Abstract:
This article argues that social innovation (SI) for delivering and improving local
government services is already used with much success in European and Asian
countries as well as in the United States of America. However, it appears as if in
South Africa, the use of SI for improving service delivery is not receiving the attention
policymakers have hoped for. This statement is based on the fact that although SI
is addressed in many policy documents, it is still not sufficiently integrated in the
National System of Innovation. Against the backdrop of a decline in key economic
indicators and inadequate basic service delivery by local government, there has been
a concomitant rise in municipal and labour protests and unnecessary turbulence in
South Africa. The aim of this article is therefore to elucidate the role that local
government could (and needs to) play when using SI for improved service delivery.
