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Abstract:
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The article explores the significance of research and development (R&D) collaborations and partnerships
between government and academia as a strategy to be employed in shaping the developmental agenda in
states. The authors provide both a conceptual view and findings from primary data which interrogated the
notion that a ‘research community’ should be anchored on its collaborative efforts and continuously strive for
partnership creations with the aim of transforming societies and serving the public. An observation is made on
the prospects of South Africa’s provincial governments and academia forging collaborations and partnerships
with an open approach and common goals in order for the collaborations to have a purposeful meaning to
the public. The current state of affairs in South Africa as alluded to in the National Development Plan (NDP)
warrants for a developmental agenda that is dominated by knowledge production, dissemination and its uptake
thereof. This context therefore enjoins different role players such as government and academia/research
institutions and the private sector to work together and solve developmental problems such as poverty,
inequality, unemployment and service delivery challenges. It is through initiatives such as R&D collaborations
and partnerships that these aforementioned challenges can be curbed; however, this requires these sectors
to do things differently. The Public Management Reform Theory provided the theoretical framework in this
article as it advocates for an improved public sector’s administrative structures, coordination, management and
operations. In addition, this theory envisages a better and modernized public service that delivers services in
an effective and efficient manner. The theory points out to a paradigm shift in terms of how the public sector
is traditionally perceived to one that is modernized, decentralized, customer friendly and economically and
socially reformed. The methodology adopted in this article includes a qualitative research method, desktop
research and document analysis. There is substantial primary data and secondary literature in the public domain
that was used to substantiate arguments advanced in this article. It should be noted that over the years, there
has been on-going academic conversations on research collaborations between academia and the public sector
as a prerequisite for socio-economic development; therefore, this article is further contributing to this debate |