La gouvernance économique et les normes de gestion : Ce que devrait rechercher la société civile

The paper provides a framework for civil society organizations (CSOs) to interpret the 'Economic Governance and Management' section of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) questionnaire. It argues that citizens have a fundamental right to efficient public services and that CSOs should use evidence-based tools to monitor strategic planning, expenditure management, internal controls, and the accountability of supervisory institutions. Using examples from the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, the authors illustrate how poor management—such as outdated epidemiological data or lack of internal audit committees—directly undermines the delivery of healthcare, housing, and education.

• The authors contend that the 'Economic Governance and Management' section of the APRM questionnaire is often too technocratic and vague, causing many civil society organizations to miss critical advocacy opportunities for the realization of socio-economic rights.
• Effective strategic planning for public services requires accurate needs analysis, stakeholder consultation, and a realistic assessment of both internal capacity and external constraints. Failure in these areas leads to inefficient spending; for example, the Eastern Cape Department of Health's 2003/04 plan used 1996 data, failing to target communities hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.
• Sound financial management requires internal controls to prevent wasteful spending and rigorous oversight of funds transferred to external providers. In the Eastern Cape, the Department of Social Development transferred R528 million to external bodies between 2000 and 2004 without ensuring they had effective financial management systems, making it impossible to track expenditures.
• Internal audit units and committees are essential for risk management and performance control. The absence of such a committee in the Eastern Cape Department of Health during the 2003/04 financial year resulted in a lack of effective risk management and widespread public complaints regarding health service delivery.
• Corruption and maladministration are countered by clear codes of conduct, mandatory annual asset declarations for public officials, and independent anti-corruption authorities. The document notes that even when the Auditor General identifies serious financial mismanagement, a lack of political will can prevent disciplinary action.
• Supervisory institutions, such as parliamentary committees and superior audit institutions, must be independent and well-resourced to hold the executive accountable. In the Eastern Cape, not a single resolution adopted by the standing public accounts committees between 1995 and 2002 was implemented by the province's 12 public administrations.

APA

Allan, C., & Overy, N. (2009). La gouvernance économique et les normes de gestion : Ce que devrait rechercher la société civile. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Occasional-Paper-20-FR.pdf

Chicago

Allan, Colm, and Neil Overy. La gouvernance économique et les normes de gestion : Ce que devrait rechercher la société civile. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Occasional-Paper-20-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allan |first1=Colm |last2=Overy |first2=Neil |title=La gouvernance économique et les normes de gestion : Ce que devrait rechercher la société civile |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Occasional-Paper-20-FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allan2009gouvernance, author = {Allan, Colm and Overy, Neil}, title = {{La gouvernance économique et les normes de gestion : Ce que devrait rechercher la société civile}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Occasional-Paper-20-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }