School of Management, IT and Governance

Biography

Purshottama Sivanarain Reddy is a Senior Professor at the University of Kwazulu Natal and is a subnational governance specialist. He is currently a member of the University Council (representing Academic staff) and a Senate representative on the Staffing Committee of Council.

Prof Reddy is the editor/co-editor of ten books on subnational government and currently serves on the editorial/advisory committee of six journals in South Africa, India, Estonia and United Kingdom/Australia. He is the author/co-author of over hundred publications focusing on inter alia, local government restructuring/transformation; local economic development; metropolitan governance; monitoring and evaluation and traditional leadership. He is a rated researcher (C1) with the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa and previously served on one of its specialist committees representing the Public Administration Discipline. Prof Reddy has supervised/promoted eighteen doctoral theses; thirty – one masters dissertations and ten honours research projects.

Prof Reddy is the Project Director of the Working Group on Sub – national Governance and Development of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) (Brussels). He also serves on its Board of Management representing the African Region and is currently Vice – President of Programmes for the Organisation. He also served on an IASIA – UNDESA Taskforce for Effective Public Administration at the Local Level for the Achievement of the MDGs. In 2014, he received the Donald Stone Award for being “A Distinguished International Scholar/Practitioner” and for his “Contribution Towards Advancing the Wellbeing of IASIA” internationally.

Prof Reddy is a member of the International Research Advisory Group of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) (London) representing universities and research organisations internationally. He has also served as an full/alternate member of the Board since its inception. The CLGF seeks to promote and strengthen effective democratic local government throughout the Commonwealth and to facilitate the exchange of best practices in local government.

Prof Reddy has played a pivotal role in capacity building for the provincial and local spheres of government in KwaZulu – Natal. To this end he has co –ordinated a large number of management development prgrammes in Kwazulu – Natal for senior and executive managers in national /provincial and local government. He has worked closely with the National School of Government (previously SAMDI and PALAMA) ; South African Local Government Association (SALGA) : Kwazulu Natal; several Departments of the Kwazulu – Natal Provincial Government and the Democracy Development Programme (DDP) in this regard. He co – ordinated the then Chief Executives Course in Local Government and the Municipal Managers Development Programme shortly after the ushering in of the post 1994 dispensation. Prof Reddy is currently a member of the Task Team : Developing a Capable State of the Human Resources Development Council of Kwazulu Natal, which is chaired by the Premier of the Province. He also serves on the Human Capital Development and Remuneration Committee of the Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC) (Chapter 9 institution established in terms of the Constitution). He is currently a member of the City Planning Commission of eThekwini Municipality .