Measurement of Implementation of Integrated Development Planning: A Conceptual Framework for South African Municipalities

Abstract

The success of municipal development projects is critical in developing countries, in order to promote socio-economic development. South Africa has a relatively new democratic order, which promotes upliftment of communities, through projects which should be aligned with the municipalities’ Integrated Development Plans. However, municipalities are continuing to perform poorly, and communities are becoming increasingly unhappy with the poor quality of services that are provided to them. As such, this article proposes a business approach, in order to realise the goals of integrated development planning, which facilitates socio-economic development. The conceptual framework is based on the theoretical underpinning of the balanced scorecard perspective. The framework integrates the various tiers of government, namely national, provincial and local government, in order to align national initiatives and directives with local government implementation. Moreover, various forms of performance measurement are indicated in the framework, in order to create a genuine commitment from leaders in local government. The relationship between various performance dimensions is also presented in the framework. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the conceptual framework for local government and theory.