This book reveals all that can potentially happen when a private company takes over a local water supply system, both the good and the bad. Backed by real life stories of water privatization in action, author Manuel Schiffler presents a nuanced picture free of spin or fear mongering. Inside, readers will find a detailed analysis of the multiple forms of water privatization, from the outright sale of companies to various forms of public-private partnerships. After covering their respective strengths and weaknesses, it then compares them to purely publicly managed water utilities. The book examines the privatization and the public management of water and sewer utilities in twelve countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Philippines, Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Uganda, Bolivia, Argentina and Cuba. Readers will come to understand how and why some utilities failed while others succeeded, including some that substantially increased access, became more efficient and improved service quality even in the poorest countries of the world. It is natural that a private company taking over a local water supply system causes both fear and worry for consumers. With the aid of solid empirical evidence, this book argues that who manages the system is only half the story. Rather, it is the corporate culture of the utilities and the political culture of where they operate that more often than not determines performance and how well a community is served.

As the world faces another water crisis, it is easy to understand why this precious and highly-disputed resource could determine the fate of entire nations. In reality, however, water conflicts rarely result in violence and more often lead to collaborative governance, however precarious. In this comprehensive and accessible text, David Feldman introduces readers to the key issues, debates, and challenges in water politics today. Its ten chapters explore the processes that determine how this unique resource captures our attention, the sources of power that determine how we allocate, use, and protect it, and the purposes that direct decisions over its cost, availability, and access. Drawing on contemporary water controversies from every continent – from Flint, Michigan to Mumbai, Sao Paulo, and Beijing –the book argues that cooperation and more equitable water management are imperative if the global community is to adequately address water challenges and their associated risks, particularly in the developing world. While alternatives for enhancing water supply, including waste-water re-use, desalination, and conservation abound, without inclusive means of addressing citizens' concerns, their adoption faces severe hurdles that can impede cooperation and generate additional conflicts.

By analyzing water supply reforms in six developing country's capitals, this text provides a legal, economic and political examination of countries, tolerant of mismanagement of their water and sewerage systems for decades, that suddenly develop a thirst for efficiency.

This publication examines issues of water sector reform and performance from the perspectives of institutional economics and political economic studies. The authors develop an alternative quantitative assessment methodology based on the principle of 'institutional ecology', as well as data collected from 127 water experts from 43 countries and regions around the world using a cross-country review of recent water sector reforms within an institutional transaction cost framework.

This book provides a critical analysis of the impact of borders and divided governance on large rivers in federal political systems. The OECD has identified the global water crisis as one of governance and policy fragmentation. Population and economic

Retired Green Beret Steve Monsees stood before the Governing Board. He represented neighbors and neighborhoods that believed their lakes were diminished or destroyed because cheap water was needed to fuel growth. He was nervous. They had all the power. He was angry. They refused to use their power to protect the environment. When he spoke, his voice cracked, his hands shook, but he was determined that they would hear him, really hear him, and that things would change. Water wars are being fought in communities around the United States and world. Driven by drought, economics, and the ongoing pressure of growth, the battle for control and protection of water resources will be with us forever. This is the story of a dispute over public water supply development and use in west central Florida. It's about politics and policy development, but it's also about people. After years of bitter dispute, the local governments and the regional regulator sought a means to move beyond conflict to collaboration. The story describes what people said and did, how policy was made, and what happens to the people who are trying to make it work.

"In these times of growing interest in climate change, with its potential to affect supplies of one of the world's major natural resources, this volume aims to provide an extensive overview of the politics of water. Chapters offer an overview of various topics in the field, while the thorough glossary section contains a wealth of explanations to, and information on, water issues, terms, law and organizations. A section dedicated to the world's major river basins further informs on issues affecting water supply and use, and maps and statistics offer graphic and cartographic representations for reference."--P. 4 of cover.