Abstract:
Legislatures and parliaments are critical democratic governance avenues for accountability and
intervene, at policy level, to address the needs of the electorate. Legislative oversight literature provides a
reflection on the effectiveness of legislative oversight and the factors underlying such effectiveness as well as
its impact on the political posture. However, there is limited interrogation on the role that effective legislative
oversight plays on service delivery. Therefore, this paper seeks to conceptualise an empirical research that
interrogates the role of effective legislative oversight on service delivery using the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
as a case study. To this end, the paper employs a summative thematic content analysis to interrogate the
research problem and expose the knowledge gap on this subject. Specifically, to draw out the symptoms and
the underlying causes of ineffective legislative oversight as well as the consequences, we make use of the
systems thinking – more specifically the problem tree and the theory of constraints. We then use our research
problem analysis as well as our research knowledge gap analysis to suggest an appropriate research problem
statement, research purpose statement, and the research questions for such as study. We also propose an
appropriate research strategy, design, procedure, and methods, as well as the interpretive frameworks that
could appropriately guide and serve the empirical part of such a research.
Description:
Journal articles published in the 6th International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives (IPADA), 06-08 October 2021, Virtual Conference.