Awareness of institutions, and associated factors: An inquiry of Chapter 9 and 10 institutions in South Africa

Nyagweta, David Tinashe (2024): Awareness of institutions, and associated factors: An inquiry of Chapter 9 and 10 institutions in South Africa.

Abstract

This article examines the associated factors that contribute to differences in awareness of chapter 9 and 10 institutions, which are specialised democratic institutions in South Africa, among different sociodemographic groups. Using data from the South Africa -Governance, Public Safety, and Justice Survey (GPSJS) of 2018-2019, the article analyses the levels and factors associated with awareness of all eight institutions. Findings show that awareness of these institutions is generally low, except for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and the Public Protector (PP). When considering sociodemographic factors using both binomial quasi-MLE and binary logit, awareness is found to be significantly associated with gender, race, age, income, education, political discussions, awareness of the constitution, and location. This points to the reproduction of structural inequalities into the functioning and reach of democratic institutions. Implications from these findings for the functioning and legitimacy of these institutions are discussed with suggestions of ways to improve visibility, accessibility, and outreach to the public.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Institutions, political knowledge, democracy
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H1 - Structure and Scope of Government > H11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government; K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior > K40 - General; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology ; Social and Economic Stratification

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