Do state holding companies promote the success of private participation in the water sector? Apparently not, judging from experience in four African countries. There are very few functions that state holding companies are better suited for performing than other entities are.When the Gambia,...

The authors analyze the determinants of the efficiency levels reached by twenty one African water utilities. They assess efficiency through the estimation of a production frontier for the sector in Africa. The efficiency estimates confirm much of the common perceptions from partial productivity...

Infrastructure in Lesotho is relatively undeveloped with poor coverage and low-quality services common to many African countries that have low per capita incomes and government fiscal limitations that constrain infrastructure investment. This report finds that private participation in...

This paper surveys water pricing models, highlighting some important results. Efficiency requires marginal cost pricing. Intra-annual price changes or customer differentiation to reflect differences in marginal costs can enhance efficiency. A marginal cost pricing mechanism may signal the value...

The water prices that implement the optimal water policy are derived. These prices contain the supply cost components and two shadow price terms: one reflecting the in situ value of natural water and the other representing the scarcity of recycled water. The former accounts for the scarcity,...

This article emphasizes the critical role of local policy networks for the implementation of agricultural watershed management and the adoption of environmental best management practices. Local networks facilitate diffusion of innovations, the development of social capital, and cultural change....

The Dutch drinking water sector experienced two drastic changes over the last 10 years. Firstly, in 1997, the sector association started with a voluntary benchmarking aimed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector. Secondly, merger activity arose. This paper develops a tailored...

The theoretical and empirical literature on water supply and sewerage liberalization is reviewed in this paper in order to discuss the potential for market creation and private sector involvement in this sector. The analysis is framed in the quot;policy roadmapquot; developed by regulatory...

The fall of the New Order government in 1998 and the political reform that followed posed substantial challenges for Indonesia's bureaucracy to continue fulfilling its mandate. This book analyses the process of bureaucratic reform in the irrigation sector. Using Irrigation Management Transfer...

The pricing of water has often been applied universally, using general and ideological policies, and not considering regional environmental and economic differences. This book features case-studies that assess various policies by evaluating their objectives and constraints and demonstrating...