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The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) submitted public comments on the Protected Disclosures Bill to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on 14 May 2026. While welcoming the Bill's expansion of protections and the introduction of financial rewards for whistleblowers, PARI identifies significant risks regarding the security and administration of the proposed central disclosure database and the restrictive criteria for calculating financial awards.

This position paper by the Public Affairs Research Institute discusses the need for real-time citizen engagement in South African public procurement to combat corruption and opacity. It leverages the Public Procurement Act (2024) to propose three specific oversight mechanisms: the introduction of civic observers for high-risk procurement, the expansion of community-level social audits, and the adoption of open data standards for end-to-end transparency.

This guide, produced by PARI, IIED, and SALGA, provides a framework for South African local governments to integrate land governance into the just transition. It argues that land is a strategic public resource essential for climate resilience and social justice, rather than merely a financial asset. The document outlines how municipalities can use spatial planning, inclusive governance, and tenure protection to balance the land-intensive needs of renewable energy and climate adaptation with the need to redress historical spatial inequalities from the apartheid era.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the challenges of community participation in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process within South African municipalities. Based on action research from the COMPACT programme conducted between 2022 and 2024, the document identifies systemic failures—such as tokenistic engagement, poor meeting organization, and institutional fragmentation—that lead to community disillusionment. It provides a series of recommendations to shift the IDP from a compliance-driven exercise to a genuine developmental tool, emphasizing the need for better coordination, youth engagement, civic education, and the institutionalization of feedback loops.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the functionality of ward committees in South Africa, based on action research conducted between 2022 and 2024 across 12 municipalities. It identifies systemic failures in resourcing, political neutrality, and institutional support, while providing recommendations to transform these committees into effective channels for participatory democracy.

This working paper examines the tension between quantitative 'precisionism' and qualitative 'groundtruthing' in climate-risk mapping within the global South, proposing a framework called 'epistemic diplomacy' to integrate both evidence types for more equitable and effective policy interventions.

This report provides a comparative analysis of global electricity tariff-setting methodologies, focusing on the process of determining revenue requirements and conducting Cost of Supply (CoS) studies. It examines various regulatory models—including rate-of-return, incentive-based, performance-based, and market-based pricing—and evaluates their effectiveness in balancing financial sustainability for utilities with affordability for consumers. The document concludes with specific recommendations for South Africa to modernize its tariff structures and revenue determination processes as it transitions toward a wholesale electricity market.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) evaluates the progress made by the South African government in implementing the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (the Zondo Commission) as of July 2025. It analyzes reforms across seven key themes: the criminal justice system, public procurement, public administration, corporate accountability, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), parliamentary oversight, and whistleblowing. While noting some legislative progress, the brief highlights significant delays, incomplete reforms, and a lack of strategic focus on the broader criminal justice system.

A joint submission by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), the Ethics Institute (TEI), the Equality Collective, and the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) providing feedback on the Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023). While supporting the Bill's goal to enhance the independence of the Public Service Commission (PSC), the authors argue it fails to address the professionalisation of senior appointments and suggest several amendments to strengthen accountability and transparency.

This policy brief argues that South Africa's Free Basic Services (FBS) policy fails to support the millions of households living below the poverty line due to exclusionary municipal indigent policies, insufficient benefit levels, and restrictive conditions that hinder productive use of services.

This report by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), commissioned by the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC), provides an independent assessment of the South African government's progress in implementing 60 presidential commitments made in response to the State Capture Commission (SCC) recommendations. The assessment evaluates progress across individual accountability and systemic institutional and policy reforms, highlighting significant delays in legislative updates and a persistent lack of accountability for members of the Executive.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues that South Africa's current Free Basic Services (FBS) policy provides only a 'survival level' of electricity and water, which is insufficient to lift households out of poverty. The author proposes restructuring the FBS to provide 'developmental levels' of access—specifically 150kWh of electricity and 8kl of water per month for a targeted group of 7.5 million households—and shifting administration from municipalities to a social grant system managed by an independent agency like SASSA to improve equity and delivery.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues that South Africa's efforts to curb political interference in public administration appointments are hindered by an 'across-the-board' legislative approach. The author proposes a 'strategic incremental approach' that empowers the Public Service Commission (PSC) to act as an independent check on recruitment, starting with senior administrative heads and expanding gradually via presidential proclamation to avoid political backlash and the disruption of patronage networks.

This policy brief examines the 'unjust' nature of the energy transition for youth in South Africa's Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM). It argues that while the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is necessary, young people are being marginalised through exclusionary land allocation policies, a lack of sustainable employment following the closure of coal-fired power stations, and the limited scope of renewable energy projects that fail to provide meaningful skills or long-term job security.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the role of committees in the South African Parliament's oversight of the Executive. It identifies systemic weaknesses—including inadequate research support, high MP turnover, and political interference—while highlighting the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services (PCJCS) as models of effective oversight. The brief proposes reforms to meeting structures, funding, and the distribution of committee chairpersons to enhance democratic accountability in the Seventh Parliament.

This policy brief argues that South Africa requires a fundamental transformation of its land administration system to secure tenure for unregistered (off-register) land rights. The author contends that existing empirical research on urban and rural tenure—including the 'family house' custom and household-level customary rights—provides the necessary evidence-based data to move away from opinion-based policymaking and create a system capable of recording and administering diverse forms of tenure.

The National Research Conference Report details a two-day event held on 1-2 December 2025 in Johannesburg, focused on 'Reimagining Developmental Local Government'. The conference served as a platform to showcase findings from the COMPACT project—a European Union-funded initiative implemented by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), SALGA, and Integrity Action—which aimed to enhance accountability and public participation in 12 South African municipalities. The report covers discussions on citizen participation tools, gender and youth inclusion, innovative municipal practices, performance monitoring, and the implementation of Citizen-Based Monitoring (CBM).

The Municipal Performance Management Technical Digest (2025) is a guide produced by the Public Affairs Research Institute as part of the COMPACT project. It outlines the legislative frameworks, core components, and best practices for municipal performance management in South Africa, emphasizing the need for stronger community involvement to improve accountability and service delivery.

This document is a collection of abstracts for the COMPACT National Research Conference 2025, titled "Reimagining Developmental Local Government: New Approaches to Legacy Challenges." The abstracts outline various research papers and provocations focused on enhancing citizen participation, gender and youth inclusivity, innovative urban practices, and performance monitoring within South African municipalities.

This guide by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) provides an update on the progress of commitments made by the executive and legislature regarding the Zondo Commission's recommendations, specifically focusing on institutional and systemic reforms to combat corruption and state capture.