Household Choice of Drinking Water Source in the Philippines

This paper analyses household choice of drinking water source for 769 rural households in the Metro Cebu Area, Philippines. In particular, the effects of input prices, tastes and household size on the choice probabilities are analyzed. For the empirical analysis, a discrete choice approach consistent with utility maximization is employed. The findings indicate that the time cost is an important determinant of household choice of drinking water source and, surprisingly, that tastes, proxied by income, has ambiguous effects on household choice. The present study is contrasted to an earlier study in which inconsistency with utility maximization cannot be ruled out