The roots of civic apathy in local government

The dissertation deals with the roots of civic apathy in local government, and the main emphasis is to establish the root cause/s of civic apathy. The hypothesis: 'civic apathy is a phenomenon intensified by ignorance and a feeling of powerlessness and frustration on the electorate' is tested in this study. To examine further specific aspects of civic apathy, including establishing the cause/s and effects of apathy, the author conducted a quantitative research in the Northern Metropolitan Area m Johannesburg, using questionnaires and literature study as the research method. The hypothesis advanced in the dissertation has been validated insofar as it has been argued and demonstrated that indeed people can feel powerless and frustrated if they are deliberately being excluded from, or denied the opportunity to participate actively in their local government activities. The main finding is that civic apathy is intensified by ignorance. However, the most important finding is that there ts a causal relationship between powerlessness, frustration and apathy.Public Administration and ManagementM. Admin. (Public Administration

The impact of government housing subsidies in Alexandra-Gauteng

The purpose of the study was to investigate and examine the impact of the government housing subsidies in Alexandra, Gauteng, in terms of improving the socio-economic conditions of poor people. The ANC government promised to change the material conditions of people by among other things eliminating poverty when it ascended to power. Access to adequate housing is regarded as a fundamental right in terms of the prescripts of the South African constitution. By implication the government has a developmental duty to provide housing to eligible citizens. A policy decision by government in 1995 to provide housing subsidies to poor households, particularly those earning between R0-3500 rand provided a significant catalyst in the objective to improve the socio-economic conditions of poor people. That is why the study was conducted in the Alexandra Township, given the proximity of the area to affluent suburbs such as Sandton. This also provided a perfect case study to measure the effectiveness of the housing subsidy system and how the system has been managed to maximise the housing delivery impact in terms of outcomes. In terms of research findings, the expectation was that delivery of low cost housing using government subsidies should not have experienced problems on housing delivery backlogs and administrative blockages. The research results revealed that the failure to quickly improve the socio-economic conditions of poor people through providing adequate housing and creating a progressive environment to create and access job opportunities has exacerbated the state of poverty, which perpetuates dependency on state assistance. The research findings further showed that there is no conclusive evidence that many if not all beneficiaries were using their subsidised house as an asset in terms of leveraging it to improve their financial position; and that there is still a high level of dependency on government for assistance even on maintenance of these units, especially after taking ownership. This has exposed a grave lack of knowledge or information on the side of beneficiaries on how to utilise the house as an asset in order to be progressive as far as improving social and economic conditions. The overall research results demonstrated that vi the existing low cost housing funding model (in Gauteng) is not sustainable in terms of delivering subsidised housing units; and significantly improving the quality of life and standard of living of poor people. In terms of limitations, the study took to account that the new government needed enough time to translate policy into concrete implementable ideas as far as housing was concerned, hence the period of study was from 1995 to 2012. This study is important because its findings contribute knowledge in the field of Public Administration and housing literature; and also assists the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) to explore recommended solutions to improve the Housing Subsidy System. Most importantly, the study provides valuable data relating to the impact of government housing subsidies, including challenges on housing allocations and subsidies management. The study concludes with recommendations on what an effective government subsidy programme should look like. This provides an opportunity to review the entire government subsidy system, as recommended in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 vision. The government of the day needs to urgently review the existing grant and subsidy regime for housing with a view to ensuring diversity in product and finance options that allows for more household choice and greater spatial mix and flexibility. Moreover, government should ensure that state funding does not support the further provision of non-strategic housing investments in poorly located areas.Public AdministrationD.P.A