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Is consolidation the answer to improving rural water services in low-income countries? Lessons from OECD country experience. REAL-Water Research Brief

Description:

Considering the shortcomings of Community-based management (CBM), many governments in low- and lower-middle-income countries are introducing and testing alternative management arrangements for rural water service provision. New sector policies and changes to regulatory frameworks have allowed the adoption of both public utility and private operator models, which have achieved different levels of scale. Globally, this points to a trajectory away from the unsupported CBM approaches towards more formalized and more formally regulated alternatives that aim to deliver higher levels of service (and ultimately, piped supply on premises). It is equally the case that CBM will not disappear overnight, nor will the need to rely upon communities for some portion of the organization and delivery of water services. This policy transition from unsupported CBM to more professionalized management alternatives, including supported CBM, must account for a range of rural consumers and markets, including highly dispersed communities.

Bibliographical Information:

REAL-Water (2023) Is consolidation the answer to improving rural water services in low-income countries? Lessons from OECD country experience.. REAL-Water Research Brief , United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Rural Evidence and Learning for Water

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