REGULATIONS FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE STUDIES (MLGS)

Duration                              18 months

Actual Credit Load               288

Minimum Credit Load          270

Maximum Credit Load          360

Total MBKS Credit Load      216

ZNQF Level                         9

 

PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME

To develop graduates’ analytical skills for them to be able to resolve contemporary local governance service delivery challenges, address issues of social inequality, and effectively contribute to the social change dialogue, and local and national development discourse.

  ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Normal Entry: A 2.1 pass in BSc Honours Local Governance Studies

Special Entry: A general degree and any other qualification line with the Zimbabwe National Qualifications Framework (ZNQF)

   PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS

Areas of study: local government administration and management, local government financing, local government financing, local government human capital management, environment policy and management, research methods, inclusive service provision, policy-making and governance gender and development and leadership and governance

Specialist focus: Research guided inclusive and sustainable local governance system which underpins local and national economic development.

Orientation: Applied action research based on creativity and innovation, development-oriented professional leadership and management

Distinctive: The programme seeks to produce development-inclined, proactive and competent problem -solvers and decision- makers who are able to operate in dynamic and constantly changing environments.

 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Career opportunities lie in the Civil Service, local authorities, Provincial and Metropolitan

Councils; Public and private sector; colleges, non-governmental organisations, and consultancy. Graduates from the programme further their studies in Doctoral Studies in Local Governance Studies and in Public Administration and Management.

 PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Level 1 Semester 1

MLGS 731 Local Government Administration and Management              18

MLGS 732 Local Government Financing                                                18

MLGS 733 Local Government Human Capital Management                    18

MLGS 734 Inclusive Service Delivery                                                    18

MLGS 736 Environmental Policy and Management in Local Authorities   18

Level 1 Semester 2

MLGS 738 Housing Policy and Estates Management                               18

MLGS 739 Research Methods and Statistics                                            18

MLGS 740 Leadership, Governance and Accountability                           18

MLGS 741 Policy Making and Governance                                             18

MLGS 742 Intergovernmental Relations                                                  18

Level 2 Semester 1           

MLGS 831 Gender and Development in Local Governance                      18

MLGS 832 Dissertation                                                                          90

 

14.0 MODULE SYNOPSES

MLGS 731 Local Government Administration and Management

The module examines the metamorphosing roles, structures, functions and legal framework of local authorities. Theories and models of public administration and management will be discussed.

MLGS 732 Local Government Financing

The module analyses the drawbacks of overreliance by local authorities on tax revenues to finance service delivery and examines the potential for improved service delivery through non-tax approaches such as public-private partnerships, community share ownership schemes and community development initiatives. The module also looks at the impact on service delivery of financial planning, resource development analysis and financial performance monitoring with emphasis on inclusive budgeting.

MLGS 733 Local Government Human Capital Management

The module examines the critical role of the human resource in local economic development. Topics to be covered include the legal framework guiding human resource practice in the local Government sector, talent management in local authorities, employee resourcing, reward management, labour relations management, human resource development, staff motivation and retention, equality of opportunities, conflict management, as well as discipline and grievance handling procedures.

MLGS 734 Inclusive Service Delivery

The module is designed to inculcate in students an advanced understanding of participatory service delivery approaches and to provide them with effective tools and frameworks for performance improvement. The module examines opportunities that exist for local authorities to engage stakeholders in the delivery of public goods and services, where to look for opportunities, how to leverage assets and resources already in place, and identify what skills and abilities are required of them to be effective service delivery agents, and not to work as adversaries.

MLGS 736Environmental Policy and Management in Local Authorities

The module examines a range of policy tools used in sustainable environmental management including regulatory tools, market-based instruments, decentralised environmental management, and co-management. Challenges of human adaptation to climate change, pollution, land use patterns and the pressing need for sustainable future energy sources are highlighted.

MLGS 738 Housing Policy and Estates Management

The module examines best practices in housing provision and management in order to develop a framework for sustainable housing provision in local authorities. Housing delivery models which include central government provision and facilitation, public-private partnerships, cooperatives, and issues of real estate management, financing and development, sustainable housing development programming, sustainable housing design and management, and rural industrialisation will also be analysed from viability and sustainability perspectives.

MLGS 739 Research Methods and Statistics

The module helps students to develop an advanced conceptualisation of development problems and to assist them generate qualitative and quantitative solutions based on empirical evidence. The module equips students with practical research skills and advanced methodological expertise needed to come up with scientific answers to developmental problems and to feed these answers into the policy process so that they make a practical contribution to the development of social science research in general and local economic development in particular. The students will be able to apply relevant statistics in addressing development problems.

MLGS 740 Leadership, Governance and Accountability

The module examines leadership theories and models and reflects on how they impact on organisational development. The module assists students in developing a leadership toolkit for managers in local authorities and to determine how this toolkit impacts on organisational performance and accountability. The salient differences between leadership and management, and how these differences impact organisational performance, is highlighted.

MLGS 741 Policy Making and Governance

The module exposes students to key models and frameworks for public policy-making, and the interrelationships between policy formulation, policy execution, policy evaluation and revision and good governance. Emphasis will be placed on citizen participation in the policy problem identification and definition phase, through to the policy agenda-setting phase, and how these enhance stakeholder buy-in into the policy maintenance process.

MLGS 742 Intergovernmental Relations

The module exposes students to the legal framework that assigns roles and responsibilities to the respective tiers of government. It examines how central government, provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities exercise cooperative governance in their effort to harmonise their policies and programmes, in further efforts to enhance democracy and maintain national unity, as each level exercises its constitutionally assigned service delivery mandate.

MLGS 831Gender and Development in Local Governance

The module examines the concepts of Women in Development and Women and Development to locate women at the centre of human development discourse. The module further seeks to develop within students the capabilities of using gender analysis in the formulation and design of gender-sensitive policies and programmes; and to equip them with the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary for mainstreaming gender in all local government programmes.

MLGS 832 Dissertation

During the third semester of the programme, each student will carry out a research project that addresses contemporary problems in the local government field. Students will work under supervision, to design, conduct and write their research dissertation.

MPHIL PROGRAMMES

•         MPhil in Local Governance and Management
•         MPhil in International Relations
•         MPhil in Public Management
•         MPhil in Political Science

DPHIL PROGRAMMES

•         DPhil in Local Governance and Management
•         DPhil in International Relations
•         DPhil in Public Management
•         DPhil in Political Science