Non-state Providers Research Articles

Utility and non-state water service provision for the urban poor

Inadequate water service provision to the urban poor remains a serious problem in low-income countries. Utilities lack the resources, obligations or incentives for service expansion and there may be a long delay before water utilities are in a position to extend services. Non-state water providers, including both formal and informal local private providers, as well as civil society institutions, play a large role in provision of services to the urban poor and are increasingly recognised as a potential effective means of service provision to the urban poor. Governments should seek to create a better enabling environment for utilities both to overcome disincentives in service provision to the poor and to seek more effective ways of engagement with the non-state providers.

Tilting at Windmills

There are many obstacles to the successful provision of universal primary and secondary education. The failure of State schools to provide adequate schooling is a serious hindrance to achieving the international goal of Education for All. Non-State providers of education are regarded as an alternative but the variation in the quality of education provided is a growing concern. Educational partnerships between the public and private sector have been regarded as a way out of this impasse in the United States and Western Europe and there has been considerable debate about the economic and political implications of these public-private partnerships (PPPs). Disentangling the economic and political dimensions of provision would further our understanding of these new models of educational provision. This paper sets out a typology of identifying the economic and political aspects of provision through using the Hirschmanian concepts of ‘exit’ and ‘voice’. The idea of ‘exit’ draws on the mainstream economic understanding of free entry and exit, with the latter occurring when individuals are no longer satisfied with what is on offer in the market. The term ‘voice’ is used to denote political activity undertaken by an individual to ensure the continued provision of a good and/or the quality of the good. Conceptualising educational provision in relation to exit and voice permits the examination of how the role of the market and community affects access to and the quality of education. Educational initiatives by State and non-State providers in India are mapped onto this typology to gain an understanding of how the new models of education, such as PPPs, would affect the current provision of education.

An awkward threesome—donors, governments and non‐state providers of health in low income countries

AbstractBilateral and multilateral donors make frequent reference to collaboration with non‐state providers (NSPs) in the health sector, and the desirability of so‐called public private partnerships. Governments of many low‐income countries are also increasingly committed to this goal in their policy statements. This article presents a range of cases from six countries of how governments, donors and NSPs interact. It describes examples of what type of engagement is taking place between governments and NSPs, highlights some common themes and reflects on common motivations for collaboration and constraints to it. Examples are examined under the original study design headings of dialogue, regulation, facilitation and contracting. These categories were not easy to sustain. Much government support to NSPs was characterised by donor involvement, fostering a ‘pilot project’ style of approach. In other cases, it was not so much a case of governments pursuing a specific intervention to support or regulate NSPs, as NGOs taking an initiative to fill a gap in government provision. The article highlights the main gap in interaction with NSPs as a comprehensive framework for regulating services provided by small scale, for profit NSPs. This is a serious shortcoming given that they deliver the bulk of basic health care in most of the countries examined. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Collaborating in education for all? Experiences of government support for non‐state provision of basic education in South Asia and Sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractWhile basic education is commonly seen as primarily a state responsibility, non‐state providers (NSPs) can play an important role in expanding access to children underserved by public provision. Experience from five countries indicates that collaboration between governments and NSPs is closest when different forms of engagement interact (for example, facilitation or contracting of education services necessitating regulation which can lead to greater involvement in policy dialogue). However, more intense forms of engagement can result in tension, mistrust and even antagonism, particularly where dominant but ineffective centralised ministries of education attempt to maintain control over the sector, even where they are unable to support their own provision effectively. In such contexts, collusion between NSPs through umbrella associations is apparent, often with the aim of challenging restrictive government practices. However, evidence suggests that these associations tend to favour more established NSPs serving élite populations. There is a need both to recognise the complexities of collaboration amongst a diverse group of NSPs, as well as between them and governments, to support the achievement of education for all. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Government engagement with non‐state providers of water and sanitation services

AbstractIncreasingly, governments in developing countries recognise that the public sector alone cannot provide adequate water and sanitation services to all. Non‐state providers (NSPs) including both formal and informal private providers, as well as civil society institutions, also have important roles to play. There are clear challenges for governments intending to work with NSPs, not least of which is the institutional compatibility between bureaucratic agencies and informal water and sanitation NSPs. However, positive examples of government agencies working effectively with NSPs are emerging in many countries. Government engagement with water and sanitation NSPs can be split into five main types: recognition, dialogue, facilitation/collaboration, contracting and regulation. In many situations, a lack of formal recognition of water or sanitation NSPs is an impediment to more productive forms of engagement. There are a number of potential intervention options within each of the five types of engagement that government agencies should carefully consider when supporting the development of NSP water and sanitation services. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.