Analysis of the relationship between social factors and water services delivery in the public sector: A case of an emerging economy

Abstract

This article evaluates the linkage between social factors and water services delivery in the biggest municipalities in South Africa for improved service delivery. The study is conducted against the failure of several studies to focus on social practices’ impacts on service delivery. Social practices have huge impacts on service delivery and tend to have financial implications on municipalities (Morudu, 2017). Therefore, this article sought to introduce another dimension of addressing water service delivery challenges (WSDCs) by examining the relationship between social practices and service delivery. A multivariate regression analysis using the panel data (2013–2021) collected from the 20 largest municipalities in South Africa. While ordinary least squares (OLS) and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) results show that job opportunities created have had a positive impact on service delivery performance (SDP), service delivery protests adversely influenced SDP. On the same note, expenditure on housing, population, and educational level produced a neutral effect on SDP. The results provide deep insights to policymakers and city managers to consider aligning social practices with a regulatory framework that governs the provisioning of water services. Although the paper provides vital information, further studies focus on reviewing and reconfiguring laws and regulations that govern social practices to further reduce the negative impacts of social practices on water provision efforts.