Assessing the role of Local Economic Development Agencies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

There is a growing recognition of the role of subnational institutions in addressing some of the foremost developmental challenges that South Africa is facing; however, subnational institutions have been mired in inefficiencies and capacity challenges in leading local development. This has led to the establishment of Local Economic Development Agencies as institutions which were expected to give impetus to local economic development and accelerate local government's responses to unemployment, poverty and inequalities. Yet little is known about the efficiency of Local Economic Development Agencies in addressing the key failures of local economic development. This article employed a qualitative approach in which semi-structured interviews were undertaken with key gatekeepers. The article assessed the roles and functions of Local Economic Development Agencies in addressing key local economic development failings through a case study of three Local Economic Development Agencies in South Africa. The results indicate that while Local Economic Development Agencies do solve the implementation problem, their efficiency is undermined by the lack of coordination of roles and functions in the local government-led development landscape. Furthermore, the roles and functions of Local Economic Development Agencies are limited, constrained and do not necessarily adhere to the premise that led to their establishment. Local Economic Development Agencies thus lack the appropriate legitimate mandate to be the main economic development structure, due to their own inherent capacities.