICT technology to facilitate e-governance applications for improved interactions with society. In light of this context a skilled and competent workforce for the application of appropriate e-governance technologies is essential. As the administrative leaders of executive institutions (i.e. government departments), civil service managers have to champion and oversee all e-governance applications and practices. Various general training models for capacity-building of civil service managers exist, but a comprehensive competency framework for their e-readiness as far as e-governance applications are concerned, is largely absent. Such a competency framework should be congruent with the unique governance circumstances, applications, operations, e-governance praxis, regulatory framework, and the ICT infrastructure-growth trajectory of a particular country. The purpose of this article is threefold. Firstly, it will outline contextual perspectives regarding the utilisation of ICT in promoting e-governance in general, including an analysis of the seemingly insufficient alignment between government operational demands and the e-readiness (i.e. competencies) of civil service managers. Secondly, the article will explore the South African Government's initiatives in promoting e-governance competencies of its civil service; and thirdly, it will propose a comprehensive competency framework for civil service managers based on a comparative analysis of various models and best practice around the globe.

One of the key tenets of a democracy is legislative oversight over executive authorities. The aims of such oversight are to foster accountable, efficient, responsible, ethical, and transparent governance. However, recent official and media reports in South Africa record a rising trend in the number of unethical, and mismanagement cases in especially the local sphere of government. The media regularly report on often violent service delivery protests across the country. Municipalities are responsible for the design and execution of service delivery projects that have a direct bearing on citizen's lives. Robust oversight of these projects is critical to effect more legitimate local governance. The purpose of this article is to empirically investigate the functioning and utilisation of political oversight structures and mechanisms by reflecting on the opinions and perceptions of senior officials and political representatives (i.e. councillors) in eight local and four district municipalities in Gauteng, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces.

One of the key tenets of a democracy is legislative oversight over executive authorities. The aims of such oversight are to foster accountable, efficient, responsible, ethical, and transparent governance. However, recent official and media reports in South Africa record a rising trend in the number of unethical, and mismanagement cases in especially the local sphere of government. The media regularly report on often violent service delivery protests across the country. Municipalities are responsible for the design and execution of service delivery projects that have a direct bearing on citizen's lives. Robust oversight of these projects is critical to effect more legitimate local governance. The purpose of this article is to empirically investigate the functioning and utilisation of political oversight structures and mechanisms by reflecting on the opinions and perceptions of senior officials and political representatives (i.e. councillors) in eight local and four district municipalities in Gauteng, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces.

Public administration is a highly diverse and evolving field of scientific inquiry. The study domain is characterised further by often-competing paradigmatic perspectives and seemingly endless teaching modalities. There seems to be an increasing realisation that answers to complex societal challenges cannot be solved within the knowledge frameworks of individual disciplines. As a result, interdisciplinary teaching emerged to expose students to approaches, theories and methodologies from various disciplines of the social and natural sciences, in search of potential answers to these challenges. In spite of the qualities and potential contributions of interdisciplinarity, there may be fewer positive consequences for teaching efforts. This article intends to reflect on the potential consequences, both positive and negative, that interdisciplinary studies have on the teaching of public administration. The article will review the possible advantages or contributions of interdisciplinarity to the teaching of public administration, and reflect on the possibly less-desired consequences of interdisciplinary collaboration on curriculum design and teaching methods.

Models are often the envisioned outcome of research endeavours in Public Administration and Management (PAM). Especially post-graduate studies intend to construct models as "ideal type" interventions to improve policy, structures, systems, functions and behaviour in government settings. The scientific underpinnings associated with model construction and the nature of the type of models that are available are, however, often not understood clearly. The purpose of this article is firstly, to gain conceptual clarification about the concept "model" and secondly, to contribute towards constructing a typology of models in PAM as a discipline. Typologies fulfill a classification function. Therefore it is proposed that a typology of models in PAM could aid in an appropriate design of research endeavours to achieve the desired end result and make meaningful contributions to the field of PAM research in general. ; http://www.up.ac.za/en/school-of-public-management-and-administration/article/42689/journals

As project management and performance management as management applications gain momentum in public sector settings, the question often arise as to if, how, and when these applications should complement each other in various policy implementation and service delivery initiatives. Answers to this question should be sought from various vantage points or perspectives. These vantage points may range from macro, meso, micro as well as theoretical-methodological perspectives.The purpose of this paper is to unlock the potential for transdisciplinary contributions between Project Management and Performance Management by focusing on the methodologies, functional areas, and practical applications of both management disciplines. It is argued that the respective methodologies and their processes should be unpacked to identify the timing or moment when each discipline could, and should, make a contribution to the success of the other. This will add value to the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of both study domains in the public sector. The respective contributions are illustrated by means of application realities of both management practices in the South African Public Service.Keywords: project management, performance management, Public Sector applications, transdisciplinarityDisciplines: project management, performance management