Beyond the Local State as ‘Container'

Water supply has undergone significant institutional and organizational change across a variety of jurisdictions in both the North and South since the 1980s. Examples include: the introduction of private sector principles into public sector management; the involvement of new actors in governance; the extension of private property rights; liberalization; new tariff structures; the creation of water markets; a greater focus on the environment and conservation; and decentralization (Bakker 2007; Furlong 2010).