IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/poango/v9y2021i2p381-392.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Economic Transitions in South Africa’s Secondary Cities: Governing Mine Closures

Author

Listed:
  • Lochner Marais

    (Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, Australia / Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Verna Nel

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Kholisa Rani

    (Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Deidré van Rooyen

    (Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Kentse Sesele

    (Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Phia van der Watt

    (Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa)

  • Lyndon du Plessis

    (Department of Public Administration and Management, University of the Free State, South Africa)

Abstract

Many South African secondary cities depend on a single economic sector, often mining or manufacturing. This makes them vulnerable to economic change and national decision-making. We describe change in three secondary cities—Emalahleni, Matjhabeng and Newcastle—all at different phases of economic transition due to imminent mine closure. We investigate the way local governance and planning are dealing with the change. We draw on concepts from institutional economics and evolutionary governance theory, material from strategic planning documents, and approximately 50 key informant interviews. We show how difficult it is to steer economic planning during economic transitions, and we demonstrate how both economic change and governance are path-dependent. Path dependency in South Africa’s mining towns has several causes: the colonial influence, which emphasised extraction and neglected beneficiation; the dominance of a single sector; the long-term problems created by mining; and the lack of the skills needed to bring about economic change. The local governments’ continuing reliance on the New Public Management paradigm, which focuses on steering as opposed to building networks, compounds the problem, along with poor governance, inadequate local capacity and inappropriate intergovernmental relations. Of the three towns, only Newcastle has shown signs of taking a new path.

Suggested Citation

  • Lochner Marais & Verna Nel & Kholisa Rani & Deidré van Rooyen & Kentse Sesele & Phia van der Watt & Lyndon du Plessis, 2021. "Economic Transitions in South Africa’s Secondary Cities: Governing Mine Closures," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 381-392.
  • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v9:y:2021:i:2:p:381-392
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v9i2.4032
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/4032
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/pag.v9i2.4032?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tony Binns & Etienne Nel, 2003. "The Village in a Game Park: Local Response to the Demise of Coal Mining in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 79(1), pages 41-66, January.
    2. Douglass C. North, 2005. "Introduction to Understanding the Process of Economic Change," Introductory Chapters, in: Understanding the Process of Economic Change, Princeton University Press.
    3. Hugo Sarmiento & Chris Tilly, 2018. "Governance Lessons from Urban Informality," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 199-202.
    4. Marais, Lochner, 2013. "Resources policy and mine closure in South Africa: The case of the Free State Goldfields," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 363-372.
    5. Hugo Sarmiento & Chris Tilly, 2018. "Governance Lessons from Urban Informality," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 199-202.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lochner Marais & Verna Nel & Kholisa Rani & Deidré van Rooyen & Kentse Sesele & Phia van der Watt & Lyndon du Plessis, 2021. "Economic Transitions in South Africa’s Secondary Cities: Governing Mine Closures," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 381-392.
    2. Liz Richardson & Catherine Durose & Beth Perry, 2018. "Coproducing Urban Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 145-149.
    3. Yugang Li & Xiuyuan Fang, 2024. "Comparing the Effects of Corporate Strategic Deviance on Corporate Growth and Corporate Profit: Evidence from Chinese Firms," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    4. Gregorio Rius-Sorolla & Sofía Estelles-Miguel & Carlos Rueda-Armengot, 2020. "Multivariable Supplier Segmentation in Sustainable Supply Chain Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Kerekes, Carrie B. & Williamson, Claudia R., 2008. "Unveiling de Soto's mystery: property rights, capital formation, and development," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 299-325, December.
    6. Laura E. Grube, 2015. "The role of culture in the persistence of traditional leadership: evidence from KwaZulu Natal, South Africa," Chapters, in: Laura E. Grube & Virgil Henry Storr (ed.), Culture and Economic Action, chapter 17, pages 375-397, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Daniel Alonso-Martínez & Nuria González-Álvarez & Mariano Nieto, 2021. "Does international patent collaboration have an effect on entrepreneurship?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 539-559, December.
    8. Richard Langlois, 2013. "The Institutional Revolution: A review essay," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 26(4), pages 383-395, December.
    9. Gani, Azmat & Scrimgeour, Frank, 2014. "Modeling governance and water pollution using the institutional ecological economic framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 363-372.
    10. Gianluca Marchi & Giuseppe Nardin, 2014. "Alleanze internazionali e mercati emergenti: l?esperienza del distretto ceramico di Sassuolo," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(2), pages 44-54.
    11. Luis Alfonso Dau & Aya S. Chacar & Marjorie A. Lyles & Jiatao Li, 2022. "Informal institutions and international business: Toward an integrative research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 985-1010, August.
    12. Jeffery S. McMullen & Dimo Dimov, 2013. "Time and the Entrepreneurial Journey: The Problems and Promise of Studying Entrepreneurship as a Process," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1481-1512, December.
    13. repec:mje:mjejnl:v:12:y:2017:i:2:p:25-70 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Emil Evenhuis, 2017. "Institutional change in cities and regions: a path dependency approach," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(3), pages 509-526.
    15. Karla Hoff & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2010. "Equilibrium Fictions: A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 141-146, May.
    16. Tracy Xiao Liu & Jenna Bednar & Yan Chen & Scott Page, 2019. "Directional behavioral spillover and cognitive load effects in multiple repeated games," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 22(3), pages 705-734, September.
    17. Ricardo Moutinho & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira & Arnaldo Coelho & José Pires Manso, 2016. "Determinants of knowledge-based entrepreneurship: an exploratory approach," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 171-197, March.
    18. Fiona Kun Yao & Kaifeng Jiang & Danielle R. Combs & Song Chang, 2022. "Informal institutions and absorptive capacity: A cross-country meta-analytic study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 1091-1109, August.
    19. Joachim Ahrens & Patrick Jünemann, 2011. "Adaptive Efficiency and Pragmatic Flexibility: Characteristics of Institutional Change in Capitalism, Chinese-style," Chapters, in: Werner Pascha & Cornelia Storz & Markus Taube (ed.), Institutional Variety in East Asia, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Omar Al-Ubaydli, 2011. "How Large Looms the Ghost of the Past? State Dependence versus Heterogeneity in Coordination Games," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 78(2), pages 273-286, October.
    21. Zelong Wei & Hao Shen & Kevin Zheng Zhou & Julie Juan Li, 2017. "How Does Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Matter in a Dysfunctional Institutional Environment? Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 209-223, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v9:y:2021:i:2:p:381-392. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.