Exploring User Incentive Mechanisms for Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management – An Institutional Analysis of Rural Water Supply Systems in Senegal

  • #Other Publications and Papers

Like other regions in the developing world, sub-Saharan Africa experiences the poor management of rural water supply infrastructure and evinces a high ratio of non-functioning systems. Sustainable rural water supply hence critically requires water users to be motivated to offer continuous contributions to infrastructure management.

This study employs the theoretical framework of common-pool resources (CPRs) to investigate incentive mechanisms informing the tariff payment behavior of water users. To this end, it applies the case study method to two selected villages in Senegal. This study confirms the outcomes of the author’s previous research and indicates the factors that most influence water users to pay tariffs: 1) preference for borehole water, 2) satisfaction with supplied water, and 3) peer-trust among water users. Two other parameters extracted from the author’s previous work were less evident but were also relevant in both villages in certain circumstances: perceived sanctions for non-payment and assumed cooperative benefits from participating in infrastructure management. This on-the-ground case study analysis applying CPRs perspectives will benefit future interventions and policy development.

This paper was published on the Forum of International Development Studies website under the purview of Nagoya University’s Graduate School of International Development. It may be downloaded from the below.

Author
HANATANI Atsushi
Date of issuance
August 2016
Language
English
Number of pages
22 page
Related areas
  • #Africa
Topics
  • #Water Resources
Research area
Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction