This study attempts to examine this relationship between the economic elite and the political elite in the city of Durban. Chapter four provides an analysis of the elite's current interactions for economic development in the city.
Methodology
The content of the interviews, once grouped around a specific research question, was summarized. This literature review is largely based on analyzes conducted in US cities.
Elite theory
Due to the pluralistic nature of society, different people were involved in different 'fields'. The traditional roles of cities revolved around issues of service delivery and infrastructure.
Theories of Elite Interaction
Elite theorists see growth as increasing the position of the powerful at the expense of the less powerful. Molotch 1988:27) In Keil's study of the city of Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania, the growth agenda there was significantly weakened by their dependence on national capital. While their theory is based on the importance of business wealth sharing, other factors, many of which are not limited to the local level, are important.
Stone's regime theory, on the other hand, emphasizes the role of local government in mobilizing and coordinating resources to influence economic development. I see Keil (1988) for an analysis of the failure of a growth coalition in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania due to dependence on national capital and the influence of national and international models of. In shaping patterns of urban development.” (Maharaj & Rambali Urban regimes are seen to be driven by the public sector.
An important focus of Stone's research was how the coming together of coalition members comes about. By securing cooperation with this black middle class, the well-organized and highly resource-rich white business elite could ensure the survival of the regime through a variety of incentives.
Who is excluded in this process?
Stone's analysis is particularly important for Durban because, over the period under study, the composition of the coalition changed to be a biracial one consisting of a primarily white business elite and a primarily black political elite. The black community in Atlanta at the beginning of the period under study was quite well organized, and it was the black middle class of Atlanta that played an important role in the regime. This is where the real estate interest of the business elite is usually strongest, as moving upper and middle class people will mean money is lost on their investments.
However, urban renewal is often characterized by the removal of the lower class from the areas that coalitions seek to restore. This means that the coalition's economic interventions are in favor of and at the expense of the poor. Stone criticized the Atlanta coalition for being "skillful at building physical structures but unskillful at initiating and implementing ambitious human development programs." (Stone 1989: 213).
However, it was partly the active and influential nature of the unions that prevented significant investment in the city. Although potential influences from other actors in Durban are acknowledged, this study is limited to the roles of the political and economic elite. Who then are the business elite and the political elite.
The Business and Political Elite
Thus, capitalists are no longer managers of their enterprises, and they now focus on financing, which seems to have moved away from the production process. These businesses tend to be larger and will tend to have more economic impact than smaller businesses because of their size. Real decision-making power would only apply to the highest levels of a corporate elite and not to the managers of smaller businesses.
On the other hand, Bumham's predictions have not fully come true and the entrepreneurial elite is still significant. A management elite is likely part of a large corporate structure that may not be controlled or tied to that location. In contrast, a capitalist elite, where the instruments of production are likely to be controlled and owned by an individual, is likely to be smaller and tied to a specific place.
Without major corporate support, such smaller companies are likely to be less able to move the business where profit maximization will be greatest. In terms of coalition theory, the entrepreneurial elite is therefore more likely to be significant than the managerial elite.
Conclusion '
The hypothesis that arises from this is that the political elite in Durban are the individuals who are 'top' in terms of decision-making power and reputation. The economic elite are the individuals with decision-making powers and the reputation for having such power. Here the economic elite consists of both the managerial and the entrepreneurial elite, with the managerial elite occupying higher positions in the elite grouping due to the size of the companies they represent and the greater decision-making power this grants them.
In terms of forming coalitions, however, the business elite could be more important, as they have a greater interest in the city's success. the unity of civic leaders, patterns of foreign capital investment, the skills of political leaders and urban social movements. Chief among these conditions is that there must be a specific policy agenda that is relatively long-term and supported by a coalition of interests that are not institutional, often with cross-sectoral or institutional boundaries. This coalition should also be able to survive despite changes in political leadership and should mobilize external resources such as public-private partnerships.
It is these characteristics that this article argues in a coalition-like interaction between the economic elite and the political elite in Durban. This chapter therefore attempts to analyze the history of the interaction between the elites in the city of Durban, focusing specifically on the composition of the coalition in Durban in terms of the old white elite and the newly emerging new non-white elite.
History of Elite Interaction in Durban
However, in the later part of the twentieth century there were numerous examples of local government and business coalition activities in Durban. Another important factor in the local government's involvement in the economic development of the city was the. Freund found that the nature of the relationship between business and local government in Durban began to change during the 1980s.
Freund cites the example of the city's partnership with Anglo American for the industrial development of the Springfield Flats (Freund, forthcoming). Pillay 1996:76). The changing nature of the coalition and the more inclusive emphasis of Operation Jumpstart were evident in the development of an international conference facility in the city. However, reaching consensus during the construction of the center was crucial for the realization of the plan.
The lack of real commitment on the part of the city to the established 'coalition' was evident in the exclusive 1992 Council-Transnet plan for the development of the Point. Gordon Hibbert, of the Tongaat Hulett Group, was chairman of the Operation Jumpstart business group.
The emergence of a new elite
The question of the emergence of a non-white elite is complicated by the long history of the presence of an Indian elite in the city. Some local Indian families achieved elite economic status long before the country's democracy began. It is in the positions of non-executive directors that we find more of the non-white elite.
However, in terms of transforming effective decision-making power, the balance is clearly in the hands of white leaders. This is a possible reason why some of the tendered companies are reluctant to be interviewed. Mkwanazi gained widespread media coverage for his alleged corrupt practices while in the position of chairman.
Although not included in the focus of this study, it is important to briefly discuss their role in the city's economic development. This could be further limited by the marginalization of bureaucracy in the planning and decision-making process.
Elite Interactions
This lack of cohesion between the still prominent white elite and the black political elite presents a significant obstacle to coalition formation for the city's economic development. However, the city of Durban has a history of big and white business collaborating to develop the city. Strong representation of the 'new' elite in the powerful upper echelons of the political structure is important for the interaction between the new economic elite and local government.
So it is clear that the old and new economic elite have potential benefits that can be brought to a coalition with the political elite for the economic development of the city. This paper now moves on to a more detailed examination of the relationship between the economic elite and the political elite, specifically in terms of the city's economic development. This has contributed to the local government playing an increasingly active role in stimulating the city's economy.
As far as political elites are concerned, the general focus is similar to business. This can be attributed in part to the continued dominance of the white elite in the business sector. Additionally, these new emerging businesses are more likely to be locally tied to the city's economic future.
Rather, strategies must be found that will help economic development and development in the wider sense of the word.
