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Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Early childhood Development (ECD) refers to the suite of interventions – provided to a child from conception until the transition into school, which nurtures and enables the child to thrive and reach their full potential. Of the policy responses directed at addressing inequality, ECD is identified a...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613210715095040 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Parenzee, Penelope |
| author2 | Lopes, Carlos |
| author_browse | Lopes, Carlos Parenzee, Penelope |
| author_facet | Lopes, Carlos Parenzee, Penelope |
| author_sort | Parenzee, Penelope |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Early childhood Development (ECD) refers to the suite of interventions – provided to a child from conception until the transition into school, which nurtures and enables the child to thrive and reach their full potential. Of the policy responses directed at addressing inequality, ECD is identified as pivotal in increasing equality in a society and disrupting cycles of poverty across generations (Paananen et al., 2018; Irwin et al., 2007). In the South African context, where inequality and poverty persisted even with the transition to democracy, the prominence of ECD has evolved, culminating in the establishment of a National Integrated ECD Policy (2015). Despite the policy, the provision of integrated, quality ECD services for all children is yet to be realised. Across the country, varying degrees of implementation failures prevail, with devastating consequences for those residing within the poorest areas of the country. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis compounded the urgency to address the ECD policy implementation challenges, with research illustrating how the failure of government to coordinate the implementation of ECD has brought the sector to the brink of collapse (Wills et al., 2020). The emphasis on coordination structures, that are envisaged to oversee streamlined technical solutions, continues to dominate, shaping and re-shaping the implementation landscape. This research study set out to understand the state's capacity to coordinate the implementation of the NIECD policy. Through the use of case study methodology, the research delves into the implementation of ECD in a district in the Eastern Cape province. Howlett's (2018) multiple streams/critical junctures policy framework was applied to make sense of the implementation realities that plague the ECD sector. To deepen the understanding of coordination capacity – aspirational and existing - Wu et al's (2015) policy capacity matrix provided a complementary analytical framework. Based on the findings from this research study, there is a need to reconsider the focus on coordination structures for the ECD sector to challenge the perception that coordination constitutes structures as a way of dealing with the challenges of ECD policy implementation. Instead, a shift towards far more inclusive local level engagement may contribute to a renewed consideration of coordination as that of working within the complexities of diverse contexts. The focus of this research study is opportune, as it can contribute to the current debates on coordination capacity for the implementation of ECD services in South Africa. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40834 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:31.718Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice |
| publisherStr | Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40834 Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa Parenzee, Penelope Lopes, Carlos Leibbrandt, Murray Early Childhood Development policy Eastern Cape South Africa Early childhood Development (ECD) refers to the suite of interventions – provided to a child from conception until the transition into school, which nurtures and enables the child to thrive and reach their full potential. Of the policy responses directed at addressing inequality, ECD is identified as pivotal in increasing equality in a society and disrupting cycles of poverty across generations (Paananen et al., 2018; Irwin et al., 2007). In the South African context, where inequality and poverty persisted even with the transition to democracy, the prominence of ECD has evolved, culminating in the establishment of a National Integrated ECD Policy (2015). Despite the policy, the provision of integrated, quality ECD services for all children is yet to be realised. Across the country, varying degrees of implementation failures prevail, with devastating consequences for those residing within the poorest areas of the country. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis compounded the urgency to address the ECD policy implementation challenges, with research illustrating how the failure of government to coordinate the implementation of ECD has brought the sector to the brink of collapse (Wills et al., 2020). The emphasis on coordination structures, that are envisaged to oversee streamlined technical solutions, continues to dominate, shaping and re-shaping the implementation landscape. This research study set out to understand the state's capacity to coordinate the implementation of the NIECD policy. Through the use of case study methodology, the research delves into the implementation of ECD in a district in the Eastern Cape province. Howlett's (2018) multiple streams/critical junctures policy framework was applied to make sense of the implementation realities that plague the ECD sector. To deepen the understanding of coordination capacity – aspirational and existing - Wu et al's (2015) policy capacity matrix provided a complementary analytical framework. Based on the findings from this research study, there is a need to reconsider the focus on coordination structures for the ECD sector to challenge the perception that coordination constitutes structures as a way of dealing with the challenges of ECD policy implementation. Instead, a shift towards far more inclusive local level engagement may contribute to a renewed consideration of coordination as that of working within the complexities of diverse contexts. The focus of this research study is opportune, as it can contribute to the current debates on coordination capacity for the implementation of ECD services in South Africa. 2025-01-27T10:57:44Z 2025-01-27T10:57:44Z 2024 2025-01-27T10:53:29Z Thesis / Dissertation Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40834 eng application/pdf Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice Faculty of Commerce University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Early Childhood Development policy Eastern Cape South Africa Parenzee, Penelope Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| title_full | Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| title_short | Policy implementation and coordination capacity: a case study of the state s capacity to implement the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy in a district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| title_sort | policy implementation and coordination capacity a case study of the state s capacity to implement the national integrated early childhood development policy in a district in the eastern cape south africa |
| topic | Early Childhood Development policy Eastern Cape South Africa |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40834 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT parenzeepenelope policyimplementationandcoordinationcapacityacasestudyofthestatescapacitytoimplementthenationalintegratedearlychildhooddevelopmentpolicyinadistrictintheeasterncapesouthafrica |