In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

■ ADRIANA ALLEN WaterProvisionforandby thePeri-urbanPoor P U B L I C - C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S H I P S O R C I T I Z E N S C O P R O D U C T I O N ? It is now widely recognized that the urban transition facing the developing world brings with it significant challenges in terms of meeting the water needs of the poor. In this context, it has become common place among international agencies and national governments alike to advocate governance arrangements for service provision that explicitly include the participation of civil society . However, underlying this apparent consensus there is a wide range of ideological positions. They range from pragmatic arguments for the participation of the so-called third sector to fill in the gaps left by the state and the private sector, to the more substantial redefinition of the role that citizens could and should play in the design and delivery of public policy.1 This chapter examines the institutional arrangements adopted in relation to emerging forms of citizen coproduction in water provision, looking in particular at the way in which these reinforce or bridge the gap between current government policies and practices by the peri-urban poor. The underlying assumption is that the reciprocal collaboration of government professionals and citizens engendered by a genuine process of coproduction has the capacity to positively transform those taking part. Such transformation implies that coproduction can lead to (1) a more sensitive approach from government professionals to the water needs, experience, and expectations of the beneficiaries—in particular of the water poor—and (2) the empowerment of the latter through their increased control of water management systems and the assertion of their right to water. Furthermore , the creation of an equal platform for interaction between government professionals and citizens plays an essential role not only in improving access to water by those typically excluded but also in making the system more accountable and environmentally sustainable. While there are many well-documented projects aimed at linking public agencies and poor communities on a one-off basis, the focus here is on the emergence of institutionalized frameworks for service coproduction in the peri-urban interface (PUI) of metropolitan Dar es Salaam 310 ■ ADRIANA ALLEN (Tanzania) and Caracas (Venezuela).2 The term “institutionalized frameworks” refers to the establishment of specific channels for government-citizen service coproduction that are explicitly backed up by the state at the policy level. Given the fact that neither the state or the formal private sector alone are likely to produce water services for the urban and peri-urban poor, a focus on institutionalized coproduction in comparison to one-off project partnerships is relevant because it allows the examination of the process and outcomes of experimenting with state-citizen interfaces aimed at addressing this challenge through sustainable mechanisms. The importance of considering the coproduction of water services in peri-urban areas arises from the fact that these areas generally lie outside the coverage of formal networked water systems , which are in most cases restricted to a relatively small urban core. This is partly because many peri-urban settlements develop outside existing formal regulations, and this affects their formal right to basic services. In reality, peri-urban water supply is in the hands of a wide range of informal agents.3 Within the metropolitan context, the peri-urban interface is often the location of important environmental services and natural resources consumed in urban areas. The process of periurbanization is frequently accompanied by substantial pressures over natural resources (such as land and water) due to their increased marketability and greater volumes of pollution generated by higher concentrations of population and enterprises. Peri-urban areas are associated with both rural and urban physical and socioeconomic features, and their population consists of highly heterogeneous and rapidly changing socioeconomic groups. This diversity means that the needs and demands of peri-urban dwellers and water providers are also quite diverse and change rapidly over time. The identification of these needs is more complex than in urban or rural areas, due to the particular mix of newcomers and long-established dwellers, and also because farming, residential, and industrial land uses often coexist. Therefore, the peri-urban context is typically characterized by rapidly expanding unmet needs vis-à-vis a high level of experimentation in terms of the direct involvement of the poor in service provision...

Share