Abstract
Globally, the water services sector has adopted commercial principles since the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the reforms based on these principles have been introduced as part of broader neoliberal reforms in these countries. Often these reforms are portrayed as being homogenous and standardized, suggesting there is a shared understanding of commercialization. However, in recent years, scholars have explored the lack of universality of these principles when comparing the implementation of these reforms across settings. Across different countries significant differences in implementation and outcomes of commercialization can be identified. In much of this literature, emphasis is placed on the differences visible in the implementation of commercialization across different geographical areas. In this article, we contribute to this literature by questioning the universal application of the principles of commercialization even within the same geographical area and actor. Using the case of community-based organizations in Lamongan Regency, Indonesia, this paper elaborates on the multiple manifestations of commercialization when documenting the actual practices of water operators. We argue that, within even the operations of these water operators, commercial principles are indeed differently implemented from the original commercial model of water provisioning. The deviations from the model can be attributed to not only local conditions under which the water providers operate, but also reflect the interests of the implementing agency and its environment. The deviations from the model of commercialization lead to questions about the validity of this model as they re-interpret key principles of the model. Yet, we find that little of these divergences and re-interpretations are reported upon. As a result, these two models of commercialization, the one practiced by the water operator and the one endorsed by donors and sector organizations co-exist as separate, and equally valid, guidelines. We advocate for a richer vocabulary to describe or refer to different manifestations and interpretations of commercialization as this may lead to a more honest development of water services for all.
Highlights
Despite the almost seemingly universal manifestation of neoliberal reforms in the water sector, the actual implementation of these neoliberal reforms may be less homogenous than some of the literature may suggest [1,2,3] Changes and adaptations to neoliberal principles during implementation of reforms bringing these principles in, have been documented and demonstrate that the actual processes through which neoliberal reforms unfold are quite diverse and depend on the specific socio-economicWater 2019, 11, 1985; doi:10.3390/w11101985 www.mdpi.com/journal/waterWater 2019, 11, 1985 and political context in which these very same reforms are implemented [1]
Differences between design and implementation are not an indication of faulty implementation, but rather are viewed as expected and necessary adjustments that allow a policy to be molded to fit a particular context [6,7]. With these perspectives in mind, we expect that all reforms to the water services sector through the introduction of commercial principles will unfold into a unique implementation, characterized by a different form or degree of commercialization
We elaborate on the existing documentation of these unique interpretations at implementation by investigating Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in Indonesia
Summary
Despite the almost seemingly universal manifestation of neoliberal reforms in the water sector, the actual implementation of these neoliberal reforms may be less homogenous than some of the literature may suggest [1,2,3] Changes and adaptations to neoliberal principles during implementation of reforms bringing these principles in, have been documented and demonstrate that the actual processes through which neoliberal reforms unfold are quite diverse and depend on the specific socio-economic. Differences between design and implementation are not an indication of faulty implementation, but rather are viewed as expected and necessary adjustments that allow a policy to be molded to fit a particular context [6,7] With these perspectives in mind, we expect that all reforms to the water services sector through the introduction of commercial principles will unfold into a unique implementation, characterized by a different form or degree of commercialization. In studying CBOs in small towns and rural areas, we assume that the introduction of commercial principles in the provision of services will likely exhibit certain adaptations from the commercial model that was originally envisioned during policy design. What this research revealed was that a much richer interpretation of commercial viability is required to grasp and place the practices and operations of these water providers
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