ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses water and sanitation services (WSS), exploring the interfaces between the technical and policy-oriented fields of knowledge, as well as between different public policy sectors involved in their organization and delivery. It argues that an interdisciplinary approach and the adoption of practical actions grounded on a transversal perspective that cuts across the different sectors of public policy involved are essential to the success of WSS initiatives. The chapter also starts from a double assumption:
Interdisciplinary and transversal approaches are not very frequent in public policy and management activities connected with WSS and tend to have a limited scope.
Policy interventions to improve WSS must be sensitive to the specific conditions characteristic of the target region or country, and especially to their level of socioeconomic development.
