ABSTRACT
While it is more common that public authorities move from a public management model to a private one, there have been a few examples of the opposite process. The return of certain cities to public management after having adopted a public-private partnership (PPP) raises interesting questions concerning the decision-making process, the identification of the actors involved, and the policy implications of such a decision. With these points in mind, this article examines the remunicipalization of water services in Paris in three main sections. The first section explores the main characteristics of water services management in France as well as the elements that favoured a long tradition of PPPs in the water sector. The second part analyzes the remunicipalization process, its actors, and the reasons that led public authorities not to renew the contracts with private operators. Policy implications of this reform and its place within a broader international context are studied in the third and final part. An appendix reviews relevant theory.
