Party politics, civil society and local democracy – Reflections from Johannesburg
Date
2012
Authors
Benit Gbaffou, Claire
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Geoforum
Abstract
Party politics is generally absent from urban governance or urban politics theories or debates, or present only anecdotally or as a ‘black box’, whilst they are more and more described, especially in Cities of the South, as central to urban societies, access to resources and social dynamics. This paper attempts, through the case of the role of the ANC in civil society in Johannesburg, to uncover some of the place of political parties in urban governance. It first argues that the party local branch is often crucial as a platform of mobilization, expression and debates around local needs, being more structured and able to access channels of decision than other civil society organizations or local government participatory structures. However, its strong embededness in urban local societies also means a form of social control restricting the ability of civil society to revolt and challenge urban policies more radically.
Description
Keywords
Political parties; urban governance; urban politics; local democracy; accountability; participation; clientelism; ANC; Johannesburg.
Citation
Benit Gbaffou,Claire. 2012. Party politics, civil society and local democracy – Reflections from Johannesburg. Geoforum, Special issue on Party Politics, the Poor and the City, 43(2), pp. 178-189.