Modernisation of urban water services management in Europe and prospects for sustainability: an analysis in terms of institutional resource regimes

This article assesses the sustainability potential of the urban water sector in Europe following its modernisation. The analysis uses the theoretical framework of institutional resource regimes. This interpretative framework provides us with a typology of natural resource governance systems based on their coherence and their extent. Then, based on the interplay of hypothesis and conjecture, the framework is used to deduce the capacity of a regime to provide sustainable governance. We conclude that modernisation offers a path for progress which though necessary is not sufficient. This pessimistic assessment is based mainly on the observation of a lack of coherence in urban water systems in Europe. The study is divided into three parts: description of the modernisation process; presentation of the interpretative framework used in analysing institutional resource regimes; application of the framework to the urban water sector in Europe.