The place of participation in South African local democracy. Editorial.

Abstract

This collection of papers attempts to start bringing together these different approaches, relying on different methodologies and disciplines, in order to deepen our understanding of the interaction, at the local level, between social movements and the political system, understood as the power structures of local government, the electoral system and local party politics. In other terms, what are the relations between civic and social movements1 on the one hand, and local government structures and politics on the other hand? How does the latter shape political opportunity for social movements – and how does it set up constraints and limits to their development and action? How in return do social movements shape local government practices, and possibly policies – in other words, what is not only the nature, but more importantly the political outcome of social movements’ intervention in urban governance?