Drawing on theoretical, practical, and normative rationales, the analysis presented here calls for revisiting the prevailing water service paradigm, and the values and frames it reflects. As is increasingly apparent, current pricing policies may not be sufficiently responsive, pragmatic, or...

Financing and the role of aid within the water sector are poorly understood. We estimate the levels of spending achieved in developing countries during the Millennium Development Goals period to be US$80 billion per year. Aid represented a substantial proportion of total sector financing in...

Where they exist, tariffs for water supply and sanitation services face a tension between different policy objectives, such as ensuring the financial sustainability of service provision and ensuring access to all, including vulnerable and poor social groups. Governments (local and national)...

One focus of the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July 2017 was the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, including those set for the water sector. Despite progress, around 800 million people worldwide do not have adequate access to drinking water. Increasing block tariffs are an instrument...

In most of the world, urban water supply systems are public enterprises, usually part of a local government, and the recent increased interest in privatizing public enterprises has not led to reforms of water systems. Nevertheless, in about 50 cities in the developing world, the water system...

In most of the world, urban water supply systems are public enterprises, usually part of a local government, and the recent increased interest in privatizing public enterprises has not led to reforms of water systems. Nevertheless, in about 50 cities in the developing world, the water system...

In 1997 the government of the Philippines privatised the water services in the Manila Metropolitan Area (covering approximately 11 million people) by granting two large concession areas to consortia of international water companies and local partners. This case study tracks the successful...

The German potable water supply industry is regarded highly fragmented, thus preventing efficiency improvements that could happen through consolidation. Focusing on a hypothetical restructuring of the industry, we use a cross-section sample of 364 German water utilities in 2006, applying Data...