Research and Documentation

State of Local Governance Review Project

The State of Local Governance Review is the flagship research project of the network and is intended to produce an annual civil society-based assessment of the key challenges, debates and areas of progress with regard to governance and development at local level in South Africa, and to provide local government policy-makers and practitioners with practical recommendations to improve policy, guidelines, systems and interventions where necessary. Through the member organisations of the GGLN, the project will involve extensive consultation with communities and representatives of organised civil society to collect information and experiences and to verify the findings of the research.

The first report of the SoLG project (2008) was entitled "Local Democracy in Action: A Civil Society Perspective on Local Governance in South Africa." The second report (2009/2010) of the SoLG was on the theme of leadership -“Ethical Leadership and Political Culture in Local Government: A Civil Society Perspective on Local Governance in South Africa”. The theme of the third and current report is ‘Citizen Voices and Dissatisfaction’.

The Citizen Voices and Dissatisfaction theme provides us with a useful analytical lens through which to view a changing context and current challenges in local government.

Call for contributions from members

Research Grants

The purpose of the research grant is to support the generation and documentation of knowledge that supports the objectives of the network. The research activities that will be eligible for support include, but are not limited to action research, surveys, case studies and popularising research findings. The main focus of funding support will be applied research. However, proposals for research of a more theoretical nature will also be considered. 

For more information on the research grant, the application process, assessment criteria and funding conditions and restrictions, please click here. Please complete an application form to access support from this grant.

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All publications emanating from these projects are published on this website.