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Category: Project

Description: The overall aim of the research project is to explore people’s support of state-led participatory processes in local planning in post-apartheid urban South Africa. The research builds on the rich collection of research on participatory urban governance in South Africa (see e.g. Bénit-Gbaffou, 2015; Lemanski, 2017; Miraftab & Wills, 2005; Piper & Van Donk). It contributes to it by exploring participatory processes from the people’s perspective – a perspective, which has remained relatively under-explored in planning so far (Zakhour, 2020). Furthermore, a particular focus lies on unpacking how people’s support of participation, might vary within settlements depending on their existing relationship with the state. It is thereby assumed that the state-citizen relationship in post-apartheid South Africa is inter alia shaped by the state support (here: housing) that people receive(d) from the state. The research thus addresses the following questions: What forms of participatory processes are supported by the people? In what way does the existing citizen-state relationship inform people’s support of participation? The research builds on survey data, which is collected through face-to-face interviews in ward 49, Braamfischerville, a low-income residential area north of Soweto, Johannesburg (South Africa). Respondents are selected according to a convenience sampling strategy, with the criteria of respondents being adults (over 18 years of age), residents of ward 49 and either South African citizens or having a permanent residence permit. Furthermore, hard quotas are applied for gender (50% quota) and age (equal quotas for young people (34 and younger), middle-aged (35-44) and older adults (45 and above)). The sample furthermore consists of two groups; the first consisting of people living in state-subsidized housing (RDP houses), the second of people living in backyard dwellings without state support. In total, the study is based on a sample of 500 participants. The questionnaire consists of different parts and includes a factorial survey (FS) experiment (vignette experiment). The factorial design allows the examination of how different attributes of participatory processes have an effect on people’s support. It furthermore allows the unpacking of how levels of support might vary within a settlement. The study is accompanied by interviews with local experts and the survey is qualitatively and quantitatively pre-tested. The respondents will each be randomly assigned to the different vignettes – this thus represents a randomized controlled trial.