Increasing efficiency or closing doors? The changing role of the state in participatory development

Democracy in South Africa is stronger than ever and has profoundly altered the nature of participation in urban development projects. Recent changes in South African national policy coupled with a shift in service provision from central to local government have had significant effects on development projects at the local level. Given the growing support for community participation in north and south, research by the South Bank University investigates data from eighteen South African community development projects over the last fifteen years. It examines the changing role of national government, the nature of participation and the impact this is having on national and local institutions.