Sorry, can I take this call? Ethnography of an Integrated Development Plan in South Africa

Abstract: The South African government has since its democratisation launched Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) to engage institutions and communities in shaping local development. These IDPs have yielded mixed results, especially in relation to participation and institutional integration. The discipline of development studies has struggled to address the social networks which enable development. This in turn often results in rendering development interventions in a ‘technical’ manner. Thus, my thesis addresses this problem by ethnographically investigating such networks and their role in development. Consequently, I investigate through an ethnographic study: How can participation and integration be facilitated in the context of the IDP in a South African village? Informed by ‘meaningful participation’ theories and ‘critical institutional bricolage’, I use ethnography to move beyond official structures and focus on informal networks which influence the IDP. Based on ethnographic data and semi-structured interviews, I argue that participation and integration can be facilitated by paying more attention to pre-existing social networks that naturally enable these. Proximity of local leadership and their regular interaction with the community is imperative for meaningful participation and agency.