Daniel Francois Meyer,

North-West University, 

South Africa,

daniel.meyer@nwu.ac.za

Meaurement of the Enabling Developmental Environment: A Comparative Study in a Developing Region

Jan Roan Neethling,

North-West University, 

South Africa,

roanneethling5@gmail.com

Abstract. Development of a region is influenced by the way in which local government develops and implements its policy on the creation of enabling environment for businesses to prosper. The enabling development environment focuses on the role of government in providing the foundation for economic development. The total of 12 enabling development factors were identified, including such factors as the formation of partnerships and leadership. Quantitative research design was used in this study by means of primary data collection via survey in the Sedibeng District Municipal region, South Africa. This region includes three municipalities. The survey was completed in 2016, and the data was analysed using SPSS, descriptive and frequency distribution analyses. The total of 200 business owners were interviewed in this region. From the empirical results obtained in the survey found that the local municipality with the best performance in service delivery as well as in the creation of enabling environment has a significant impact on the overall development of the region. The study thus concludes that if an enabling environment is created, it should have a significant impact on the overall economic development of a region.

Received: June, 2017

1st Revision: September, 2017

Accepted: October, 2017

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2017/10-4/6

JEL Classification: H7, O1

Keywords: Local economic development, enabling environment, South Africa.