Privatizing Water

Governance Failure and the World's Urban Water Crisis

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Natural Resources, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Policy
Cover of the book Privatizing Water by Karen Bakker, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen Bakker ISBN: 9780801467004
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Karen Bakker
ISBN: 9780801467004
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

Water supply privatization was emblematic of the neoliberal turn in development policy in the 1990s. Proponents argued that the private sector could provide better services at lower costs than governments; opponents questioned the risks involved in delegating control over a life-sustaining resource to for-profit companies. Private-sector activity was most concentrated—and contested—in large cities in developing countries, where the widespread lack of access to networked water supplies was characterized as a global crisis.

In Privatizing Water, Karen Bakker focuses on three questions: Why did privatization emerge as a preferred alternative for managing urban water supply? Can privatization fulfill its proponents' expectations, particularly with respect to water supply to the urban poor? And, given the apparent shortcomings of both privatization and conventional approaches to government provision, what are the alternatives?

In answering these questions, Bakker engages with broader debates over the role of the private sector in development, the role of urban communities in the provision of "public" services, and the governance of public goods. She introduces the concept of "governance failure" as a means of exploring the limitations facing both private companies and governments. Critically examining a range of issues—including the transnational struggle over the human right to water, the "commons" as a water-supply-management strategy, and the environmental dimensions of water privatization—Privatizing Water is a balanced exploration of a critical issue that affects billions of people around the world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Water supply privatization was emblematic of the neoliberal turn in development policy in the 1990s. Proponents argued that the private sector could provide better services at lower costs than governments; opponents questioned the risks involved in delegating control over a life-sustaining resource to for-profit companies. Private-sector activity was most concentrated—and contested—in large cities in developing countries, where the widespread lack of access to networked water supplies was characterized as a global crisis.

In Privatizing Water, Karen Bakker focuses on three questions: Why did privatization emerge as a preferred alternative for managing urban water supply? Can privatization fulfill its proponents' expectations, particularly with respect to water supply to the urban poor? And, given the apparent shortcomings of both privatization and conventional approaches to government provision, what are the alternatives?

In answering these questions, Bakker engages with broader debates over the role of the private sector in development, the role of urban communities in the provision of "public" services, and the governance of public goods. She introduces the concept of "governance failure" as a means of exploring the limitations facing both private companies and governments. Critically examining a range of issues—including the transnational struggle over the human right to water, the "commons" as a water-supply-management strategy, and the environmental dimensions of water privatization—Privatizing Water is a balanced exploration of a critical issue that affects billions of people around the world.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book The Origins of Alliances by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Hearing Allah’s Call by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Knowing Dickens by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Ancient People of the Andes by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book New Labor in New York by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book The Poison Plot by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book A Fight for the Soul of Public Education by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book I Am Not a Tractor! by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Vico's "New Science" by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book The Shadow of the Past by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Where Three Worlds Met by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Imagining Religious Leadership in the Middle Ages by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book Jew Boy by Karen Bakker
Cover of the book The Merchants of Siberia by Karen Bakker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy