Public–Private Partnerships and Their Ownership in the Urban Water Sector

Abstract

This chapter explores the experience of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the provision of urban water and sanitation services. We show that there exists a wide range of PPPs available to the water industry. Across the public and the private parties, these PPPs typically differ in their allocation of decision prerogatives, risks, and revenues. The main question we address is the relationship between the ownership of the PPP and the performance of water services in terms of their technical and cost efficiency, water price, and access to water and sanitation services.