The role of infrastructure in accelerating service delivery: lessons learnt from South Africa and China

Abstract

The primary aim of the project was to investigate municipalities whose record in the delivery of basic services stand out as instances of good practice. The particular objectives of the study were to: * identify and use comparative case studies from South Africa and China to showcase programmes from a best practice perspective; * analyse policies and programmes at the municipal level; * engage local officials and recipients of service delivery in order to arrive at a more textured understanding of primary challenges and possible solutions; * explore the impacts of intangible infrastructure on the provision of basic services; and * make recommendations based on lessons learnt and best practice interventions in each country in order to accelerate service delivery.