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GATS and water services

Author

Listed:
  • Diana Mitlin

    (Diana Mitlin is at International Institute for Environment and Development and the Institute for Development and Policy Management (University of Manchester) International Institute for Environment and Development, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK)

Abstract

This paper considers the implications of the General Agreement on Trade in Services for the delivery of water to low-income residential customers in the South. The specific feature of the GATS is the liberalization of water supplies. The paper argues that the GATS may, depending on national government commitments, limit the ways in which the water market can be developed and structured by the state. With a focus on the implications for access for the poorest, the discussion explores three possible ways in which the GATS may constrain the capacity of local agencies (state and civil society) to extend the supply of clean water to those most in need.

Suggested Citation

  • Diana Mitlin, 2008. "GATS and water services," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 8(1), pages 31-44, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:prodev:v:8:y:2008:i:1:p:31-44
    DOI: 10.1177/146499340700800104
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nick Johnstone & Libby Wood (ed.), 2001. "Private Firms and Public Water," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2299.
    2. Birdsall, Nancy & Nellis, John, 2003. "Winners and Losers: Assessing the Distributional Impact of Privatization," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(10), pages 1617-1633, October.
    3. Estache, Antonio & Kouassi, Eugene, 2002. "Sector organization, governance, and the inefficiency of African water utilities," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2890, The World Bank.
    4. Md. Azmal Kabir & Ataur Rahman & Sarah Salway & Jane Pryer, 2000. "Sickness among the urban poor: a barrier to livelihood security," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(5), pages 707-722.
    5. Alcazar, Lorena & Lixin Colin Xu & Zuluaga, Ana Maria, 2000. "Institutions, politics, and contracts : the attempt to privatize the water and sanitation utility of Lima, Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2478, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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