A Sourcebook - UN-Water

Source List 10.1 Reforming Water Sector Governance to Promote Probity (continued)
Source
Foster, V. (2005). “Ten
Years of Water Service
Reform in Latin America:
Toward an Anglo-French
Model”. Water Supply
and Sanitation Sector
Board Discussion Paper,
No. 3. World Bank
Groom, E., Halpern, J.,
and Ehrhardt, D. (2006).
“Explanatory Notes on
Key Topics in the Regulation
of Water and Sanitation
Services”. Water Supply
and Sanitation Sector
Board Discussion Paper
No.6 World Bank
Muller, M., Simpson, R.
and van Ginneken, M.
(2008). “Ways to Improve
Water Services by Making
Utilities More Accountable
to their Users: A
Review”. Water Working
Notes No.15. World Bank
Palast, G., Oppenheim,
J. and MacGregor, T.
(2003). “Democracy and
Regulation: How the Public
can Govern Essential
Services”. Pluto Press
Shah, A. (ed.) (2007).
“Performance Accountability
and Combating
Corruption”. World Bank
Description
This paper reviews and compares reforms of the water supply and sanitation sector
in Latin American countries. All involved decentralization and regulatory reform,
but were slightly different in each country. These reforms were largely a reaction
to dissatisfaction with the traditional “clientelist” model of water service provision.
This is a short paper that describes how Latin American countries redefined the role
of the state in water service provision, and the different types of regulatory instruments
which were developed to make this reform successful. h
These Notes are a good source for the sections above on increasing
accountability. i
This paper introduces the concepts of creating a balanced accountability system,
and the different “routes to accountability”. Chapter 3 presents 14 tools to
increasing utility accountability, including: community outreach and ad hoc user
meetings, publication of performance data, one-demand provision of information,
forecast surveys, retrospective surveys of performance and perceptions, structures
consultation processes, membership in advisory bodies, membership in decisionmaking
bodies, involvement in the execution of specific utility activities, participatory
budgeting, ownership of utility, utility complain mechanisms, third-party complaint
mechanisms, and legal recourse and redress. Chapter 4 analyses the track
record of effectiveness of these various tools, and Chapter 5 outlines how to select
the right tools in different contexts. j
This book provides a useful guide to how public services are regulated in the United
States. It argues that since Americans pay surprisingly little for high quality services,
the US system has something to offer other countries. It critiques the regulatory regimes
instituted—often under donor guidance—over the last two decades in many
developing countries for omitting essential elements of the US approach. In particular
it argues that public participation and transparency are institutionalized in the
US regulatory system, but have been deliberately omitted from regulatory reforms
in the UK and many developing countries.
Explanations of how to institutionalize performance-based accountability systems
(especially where accountability systems are lacking). Topics covered include:
• Designing and sequencing public management reforms
• Introducing e-government
• Setting goals linked to performance-based budgeting
• Engaging citizens to create a system of good governance.
This paper also analyzes different legal, policy and institutional frameworks for
supporting accountability and combating corruption. Attention is focused on improved
auditing as an important tool for detecting and deterring fraud. Throughout
the book there are many boxes with useful case studies of rules or policies that
have improved accountability and reduced corruption.
h
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWSS/Resources/WSSServiceReform.pdf
i
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWSS/Resources/WSS6-final.pdf
j
http://go.worldbank.org/3WL8VRBIZ0
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