The Governance of Water Services in Developing Countries: An Analysis in Terms of Action Stratification

Nation states having prompted powerful opposition with their claim to be solely responsible for the management of drinking water, the norms controlling governance of this resource have become increasingly fragmented between different normative powers, each defending a distinct "model." To put these models into perspective, it is suggested that the action stratification analysis developed by Giddens (1984) should be used, for it may prove revealing when applied to the question of water services governance. It is capable of demonstrating how the different institutional levels fit together in providing a framework for local practices, stressing the importance of "intersubjectivity" in the process of creating meaning and ultimately underlining the importance of recursive practices in reproducing and transforming the institutions under consideration.