SACN urban governance indicator development report

Abstract

This project was commissioned by the Southern African Cities Network (SACN) to develop sub-national governance indicators for South African cities. To achieve this the project draws from relevant literature that takes into account the aim of the State of Cities Report in order to tell a governance story. The project also aims to strike a balance between internal indicators used within local governance for performance measurement and external indicators used to measure the quality of governance and wider development outcomes The objectives as stipulated above were strictly adhered to in the execution of this project, and also, an Urban Governance Index (UGI) was constructed to serve as a point of convergence for the sub-national governance indicators. The UGI will be a criterion for monitoring, evaluating, measuring and reviewing the quality of governance in South African Cities and a framework for developing the required database of indicators needed to tell a governance story in line with international best practices. The UGI will also help to quickly identify which challenges emerge in the governance of South African cities for immediate policy redress and intervention.