Programme: Bachelor of Public Administration
Module: Research in the Public Sector
Year: 2025
1
, Question One
1. The title for my study is as follows:
An investigation of the relationship between government expenditure on infrastructure
and service delivery outcomes in municipalities based in Gauteng.
2. The following is the problem statement of the proposed study:
There are a number of study which have been conducted about how service delivery
needs to improve in South Africa, especially given how many South African are
complaining about poor service delivery (Ndasana, Vallabh & Mxunyelwa, 2022; Rulashe,
T., & Ijeoma, 2022). This has prompted the National Treasury to increase its spending on
infrastructure with the intention to boost service delivery (Auditor-General of South Africa,
2022; National Treasury Annual Report, 2023). This prompts the question about whether
or not such an increase in infrastructure expenditure can boost the service delivery
outcomes in the municipalities of Easter Cape, which according to Mamba (2008), have
the most complaints about poor service delivery. Although there is some evidence in the
literature which explore the issue of service delivery, particularly in the Eastern Cape, the
focus of this literature has mostly been on inefficiency, funds mismanagement and
corruption, which creates a gap for the proposed study to understand how funds injection
into infrastructure translates to positive service delivery outcomes for Eastern Cape
municipalities. In line with this, the proposed study seeks to address this gap by
investigating the relationship between government expenditure on infrastructure and
service delivery outcomes in Eastern Cape municipalities, with the overall purpose of
establishing if this infrastructure investment actually translates to positive service delivery
outcomes or if it is a waste of government funds.
3. The aim, objectives and the main research questions of the study are as follows:
Aim of the study
The study aims to investigate if a relationship exists between the amount spent by
government n infrastructure in the Eastern Cape and the service delivery outcomes for
municipalities in the Eastern Cape.
2
Module: Research in the Public Sector
Year: 2025
1
, Question One
1. The title for my study is as follows:
An investigation of the relationship between government expenditure on infrastructure
and service delivery outcomes in municipalities based in Gauteng.
2. The following is the problem statement of the proposed study:
There are a number of study which have been conducted about how service delivery
needs to improve in South Africa, especially given how many South African are
complaining about poor service delivery (Ndasana, Vallabh & Mxunyelwa, 2022; Rulashe,
T., & Ijeoma, 2022). This has prompted the National Treasury to increase its spending on
infrastructure with the intention to boost service delivery (Auditor-General of South Africa,
2022; National Treasury Annual Report, 2023). This prompts the question about whether
or not such an increase in infrastructure expenditure can boost the service delivery
outcomes in the municipalities of Easter Cape, which according to Mamba (2008), have
the most complaints about poor service delivery. Although there is some evidence in the
literature which explore the issue of service delivery, particularly in the Eastern Cape, the
focus of this literature has mostly been on inefficiency, funds mismanagement and
corruption, which creates a gap for the proposed study to understand how funds injection
into infrastructure translates to positive service delivery outcomes for Eastern Cape
municipalities. In line with this, the proposed study seeks to address this gap by
investigating the relationship between government expenditure on infrastructure and
service delivery outcomes in Eastern Cape municipalities, with the overall purpose of
establishing if this infrastructure investment actually translates to positive service delivery
outcomes or if it is a waste of government funds.
3. The aim, objectives and the main research questions of the study are as follows:
Aim of the study
The study aims to investigate if a relationship exists between the amount spent by
government n infrastructure in the Eastern Cape and the service delivery outcomes for
municipalities in the Eastern Cape.
2
