Local Economic Development: A Review and Assessment of its Current Status in South Africa

Local economic development in Africa: Global context and research directions

“…The bulk of writings engage with policy development and critical evaluative research on unfolding LED activities in particular localities, with a view to advancing the practice of LED (e.g. Nel, 1994Nel, , 1999Nel, , 2001aRogerson, 2000;Nel & Rogerson, 2005b;Xuza, 2007). Limited theoretical work has been pursued.…”

“…Discerning the most promising directions for LED practice and defining appropriate policy development for LED emerged as hotly debated themes in South African scholarship (Nel, 2001a;Xuza, 2007). At the national level, consideration was given to the policy weight that might be attached to different policy choices for framing overall directions for South African LED planning (Nel, 2001a,b;Binns & Nel, 2002;Nel & Rogerson, 2005a,b;Rogerson, 2006aRogerson, , 2008.…”

Local Economic Development Initiatives in Ghana: The Challenges and the Way Forward

“…To Nel (2001) experience of LED in African countries has the same evolutionary route as in the developed countries where the lack of external investment and declining economy necessitated an inward looking approach, but the African experience of LED is premised on the strategy of self-reliance. Similarly, Nel and Binns (1999) acknowledge that the importance of local control and empowerment, together with a reliance on local initiative and resourcefulness, are some of the key characteristics of LED initiatives in African countries.…”

“…Whereas the reasons attributed to the adoption of LED strategies in both developed and developing countries are many and varied, Nel (2001Nel ( :1004 accredits this move to -"the so-called development impasse" the failure of earlier development approaches and the dubious results of structural adjustment programs. More specifically, Geddes (2004) notes that this came as a result of the direct slump in the economic growth of industrialized countries after World War II which placed a lot of pressure on governments, especially local governments, to become more innovative in trying to attract investment.…”

Critical Reflections on Urban and Local Development in Africa

“…A key facet of contemporary development thinking globally is the enhanced importance associated with`local' places and locally driven development responses, be they community or local authority driven (Nel, 2001;Pike et al, 2006;Rogerson, 1995). In the African context specifically, Binns and Nel (1999) have argued the need to recognise the importance of locally driven and what are often community-based development initiatives which can play a key role as local coping and survival mechanisms.…”