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Assessing states: Water service delivery and evolving state–society relations in Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa

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  • Leila M Harris

Abstract

This paper analyzes water services in relation to trust in government, with insights for broader state–society relations. The work is based on a multi-year and multi-sited case study of underserved areas of Cape Town, South Africa and Accra, Ghana. The analysis reveals that water quality and satisfaction are statistically linked to trust in government in South Africa, but not in Ghana. As well, while indicators of water access and quality appear to be very good in South Africa, there is nonetheless deep contestation and ongoing dis-enfranchisement. For Ghana, water access and quality are important for people’s daily lives, but are less strongly connected to senses of governmental responsibility—although for both countries there is a strong sense that government should be “doing more.†Features of history and context are emphasized in the Discussion and Conclusion sections to understand key differences between the sites and other results.

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  • Leila M Harris, 2020. "Assessing states: Water service delivery and evolving state–society relations in Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 38(2), pages 290-311, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:38:y:2020:i:2:p:290-311
    DOI: 10.1177/2399654419859365
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yates, Julian S. & Harris, Leila M., 2018. "Hybrid regulatory landscapes: The human right to water, variegated neoliberal water governance, and policy transfer in Cape Town, South Africa, and Accra, Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 75-87.
    2. Wutich, Amber & Ragsdale, Kathleen, 2008. "Water insecurity and emotional distress: Coping with supply, access, and seasonal variability of water in a Bolivian squatter settlement," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2116-2125, December.
    3. Peter Alexander, 2010. "Rebellion of the poor: South Africa's service delivery protests -- a preliminary analysis," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(123), pages 25-40, March.
    4. COLIN McFARLANE & JONATHAN RUTHERFORD, 2008. "Political Infrastructures: Governing and Experiencing the Fabric of the City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 363-374, June.
    5. Derick W. Brinkerhoff & Anna Wetterberg & Stephen Dunn, 2012. "Service Delivery and Legitimacy in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 273-293, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Susana Neves Alves, 2021. "Everyday states and water infrastructure: Insights from a small secondary city in Africa, Bafatá in Guinea-Bissau," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 39(2), pages 247-264, March.

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