Water and sanitation Archives – Decentralization Net

Water and Sanitation in an Intergovernmental Context

September 20, 2023 LPS Alliance

Achieving access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) for all is often not only a question of resource availability and funding, but equally a matter of good governance. In places where providing access to WSS […]

Are there economies of scale in local public service provision?

February 14, 2022 LPSAManager

Economies of scale in public service delivery is an important concept in decentralization and localization: does the cost of public service delivery (per household or person) increase when services are delivered by smaller jurisdictions? If […]

Water federalism in Canada: working across government levels to support essential water infrastructure

July 20, 2021 LPS Initiative

The governments of Canada and Quebec are taking decisive action to meet the essential water infrastructure needs of local communities by working together across different government levels. The federal government, provincial government and municipal government […]

Decentralized Delivery of Water and Sanitation Services

March 20, 2018 LPS Alliance

An important aspect of water and sanitation service provision is the fact that access to water and sanitation is, by its nature, provided at the lowest level of the public sector. As such, regardless of […]

What Keeps Cities in Asia and Africa from Effective Public Service Delivery?

August 10, 2016 LPS Initiative

Cities are widely regarded as engines of economic growth. Their ability to attract and retain talent and financial capital drives productivity and the well-being of societies. But cities across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, two of […]

Shared Mandates, Moral Hazard, and Political (Mis)alignment in a Decentralized Economy

June 22, 2016 LPS Initiative

This paper investigates the effects of political (mis)alignment on public service delivery when mandates are shared between state and local governments. As argued by Oates (1972) long ago, when local administrations are not pressured to […]