Publication

This paper assesses the privatization of water services as a governmental response to the decline in water services infrastructure. It focuses on the US, but also identifies a global trend - particularly in middle- and low-income countries, where water service privatization is promoted by international financial institutions. The authors provide a survey map of privatized water utilities in the US and look at how the investment gap in water-related services emerged. They investigate how this changed the context for private sector investment and the specific form the latter has taken.