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Revamping Local Economic Development Policy in South Africa

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The Geography of South Africa

Part of the book series: World Regional Geography Book Series ((WRGBS))

Abstract

Over the past 25 years, local economic development (LED) issues have been of pressing concern in South Africa. The objective of this chapter is to interpret emerging frameworks and platforms for revamping and redirecting LED in South Africa. The international evidence and debates around LED, particularly in the global South, provide a compelling case for continued efforts to strengthen LED activities rather than revert to top-down policies that have demonstrably failed to deal with local challenges across nearly all of the global South. In South Africa, a major institutional actor in changing LED frameworks is the national Department of Science and Technology (DST). The growing influence of DST thinking on LED policy in South Africa is marked with the release in 2017 of the latest iteration of the National Framework for Local Economic Development, which asserts the centrality of innovation and the imperative to create innovation-driven local economies.

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Acknowledgements

Earlier drafts of material in this chapter were prepared for South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology. The published paper by Andres Rodríguez-Pose and Callum Wilkie provided the inspiration for the title. Usual disclaimers apply.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Christian M. Rogerson

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  1. Christian M. Rogerson
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Correspondence to Christian M. Rogerson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Jasper Knight

  2. School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Christian M. Rogerson

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Rogerson, C.M. (2019). Revamping Local Economic Development Policy in South Africa. In: Knight, J., Rogerson, C. (eds) The Geography of South Africa . World Regional Geography Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94974-1_27

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