Knowledge management for poverty eradication: a South African perspective
| Pages | 193-213 |
| Date | 14 May 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2017-0022 |
| Published date | 14 May 2018 |
| Author | Madeleine Fombad |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information & communications technology |
Knowledge management for
poverty eradication: a South
African perspective
Madeleine Fombad
Department of Information Science, University of South Africa,
Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to explore poverty issues in South Africa, to investigate some of the key
contributions that knowledgemanagement can make in the eradication of poverty and to suggest a strategy
of knowledgemanagement for poverty eradication in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach –This is a conceptual paper. Secondary data sources, in the form of
journalarticles, policy documents, newspaper articlesand the internet, were consulted.
Findings –This paper contributes to the debates on moving towards an integratedpoverty strategy that
goes beyond reducing povertyby simply raising national income. The paper advocates for a contextualised
knowledge management strategy tailoredto specific poverty interventionprojects and communities. It also
suggests that a knowledge managementstrategy will result in permanent investment in knowledgeand the
human developmentof people.
Research limitations/implications –Given that this is a conceptual paper, the paper recommends
empirical futurestudies that will implement this strategy withinspecific poverty-stricken communities in the
country.
Practical/implications –The paper raises awareness among policy and decision-makers of the
importance of knowledge management as a tool for poverty eradication. In the knowledge economy,
knowledge assets –other thanthe tangible assets of financial capital and local infrastructure –are the prime
creator of wealth.It adds to the body of knowledge on knowledge management for poverty eradicationby the
World Bank and otherinternational organisations.
Social implications –A knowledge management strategy will create an environment in which human
development is attained and the minds of the poor are transformed. It will enhance policy formulationand
implementation,empower the poor and create a learningorganisation.
Originality/value –The paper presents a proposed strategy for knowledge management for poverty
eradicationin South Africa.
Keywords South Africa, Knowledge management, Human development, Poverty,
Communication technologies, Knowledge, Knowledge-based economy, Poverty eradication
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Poverty remains one of the world’s greatest challenges, and neither the industrialised nor
the resource-rich countrieshave succeeded in its total eradication. Such eradicationremains
an integral part of the developmentalagendas of individual nation states and of the world at
large. Eradication of extreme povertywas goal number one of the millennium development
goals (MDGs), which lapsed in 2015,and it is currently goal number 1 of the 17 sustainable
development goals (SDGs)that seek to eliminate poverty by 2030. Knowledge is an essential
element for the achievement of the SDGs (World Bank, 2017). Sachs (2005) argues that
poverty can be eradicated by 2025 through carefully planned development aid. The
Poverty
eradication
193
Received20 April 2017
Revised14 February 2018
Accepted25 February 2018
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.16 No. 2, 2018
pp. 193-213
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-04-2017-0022
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
Constitution of South Africa(1996) recognises the importance of eradicating poverty, and, in
this regard, Sections 27, 28 and 29 reiterate the rights of access to social security, social
services and education. To this end, since 1994, the post-apartheid government has
implemented a number of policies, pieces of legislation, plans and strategies to deal with
poverty, ranging from the Reconstruction and Development Programme (African National
Congress, 1994) to the National Development Plan, which seeks to eliminate poverty and
reduce inequality by 2030 (National Planning Commission [NPC], 2011,2013). Some of the
policies have been criticised for being top-down handouts and temporary relief measures
through the provision of social grants, free houses and free social services, which, taken
together, have resulted in a perpetual dependencymentality (Williams, 2006;Moyo, 2014). In
addition, some of the policies do not provide for monitoring and evaluation of the poor
in terms of who they are or in terms of the trends in poverty, and there is also a lack of an
interdisciplinary analysis of poverty and a lack of a link between poverty assessment and
other instruments of planning (Maxwell and Conway, 2000;Mbuli, 2008). Above all,
ineffective knowledge-sharing and the lack of proper coordination among government
agencies in pursuit of effectiveproblem-solving remains a challenge.
As the debate around moving towards an integrated poverty strategy in the knowledge
economy continues, emphasis is being placed on the role of knowledge management for
poverty eradication (World Bank, 1998;World Bank, 2007; United Nations Development
Organisation UNDP, 2014). A World Bank “Voices of the Poor”study based on interviews
with 60,000 men and women concluded that people want access to knowledge and
opportunities, ratherthan charity, to fight poverty (Nath, 2000). This paper explores poverty
eradication within the context of knowledge management and advocates for a
contextualisedstrategy tailored to specific poverty intervention projectsand communities. It
raises awareness among policy- and decision-makers as to the importance of knowledge
management as a tool for povertyeradication. To consolidate the line of thought, secondary
data sources, in the form of journalarticles, policy documents and newspaper articles, were
consulted along with internetsources.
The key researchobjectives for this article are:
to explore poverty issues in South Africa;
to investigate some of the key contributions that knowledge management can make
in the eradication of poverty; and
to suggest a strategy of knowledge management for poverty eradication in South
Africa.
The first section defines povertyand provides an understanding of poverty within the South
African context. This is followed by an overview of poverty issues in South Africa. The
third section presents an overviewof knowledge management. The fourth section presents a
review of literature on knowledge management strategies for poverty eradication.The final
section provides a knowledgemanagement strategy for poverty eradication in South Africa.
What is poverty?
Poverty is a relative, multidimensional concept that has evolved over time but that has no
single, universally accepted definition. Its meaning varies from context to context and from
country to country. It is generally viewed from an absolute (objective or extreme), relative
(social) or social exclusion perspective. The definition of “absolute poverty”has evolved
from the definition traditionally usedby the World Bank and the United Nations and which
refers to the lack of basic or minimal necessities for survival, such as food,shelter, clothing
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