The water privatization debate : a critique of and alternative to the international financial institutions' promotion of the private provision of water services

Graduation Date

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Social Science, Environment and Community, 2006

Committee Chair Name

Noah Zerbe

Committee Chair Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Political theory, Decentralization, Millenium development goals, Porto Alegre Brazil, Corruption, Negative freedoms, Strong democracy, Keynesianism, Government accountability, Positive freedoms, Water privatization, Wealthy distribution, World bank, International financial institutions, Natural monopoly, Thin democracy, Water services, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Social Science, Human right to water, Liberalism, Democracy, Public health, Neoliberalism, Water development, Clean water

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the debate over the private provision of water services. One billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, which results in millions of illnesses and deaths every year. The international financial institutions have blamed lack of access to clean water on government corruption and deficient funding. Their solution has been promoting the private provision of water services to increase access to clean water. Growing international social movements have been disputing the value of the private provision of water services. This thesis adds to the debates by arguing that the private provision of water services is a political choice, not an economic inevitability and that the private provision of water services does not promote the mission of the international financial institutions to decrease poverty by increasing access to clean water. The private provision of water services is not efficient because it is a natural monopoly and it tends to: increase water costs and service disconnections, not account for the costs from water-borne illness, concentrate investment in wealthy areas, and perpetrate corruption. The alternative solution promoted in this thesis is strong democracy based on the right to water.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/6q182n578

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