Academic literature on the topic 'Political planning – Lesotho – Citizen participation'

Simple observation of planning practices in Eastern and Western Europe reveal a substantial gap in citizen participation between the post-socialist societies and the highly developed countries. This gap was created recently during the continent’s history and is reflected in an uneven distribution of social capital and democratic attitudes. During the last 30 years Western societies developed their civic consciousness and improved their democratic procedures; while citizen activities in the East was constrained by socialist regimes, then dissipated by the system transformation and only now is slowly reviving. How can social and political distance? Development of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools seems to stimulate social cohesion of European countries. The Internet creates new forms of social life, giving new opportunities for citizen involvement and strongly influences public decision-making systems. Examples of e-participation in planning from both sides of the continent suggest that this gap is not necessarily as big as it appears to be. This article compares online participation tools offered in Poland and Germany. Analyzing three complimentary aspects of e-participation in planning: “transparency,” “spatiality,” and “interactivity.” The results are expressed further in the article.

Citizen participation in the city development planning process is guaranteed by law in every civil society. In Poland, the participation of local communities in spatial planning has been evolving since the political transformation of the years 1989/1990. Changes that occur in the participation process are a result of the formation of civil society and a resulting increase in social awareness on possibilities of expressing one's needs and influencing planning decisions of local governments, as well as modifications in laws and regulations. The article presents the experience gathered in the field of extended social participation in the procedure of drawing up local spatial development plans, on the example of ongoing work on plans for the village of Józefosław in Piaseczno, nearby Warsaw. The problems identified in the area covered by the plans and their origins have been characterized, the assumptions of the plans, whose main purpose is to alleviate diagnosed problems and respond to the needs of the inhabitants, articulated at various stages of the planning process. Then the scope and results of the various phases of social participation – preplanning and based on formal planning procedures – have been described. The experience gained from the phase of public consultation during the preparation of local plans for the village of Józefosław allowed us to draw more general conclusions about participatory procedures specified in the binding regulations, which were included in the summary.

Public participation in urban planning is a contested issue in China. In this article, we look at the endogenous mechanism of institutional change, by analyzing the roles and motivations of “third-party” planning professionals in two contrasting cases: a government-led and a citizen-led participatory practice. Findings show that planners were advocates of citizen participation in heritage preservation in both cases and acted as “mediators” in the first and “activists” in the second, yet remained within the mainstream planning structure. Their motivation to serve the rights of the citizens was clear, but subordinate to the drive to conform to the professional norms of authenticity in preservation in both cases. In contrast to both the Global North where more agonistic approaches question inclusive planning and the Global South where insurgent planning finds space to maneuver, Chinese urban planning seems to proceed by taking small steps within narrow margins when it comes to citizen engagement.

In both policy and research, civic engagement and citizen participation are concepts commonly used as important dimensions of social sustainability. However, as migration is a global phenomenon of huge magnitude and complexity, citizen participation is incomplete without considering the political and ethical concerns about immigrants being citizens or non-citizens, or ‘the others’. Although research on citizen participation has been a frequent topic in local government studies in Sweden, the inclusiveness and exclusiveness of terms used in the context of local political engagement, which are addressed in this article, has not received attention. This article examines the Swedish case by analyzing information provided by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and by websites of all 290 municipalities as well terms used in selected research publications on local participation. Additionally, this article studies the effectiveness of municipal websites in providing information to their residents about how they can participate in local democracy. The results show that the term citizen is commonly and incorrectly used both by local authorities and the Association. The article concludes that the term citizen is a social construction of exclusiveness and the use of the term citizen should be avoided in political and civic engagement except for the limited topics that require formal citizenship.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was embarked upon to evaluate the contribution which World Vision as agent and catalyst of development has made towards addressing social issues in Lesotho. Specifically, the study evaluates Taung Area Development Programme which is one of the World Vision community development programmes established to improve social conditions in the rural communities particularly, in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane and Qhalasi. The study seeks to investigate three important areas; 1. Participation: to assess whether the communities have been involved in the planning of the projects, identified their own priorities for the projects or used their lands and other resources to exercise control over their economic, social and cultural development. 2. Empowerment: to assess how the projects have strengthened the capacity of local communities. This includes the transfer of skills through training for the purpose of equipping people to engage in their own development. 3. Sustainability: to assess the long-term viability of the projects. Data was gathered through the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. To conduct both methods a snowball technique was applied. The data gathered was tabulated in graphs and pie charts. The results were then discussed and analysed in terms of the aims of this research. Regarding participation, the findings of the study revealed that to a large extent people were able to participate in the planning of the projects. People were able to identify their objectives and make a decision to embark on Income Generating Activities (IGA) such as raising poultry and pigs, sewing, and making baskets, candles and soap. The IGA enabled project members to feed and earn income for their families. The study further revealed that while certain people were able to participate in the planning of their projects, in development activities such as the building of feeder roads, people’s participation was minimal. This blueprint and top down planning approach allowed for little public participation. The study also found that World Vision’s religious involvement was appreciated for the moral support it provided. Another important issue the study brought to light was that people had an opportunity to use their indigenous knowledge in their projects. Regarding empowerment, almost all the respondents believed that World Vision played an important role by training people to handle various activities within projects. Apart from the training given, people also acquired different skills and knowledge. Most of the respondents acquired technical and economic knowledge, while others became skilful in farming and health matters as well as in handcraft. Empowerment in the Taung Area Development Programme has also manifested itself through the improved living conditions of the local people. The study found that infrastructure such as schools and roads have been established. As regards primary health care, respondents indicated that they had access to clean water due to the presence of a community tap. HIV/AIDS awareness, disease prevention campaigns and the building of toilets have contributed to improved living conditions in the Taung Area Development Programme. Though HIV/AIDS awareness and disease prevention campaigns were essential for primary health care, few people were knowledgeable about deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS. As a result there was still a need for World Vision to underpin the spread of HIV/AIDS awareness within the communities. Sustainability has been attributed to the long-term survival of the development projects and their future operation. The findings of this study confirmed that people in the Taung Area Development Programme were optimistic that the skills and knowledge they have acquired, and the projects themselves will generate resources and continue to operate after World Vision’s departure, especially with regard to IGA projects. The study results confirmed that people who mainly engaged in development activities such as at Qhalasi showed that they could only utilise their skills and knowledge to a small degree. The main conclusion reached by the study is that the Taung Area Development Programme as one of World Vision’s programmes has to a large extent transformed the lives of the local people. As a result of World Vision involvement in the Taung Area Development Programme, people-centred development is manifestly seen to promote the participation and empowerment of the people as well as the sustainability of the development projects.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bydrae wat World Vision as agent en katalisator van ontwikkeling gemaak het om sosiale kwessies in Lesotho aan te spreek te bepaal. Die studie, meer spesifiek evalueer die Taung Area Develoment Programme, wat een van World Vision se gemeenskapontwikkelingprogramme is wat gevestig is om maatskaplike toestande in landelike gebiede te bevorder veral in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane en Qhalasi. Die studie poog om drie belangrike areas te ondersoek; 1. Deelname: om te bepaal of gemeenskappe betrek was by die beplanning van die projekte, deur die identifikasie van hulle eie prioriteite vir die projekte, of die gebruik van hul grond en ander hulpmiddels om beheer oor hul eie ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele ontwikkeling uit te oefen. 2. Bemagtiging: om vas te stel in watter mate die programme die kapasiteit van plaaslike gemeenskappe versterk het. Dit sluit in die oordrag van vaardighede deur opleiding, om mense toe te rus om in hulle eie ontwikkeling betrokke te raak. 3. Volhoubaarheid: om die langtermyn lewensvatbaarheid van die projekte te bepaal. Data is versamel deur die gebruik van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data-insamelingstegnieke. Om albei tegnieke uit te voer was die sneeubal steekproeftegniek toegepas. Die data wat versamel was, is in grafieke aangebied. Die resultate was daarna geanaliseer en bespreek in terme van hierdie studie se doelstellings. Met betrekking tot deelname, het die bevindings van die studie bewys dat die betrokke mense in ’n groot mate bevoeg was om deel te neem aan die beplanning van die projekte. Mense was bevoeg om doelwitte te identifiseer en besluite te neem om inkomste-genererende aktiwiteite (IGA) aan te pak. Die aktiwiteite het pluimvee en varkboerdery, naaldwerk, en die maak van mandjies, kerse en seep ingesluit. Die IGA het dit vir projeklede moontlik gemaak om kos en ’n inkomste vir hulle families te verdien. Die studie het verder vasgestel dat, afgesien van die feit dat sommige mense bevoeg was om aan die beplanning van hul projekte deel te neem, die deelname in ontwikkelingsprojekte soos die bou van toeganspaaie, minimaal was. Die tipiese “van bo na onder’’ voorskriftelike benadering tot beplanning het min geleentheid vir publieke deelname toegelaat. Die studie het ook bevesting dat die godsdienstige betrokkenheid van World Vision, weens die morele ondersteuning wat dit bied, hoog gewaardeer was. Nog ’n belangrike aspek wat die studie aan die lig gebring het, was dat die mense die kans gebied was om hul inheemse kennis in hul projeke aan te wend. Met betrekking tot bemagtiging, het feitlik al die respondente geglo dat World Vision ’n belangrike rol gespeel het om mense op te lei om veskeie aktiwiteite binne hul projekte uit te voer. Benewens die opleiding wat ontvang was, het die mense ook verskeie vaardighede en kennis opgedoen. Die meerderheid van die respondente het tegniese en ekonomiese kennis opgedoen, terwyl andere in landbou en gesondheidsaangeleenthede en ook handwerk vaardig geword het. Bemagtiging in die Taung Area Development Programme is ook deur die verbetering in die lewensomstandinghede van die plaaslike bevolking geopenbaar. Die studie het ook gevind dat die infrastruktuur met die bou van skole en paaie verbeter was. Met betrekking tot primêre gesondheid, het die respondente bevesting dat hulle toegang tot skoon water gekry het deur middel van ’n gemeenskaplike kraan. Veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS bewusmaking, voorkoming van siektes en die bou van toilette het tot verbeterde lewensomstandinghede in die Taung Area Development Programme bygedra. Afgesien van veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS en siektevoorkoming wat vir primêre gesondheidsorg belangrik is, beskik min mense kennis van dodelike siektes soos MIV/VIGS. Dit blyk dus dat World Vision meer klem sal moet lê op die verspreiding van kennis van MIV/VIGS binne die gemeenskappe. Die langtermyn oorlewing van die ontwikkelingsprojekte sal aan volhoubaarheid gekoppel moet word. Die bevindings van hierdie studie bevestig dat mense in die Taung Area Development Programme optimisties was dat die vaardighede en kennis wat hulle verkry het, en die projekte, selfhulpmiddels sal genereer wat nog in werking sal wees lank na die vertrek van World Vision, veral met betrekking tot die IGA projekte. Hierdie studie bevestig dat persone wat hoofsaaklik betrokke was by ontwikkelingsprojekte soos by Qhalasi, net tot ’n geringe mate hulle vaardighede en kennis kon gebruik. Die belangriskte slotsom wat hierdie studie bereik het was dat die Taung Area Development Programme, as een van die World Vision programme, in ’n groot mate die lewens van die plaaslike mense getransformeer het. As gevolg van World Vision se betrokkenheid in die Taung Area Development Programme, word mensgesentreerde ontwikkeling nou gesien as bevordelik vir die betrokkenheid en bemagtiging van die bevolking sowel as die volhoubaarheid van die ontwikkelingsprojekte.

 Public participation, as a form of direct democracy, is becoming increasingly popular in the government policy-making process in China. This thesis argues that public participation in China acts neither as a supplement to a well-founded democratic system, nor as an alternative to an electoral democracy, nor even as an effective accountability politico-legal institution. Instead, contemporary public participation is an interim measure that caters to an urgent social need and provides temporary legitimacy to the state. As such, it is the first step towards further political liberalization, for which it lays a foundation. The public participation system in China has developed from its original form as a solely state-led, political campaign-oriented system in the closed era to the coexistence of three ideal-type public participation in the open era: state-led, issue-specific participation, spontaneous, issue-specific, group-based participation and spontaneous, issue-specific, individual-based participation. Public hearing, corporate lobbying and e-participation can be correspondingly treated as representative mechanisms of the three ideal-type public participation in China. In addition, the institutions of open government information and judicial redress are currently the most significant support structures for this system. Relying on the methodologies of case studies, statutory interpretation, quantitative calculation and socio-legal analysis, the thesis finds that citizens can articulate their demands on policies in public hearings, but government organs are inclined to prevent any substantial challenge to their proposed policies. Although business groups have not been conferred with any special systematic opportunity to participate in the formulation of policy, corporate lobbying contributes towards undermining the government’s monopoly in the policy-making. Citizens in e-participation take full advantage of the flexibility and anonymity of the Internet to enjoy a free, low-risk space of debating government policies and monitoring government officials. Although the implementation of the Regulations on Open Government Information has been basically satisfactory, the Regulations have failed to establish the necessary transparency for public participation. What citizens seek in public participation litigations is not only judicial redress of their grievances, but, even more significantly, de facto influence on a policy-making process taking place outside the courtrooms. The public participation system as a whole in China has a paradoxical character in contextual, structural, functional and developmental aspects. Its essential defect is to fall short of a device that makes government policymakers accountable for the output of public participation. The public participation system is used by the state as a viable trajectory for its own legitimization to secure the formal validation of government policies and to reduce the risks that it confronts in the ongoing democratization process. It is used by citizens as a locus of their self-expression values and as an incubator of their developing citizenship, also providing a prompt channel for citizens’ rightful contest. The prospects of this system and its impacts on future legitimization of the state are ultimately underpinned by citizens’ struggles for liberty and democracy, but they are directly shaped by the state’s adaptive strategy.
published_or_final_version
Law
Master
Doctor of Legal Studies

As we find ourselves in the midst of a planetary trend towards urbanisation, we must acknowledge that urban spaces are linked in a network of metabolic consumption and production that impact not only those recognised as ‘urban dwellers’, but are incorporated into a global structure. Ireland is no exception, with development centred around Dublin, a ‘primate city’ with a vastly larger population than others in the region. Dublin’s Inner City areas have in recent decades been marked by a series of large-scale interventions aimed at reconstituting a new vision of Ireland as a global, modern city home to a tech-savvy workforce. Yet as Dublin explores its post-recession identity as a hub for investment in tech and finance, its urban population continues to grow in ways that are seen to disenfranchise existing Inner City communities. This study explores the perceptions of residents of Inner City Dublin engaged in urban planning processes, in the hopes of making manifest the goals and desires driving participation through various channels, both formal and ‘radical’. A case is made for the city as a site of a post-political condition by questioning the role and efficacy of official consultatory channels, as well as in contrasting held imaginaries presented by interviewees and those presented by official planning documents. Attempts by Dublin City Council to market Dublin as a ‘creative’ city, intent on monetising aspects of cultural identity as a global competitor intent on drawing investment and foreign talent is considered representative of post-politics, contrasted by urban residents’ desires to safeguard the existence of vibrant communities within the Inner City who now risk exclusion.

The new Constitution of Kenya has devolved a significant portion of public finances, powers and responsibilities to a new sub national level of government. Kenya now has 47 Counties, each with a County assembly, an elected Governor and an administration in charge of managing public resources and providing social services. Kenyan legal frameworks such as the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act and the County Government Act (CGA) as well as specific County government participation legislation obligate County governments to facilitate and promote citizen participation in the development of County plans, budgets and policies. This thesis shall show that despite legislative efforts furthering devolution and citizen participation, the law is not always implemented and does not always function well in some instances. There appears to be little improvement in overcoming challenges faced in citizen participation of previous decentralised funds through the Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP). Elite capture, resource and capacity constraints, poor bureaucratic coordination, communication as well as a limited understanding by both local officials and citizens regarding the new roles and mechanisms for participation have not resulted in simplistic 'magic bullet’ reforms. This is further compounded by a lack of information, feedback on citizen inputs and poor implementation of public participation meetings and service delivery projects. A serious limitation in terms of access, meaningfulness and inclusiveness has resulted in citizens not making use of or taking up participation opportunities. Citizens are thus opting for alternative and more effective strategies of engaging and influencing local government processes. The thesis will also show that although legislation acknowledges and provides a role for civil society to partner with government in jointly facilitating effective citizen participation in public policy; the partnership between local government and civil society does not automatically translate into effective partnerships because of poor civic capacity, unequal power dynamics, and unclear and insufficient guidelines with regards to representation.

This study focused on community participation in relation to policy formulation in Lesotho. It paid particular attention to whether the Lesotho community participated in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. Literature related to the concept of participatory development, community participation and policy formulation was reviewed. From the literature, it was clear that the attainment of effective community participation in policy formulation is not something that can take place overnight and this makes community participation a crucial aspect of any development project. The study used the qualitative approach to provide more information and detailed examination of community participation in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. This approach adopted the case study design. The data was collected using focus groups, interview schedule and document analysis. The study found that the government did not consult widely on the Bill before it was enacted into an Act of parliament. Therefore, it recommends that the government of Lesotho should involve all relevant stakeholders to participate in policy formulation. This will help to establish a link between the government and civil society stakeholders at local levels, for participatory policy-making to be effective.

Replacement of traditional land administration institutions with modern institutions has been one of the strategies used by the Lesotho Government to solve land management problems. This thesis uses a case study approach to analyze the effectiveness of one modern institution, the Village Land Allocation Committees (VLAC), at the community level in Lesotho. Customarily, land in Lesotho was allocated by traditional chiefs who could for various purposes revoke it. The system was allegedly open to abuse and under the Land Act 1979, the authority to allocate land was shifted from traditional chiefs to the VLAC, which is partly elected and partly nominated by the government. The thinking behind this change was that VLAC would be more democratic and efficient, representing local as well as national interests. The study consists of three stages: a) review of background literature on Lesotho; b) a comparison of land tenure reforms in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana; and c) field research carried out through questionnaires administered to VLAC members, community members and government officials responsible for land administration at the community level in Lesotho. Conclusions drawn from this study are that lack of clear policy guidelines, lack of connection between land allocation and the overall planning and lack of meaningful community participation in the land allocation process, are among the major problems in the operation of VLAC. The study's major recommendations are: a) integrating land allocation with the overall land use planning; b) recognizing the continuing influence of traditional institutions and incorporating them into VLAC activities; c) providing VLAC with clearer goals and necessary resources; and d) building a planning and evaluation component into VLAC procedures. The need for further research on the composition and election process of VLAC is identified.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Community participation is relevant to every sector of development, for example, education, health, housing, water and sanitation, agricultural development and conservation. The assumption is that public participation is positive in that it can contribute to making programmes more sustainable. Public participation in local government processes, especially in the Integrated Development Plan, is imperative to the promotion of institutional democracy. The Integrated Development Plan as a development tool promotes participatory democracy. This public participation study of the Integrated Development Plan in the City of Cape Town was conducted in four sub-council areas of the city to determine whether public participation was successful and whether the objectives of local government are being met.

Contemporary debates about development confer a prominent role to citizen participation and decentralization. Growing scepticism about the efficacy of narrowly conceived measures add pressure to reform development both theoretically and in practical terms. There is a greater understanding that ‘traditional’ development approaches and policies need to be reformulated and decentralization and citizen participation have been proposed as remedies to previous development failures. It is frequently argued that citizen participation will improve the efficiency and efficacy of public services. Citizen participation is meant to render local government more accountable and to contribute to deepening democracy, by reinforcing representative democratic institutions with participatory forms. At the same time, decentralization reforms have been proposed as a response to the failures of highly centralized states. From a political perspective, it is argued, decentralization reforms can help the central state gain legitimacy and have been seen as a strategy for maintaining political stability. It has been repeatedly suggested that physical proximity makes it easier for citizens to hold local officials accountable for their performance. From an economic perspective, decentralization can improve the match between the mix of services provided by the public sector and the preferences of the local population. It has also been noted that people are more willing to pay for services that respond to their priorities and that increased competition between local governments generates spaces for more creative responses adapted to local needs. But then, can decentralization and citizen participation live up to the faith and expectations that they have inspired? I argue that the literature commonly over-emphasises the role of citizen participation and decentralization in development and what these processes and reforms can achieve. Much of the evidence is anecdotal in nature and tends to neglect the specific contexts in which these processes take place. Also largely ignored are political economy considerations and a critical exploration of the relationship between these two key words. At best, when their interrelationships are addressed decentralization and citizen participation are conceived as based on a symbiotic relationship. I suggest, however, that the relationship between these two processes is not as straightforward as most of the literature assumes. The meanings of these two key words in current development lexicon are explored and critically assessed. I argue that whether or not the rising prominence of these two words actually means the emergence of a new development agenda is a moot point. It critically depends on the understandings of these ambiguous terms. The thesis adopts a political economy approach. Combined with this is an awareness of the broader historical and socio-economic context in which citizen participation and decentralization take place. The thesis applies these ideas triangulating diverse research methods and data sources. It combines a literature review and documentary analysis, a survey conducted with municipal authorities and civil society organizations in the Eastern Cape as well as structured interviews with Ward councillors and with key informants. From a theoretical perspective, the study lays a foundation for understanding the relationship between development policies outcomes and the nature of citizen participation and decentralization in developing countries. This, in turn, provides a basis from which citizen participation and decentralization in South Africa can be assessed and understood. The thesis presents evidence from a case study of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. By revealing how different dimensions of decentralization and citizen participation operate and intersect, the findings demonstrate, that contrary to common knowledge, citizen participation and decentralization are frequently at odds. Moreover, contrary to frequent statements, the research also shows that opening new spaces for participation in decentralized local governance can result in fewer changes and disappointing results at best, undermining the transformative potential of the concepts of participation and decentralization.

This chapter addresses the management process of the Regulator Program of Melipilla district in Chile in 1988–2016. Evidence indicates that territorial planning processes are rare in decision-makers, as they are in favor of a technocratic logic focused on quantitative metrics, rather than in qualitative or processional analyses, such as organizational learning. To this end, the qualitative analysis in this study sought to capture the perceptions of some of its actors regarding issues such as citizen participation, technical management, and political management of this instrument. The fieldwork consisted of the application of in-depth interviews of actors involved at different stages of their implementation from a multi-level approach. It is concluded that the process of updates to this planning instrument was strongly associated with political issues with little strategic vision for the future, precarious levels of citizen participation, and an absolute shortage of organizational learnings into the process.

Citizen participation is a key element in sustainably developing cities. When developmental decisions are left to governmental officials and decision-makers, political and economic factors tend to control the process. This leaves little room for humane values. As such, researchers have called for the development of a sustainable learning society, with the creative class and innovators at its lead, in order to direct the participation of citizens in the decision-making process, in issues related to the living environment. Based on the similarity between the environment of organizational creativity of both participatory sessions and design education, this research borrows an application performed in a design context. This takes place, in order to quantitatively and qualitatively test diversity's effect in a group on the creative output. As such, it was concluded that the same relationship is valid for group members working on development projects. Findings suggest tools that can be employed to select participants and to enhance creativity within groups focusing on development planning.

Introduces the rise of neighborhood activism in Northeast Los Angeles in the 1980s against the backdrop of “slow growth” preservation and local control movements in California and around the nation. Case study of Eagle Rock, where The Eagle Rock Association (TERA) led a series of protests against mini-malls, condominiums, mansions and “big box” chain stores, in favor of better coordinated land-use planning preservation of natural and architectural landmarks, and “Take Back the Boulevard” for bikers and pedestrians. The case of Highland Park, where citizen activists and preservationists worked to create a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) to save historic buildings and better regulate land-use planning. It chronicles the rise of the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition to oppose the veritable warehousing of the Southwest Museum and storage of the collection in Burbank by its new owner, the Autry National Center of the West. Examines the internal politics of neighborhood activism, the significant participation of women leaders, and the question of minority participation. The chapter finishes with the political legacy of the slow growth movements of Northeast Angeles, which are expressed through a progressive coalition of neighborhood activist organizations with Democratic Latino city councilmen.

Activists are producers of strategic communication for social change and play a mediating role regarding (re)producing and challenging established cultural meanings. In a global context of high volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, contemporary activism needs to introduce significant innovations in current mass mobilizations. Otherwise, it falls into the risk of becoming irrelevant. Within this context, new forms of creative activism are arousing, which are linked to the contextual strategic approach to the repertoire of disruptive tactics and techniques. Strategic communication, or the intentional use of communication by organizations to promote their mission, is inevitably associated with the exercise of power in negotiations among different social actors. In this essay, we argue that the strategical communication approaches that have successfully established mass consumption as a way of life can be used to give public voice to sociopolitical contemporary activists and to increase shared global views for social change, such as the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. We do it so through a literature review on this topic, followed by a description of practical examples. Strategic communication plays a crucial role when it comes to inducing social change. Its applicability in an organizational context is relevant for activist movements as it facilitates the organization of collective action, the call for civic participation and interaction with other social and political institutions. The use of strategic approaches to communication in an organizational context, such as the management of identity, image and reputation, and the approach to political power through citizen lobby, can be ways for contemporary activist groups to better mobilize, communicate with their supporters, and seek to influence political decisions. Reflecting and planning before acting or reacting can contribute to the achievement of a voice and legitimacy to operate in the public sphere.

Sustainability, ecological modernization, citizen participation, public space and rights are concepts that have acquired great importance in international political discourses and that have figured in indicators, guidelines, programs and policies, at national level, giving rise to a urban planning from administrative units or “zoning”, which instead of showing the different structures, forms and functions of cities as a whole, what has generated is a fragmentation of urban space. In a certain way, the implosion of these themes shows the success of capitalism in a period of neoliberal hegemony, since it becomes a smokescreen to hide the class differences superimposed on global discourses of modernization and development, as well as the transformation of natural resources in products, the capitalization of nature and the transformation of politics into management. The text seeks to reflect on the territorial configuration of public space in the light of emerging urban policies and programs in a neoliberal geopolitical context based on two axes of analysis: in the first analyze the neoliberal imposition models on how to construct public space and in the second will analyze the institutional bases, programs and policies of intervention highlighting their objectives, limitations and contradictions that help to understand the material and immaterial forms that the public space adopts at different scales in Mexico City through of the socio-territorial relations that are constructed in a process of mutual reciprocity. References Brenner, N.; Peck, J.; Theodore, N. (2009).Urbanismo neoliberal: La ciudad y el imperio de los mercados. SUR Corporación de Estudios Sociales y Educación, Temas sociales, n.66. Capel, H. (2002). La morfología de las ciudades. I. Sociedad, cultura y paisaje urbano (Ediciones del Serbal, Barcelona). Harvey, D. (2007) Espacios del capital. Hacia una geografía crítica (Akal, Madrid). Narciso, C.; Ramírez, B. (2016). Discursos, política y poder: el espacio público en cuestión. Territorios 35, Bogotá, pp.37-57. Pradilla, E. (2009) Los territorios del neoliberalismo en América Latina (Universidad Autónoma de México/Miguel Ángel Porrúa, México).

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.