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Relational governance for sustainability transitions
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614014479007744 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Callaghan, Nina |
| author2 | Swilling, Mark |
| author_browse | Callaghan, Nina Swilling, Mark |
| author_facet | Swilling, Mark Callaghan, Nina |
| author_sort | Callaghan, Nina |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/129435 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:17.761Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/129435 Relational governance for sustainability transitions Callaghan, Nina Swilling, Mark Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transitions. Sustainable development -- South Africa Environmental policy -- South Africa Political ecology -- South Africa Social change -- South Africa Public administration -- Citizen participation Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. Callaghan, N. 2023. Relational Governance for Sustainability Transitions. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/b2a60f5c-354b-4d1c-9160-b1349bc4ac48 ENGLISH SUMMARY: The discipline of sustainability studies accepts that our world is in polycrisis, characterised by distributed ecological, economic, political and social effects. This thesis explores the role of governance in approaching the polycrisis to find ways to manage the complexity of unfolding transitions and steering towards outcomes for more equitable development. The thesis proposes to build theory for relational governance to imagine a set of ideas and practices that may contribute to more generative outcomes, specifically in response to the enduring effects of state capture in South Africa and the energy transition that is underway. The study makes the case for relational governance as an approach that addresses growing institutional complexity and a loss of state capability in South Africa and elsewhere around the world. This thesis handles a set of relational concepts that is drawn from curated literature and considers governance at the macro-systemic level all the way through to the granular individual level to embrace diverse actors, strategic approaches, and focussed practices that aim for more inclusive and collaborative processes to realise a just transition. The structure, role and function of the state as a central actor in driving and shaping transition pathways is explored alongside a political settlement that enable coalitions of ruling elites, bureaucratic managers, business and civil society leaders to organise around mission-driven development. The literature also proposes ways to understand and improve implementation by building system-wide capability, while appreciating the purposive work that individuals and groups undertake in creating, maintaining and disrupting institutions. These concepts will be applied to the case study of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) to discern whether relational governance modalities are practiced in this institution and to what effect. Semi-structured interviews with members of the PCC will be analysed to reveal synchronicities with the concepts in the literature and how these ideas are being pioneered. The thesis does not purport to evaluate the policy content of the PCC nor compile a typology for good governance that must be emulated; rather, it is a search for learning practices that have resulted in positive outcomes that could help rebuild gutted institutions in the shadow of state capture. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die volhoubaarheidstudiesdissipline aanvaar dat ons wereld ’n polikrisis beleef, gekenmerk deur verspreide ekologiese, ekonomiese, politieke en sosiale gevolge. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die rol van bestuur se benadering tot die polikrisis om maniere te vind om die kompleksiteit van ontvouende oorgange te bestuur en wat na meer regverdige ontwikkelingsuitkomstes lei. Die tesis beoog om teorie vir relasionele bestuur te bou om ’n stel idees en praktyke voor te stel wat tot meer generatiewe uitkomstes kan bydra, spesifiek in reaksie tot die blywende uitwerking van staatskaping op Suid-Afrika en die energie-oorgang wat tans plaasvind. Die studie stel die saak vir relasionele bestuur as ’n benadering wat groeiende institusionele kompleksiteit asook ’n verlies aan staatsvermoe in Suid-Afrika en elders, regoor die wereld, aanspreek. Hierdie tesis behandel ’n stel relasionele konsepte ontgin uit saamgestelde literatuur, en beskou bestuur op die makro-sistemiese vlak regdeur tot die granulere individuele vlak om diverse akteurs, strategiese benaderings en gefokusde praktyke heelhartig te verwelkom wat na meer inklusiewe en samewerkende prosesse streef om ’n regverdige oorgang te verwesenlik. Die struktuur, rol en funksie van die staat as ’n sentrale rolspeler wat die oorgangsroetes dryf en vorm word ondersoek, tesame met ’n politieke skikking wat koalisies van regerende elites, burokratiese bestuurders, en sake- en burgerlike samelewingsleiers in staat stel om rondom missiegedrewe ontwikkeling te organiseer. Die literatuur stel ook maniere voor om implementering te verstaan en te verbeter deur stelselwye vermoe te bou, met waardering vir die doelgerigte werk wat individue en groepe onderneem om instellings te skep, in stand te hou en te ontwrig. Hierdie konsepte sal toegepas word op die gevallestudie van die Presidensiele Klimaatkommissie (PKK) om te bepaal of relasionele bestuursmodaliteite in hierdie instelling toegepas word en met watter uitwerking. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met lede van die PKK sal ontleed word om oorvleuelings met die konsepte in die literatuur te onthul en hoe hierdie idees gepionier word. Die tesis beoog nie om die beleidsinhoud van die PKK te evalueer nie en stel ook nie ’n tipologie vir goeie bestuur saam om nagevolg te word nie; dit is eerder ’n soeke na leerpraktyke wat positiewe uitkomste tot gevolg gehad het wat kan help om instellings wat in die skadu van staatskaping tot niet gemaak is, te herbou. Masters 2023-11-28T15:58:10Z 2024-02-20T11:31:27Z 2023-11-28T15:58:10Z 2024-02-20T11:31:27Z 2023-12-28 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/129435 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xi, 178 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Sustainable development -- South Africa Environmental policy -- South Africa Political ecology -- South Africa Social change -- South Africa Public administration -- Citizen participation Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa UCTD Callaghan, Nina Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title | Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title_full | Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title_fullStr | Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title_short | Relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| title_sort | relational governance for sustainability transitions |
| topic | Sustainable development -- South Africa Environmental policy -- South Africa Political ecology -- South Africa Social change -- South Africa Public administration -- Citizen participation Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/129435 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT callaghannina relationalgovernanceforsustainabilitytransitions |