LE RÔLE DE L’ÉTAT DANS LA RÉUSSITE D’UNE TRANSITION JUSTE

The research paper assesses the capacity of the South African state to implement a just energy transition (JET), concluding that current state capacity is low due to a reliance on top-down, 'tick-box' public participation rather than genuine co-production. It defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through collaborative, context-specific processes. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals that critical issues—such as the informal economy's dependence on coal, water rights, and the loss of corporate social investment services—remain invisible in national policies. The author recommends developing detailed guidelines for co-production and applying them to specific gaps in the JET framework to build legitimacy and ensure social equity.

• A 'transition effective state' is defined as one that can identify problems prioritized by communities and make significant progress toward solving them over time, relying on 'transition capacities' that cover the entire cycle from problem identification to impact measurement.
• Effective problem-solving in the public sector requires 'co-production,' where users and beneficiaries are treated as valuable resources in policy design rather than passive objects of development, which increases the likelihood of accurate problem diagnosis and political legitimacy.
• The South African state's current approach to public participation is described as a 'tick-box exercise' that occurs after policies are already drafted, failing to meet the standards of genuine co-production and leading to community cynicism.
• Field research in Mpumalanga indicates that many affected communities have a very low understanding of the Just Energy Transition (JET) and the specifics of the coal phase-out, partly because the state fails to communicate in a way that creates a common narrative.
• The lack of co-production has left critical socio-economic vulnerabilities 'invisible' in current JET policies, specifically the dependence of the vast informal sector on the coal value chain and the role of labor brokers.
• Current JET policies overlook the significant gap that will be left when Eskom and mining companies cease providing essential community services, such as water purification and infrastructure maintenance, which municipalities may be unable to fund or manage.
• The document identifies a critical missed opportunity regarding water rights; the large volume of water used by coal plants could be repurposed to unlock local economic growth if managed through a co-production approach.
• The South African Just Transition Framework (TJ) fails to provide detailed guidelines on how to implement 'procedural justice,' leading officials to default to outdated administrative practices of public participation.
• Rigid state budgeting and planning regulations, combined with the pressure from international donors for reproducible and scalable solutions, act as barriers to the unpredictable and localized nature of co-production.

APA

Ledger, T., Rampedi, M., Ndhlovu, N., Holland, W., & Lammers, B. (2024). LE RÔLE DE L’ÉTAT DANS LA RÉUSSITE D’UNE TRANSITION JUSTE. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/french-TCS-27-11digital.pdf

Chicago

Ledger, Tracy, Mahlatse Rampedi, Ntokozo Ndhlovu, Waseem Holland, and Bram Lammers. LE RÔLE DE L’ÉTAT DANS LA RÉUSSITE D’UNE TRANSITION JUSTE. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2024. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/french-TCS-27-11digital.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ledger |first1=Tracy |last2=Rampedi |first2=Mahlatse |last3=Ndhlovu |first3=Ntokozo |last4=Holland |first4=Waseem |last5=Lammers |first5=Bram |title=LE RÔLE DE L’ÉTAT DANS LA RÉUSSITE D’UNE TRANSITION JUSTE |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=2024 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/french-TCS-27-11digital.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ledger2024rle, author = {Ledger, Tracy and Rampedi, Mahlatse and Ndhlovu, Ntokozo and Holland, Waseem and Lammers, Bram}, title = {{LE RÔLE DE L’ÉTAT DANS LA RÉUSSITE D’UNE TRANSITION JUSTE}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2024}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/french-TCS-27-11digital.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }