Public choice of urban water service management: a multi-criteria approach

Local policy makers in developed countries have to make decisions in increasingly complex scenarios. Consequently, they should use all the tools available when deciding which management option is the most suitable for urban water service, given how important that service is and the variety of criteria involved in making such a decision. This article employs 'analytic hierarchy process' techniques to perform an <italic>ex post</italic> analysis of the decision to transfer the management of the urban water service in Granada (in southern Spain) to a public-private partnership. The main conclusion is that the decision was rational, in that it was the best possible alternative considering the hierarchy of preferences at the time. Furthermore, confronting the serious financial difficulties faced by the local government took clear precedence over other aspects when the decision was taken.