Core theories for the teaching of local democracy

Abstract

A discipline such as Public Administration and Management is defined by its theoretical pillars or foundations. To remain relevant these pillars should be supported by theories, which are often borrowed from other related sciences such as Communication Sciences. These theoretical pillars should form the basis for the teaching of a discipline. To thus convey the multidisciplinary nature and complexities associated with subfields within Public Administration and Management - such as local democracy - to students on postgraduate level, requires a sound theoretical basis. From a systems perspective it is the purpose of this article to cluster twenty core theories appropriate for the study and teaching of local democracy. Teaching theories are critical for analysis, synthesis, and comparisons of issues such as the effectiveness of participatory mechanisms, community profiling, political representivity, communication strategies, democratic accountability, municipal-community partnerships, and voter empowerment. The article concludes that theory enables the mastery of a subject. Theoretical underpinnings provide scholars with the tools to organise and understand phenomena under discussion.