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The strongest and most scholarly rationale for this study is to make a contribution in the field of Public Administration by documenting that there is a need for increased understanding and dialogue about the idea that PPP could improve local economic development of the metropolitan municipalities in South Africa, in particular if an appropriate PPP model is constructed. Creswell (1998:94) writes that the rationale for a study is not "the discovery of new elements, as in natural scientific study, but rather the heightening of awareness for experience which has been forgotten and overlooked. By heightening awareness and creating dialogue, it is hoped that this research project could lead to better understanding of the manner in which PPP and LED appear in municipal policy documents and South African academic literature and are understood by councillors and some officials. It is through the insights that lead to improvements in municipal public administration". The need for this study is to provide a new line of thinking, that is, to see PPPs as forming part of the political economy of Public Administration.

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Mzikayise S Binza, PhD: holds a PhD in Public Administration at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. He is Senior Lecturer and director for Raymond Mhlaba Institute of Public Administration and Leadership. His research areas: public- private partnerships, local economic development, public policy and local government.

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