Water operator partnerships and institutional capacity development for urban water supply

Abstract

One way in which international water operator partnerships can contribute to capacity development is through the exchange of experiences with water institutions in different countries. This paper looks at a partnership between water operators in the Netherlands and Malawi to see to what extent institutional experiences in the Netherlands can contribute to capacity development of the Lilongwe Water Board in Malawi. For this, it combines insights from policy transfer, with a conceptual framework based on the Institutional Analysis and Development framework. Stylized game theoretic models are used to analyze in-depth the institutional (dis)incentives that contribute to improved performance for customers. Experiences in the Netherlands are analyzed by studying four specific action situations, such as asset management at drinking water company Vitens NV. Potential lessons are derived from this, which are evaluated for potential transfer to Malawi. The analysis suggests ways in which improved information gathering and data management can support allocation of investment and budgets for operation and maintenance. Furthermore, it suggests ways to increase the frequency of encounters between government and financing institutions and water utilities, as well as the use of a system of benchmarking to provide a platform for sharing best practices and to create competition.

Leadership in knowledge and capacity development in the water sector: a status review

“…Importantly, the OECD has recently conducted research into the returns of secondary and advanced education to the nation (OECD, 2010). In this special issue, Pascual Sanz et al (2013), Mvulirwenande et al (2013) and Breeveld et al (2013) report on new approaches for measuring changes in the institutional capacity in drinking water utilities. Furthermore, since monitoring and data collection are important aspects for learning from, and improving, in-progress capacity development interventions, the capacity to carry out these respective activities needs to be strengthened.…”

“…In this case, a practical indicator of the extent to which the capacity of utility staff has improved is provided by their ability to apply the acquired expertise in supply zones beyond the pilot area. Breeveld et al (2013) examine an international water operator partnership (WOP) to consider the extent to which institutional experiences in the Netherlands can contribute to capacity development of the Lilongwe Water Board in Malawi. Based on an analytical approach using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework coupled with insights from policy transfer and game theory, the paper suggests concrete means by which a WOP can serve to improve the operational processes of an operator by drawing on the institutional experiences of a partnering operator without transplanting ready-made institutional practices.…”

Community-Managed Water Supply Systems in Rural Uganda: The Role of Participation and Capacity Development

“…According to this same study, village chairpersons in these communities had in the past allocated access to especially improved water sources to certain individuals and households based on personal relationships, even when O&M fees had not been paid. Therefore, improvement of operational efficiency could be served by a more enabling institutional set-up that allowed for transparency and accountability of collected funds, especially to community members, which is a view supported by Breeveld et al [57].…”

“…Of the 192 members of WUCs across the 17 case study villages, 18.2% (n = 35) indicated a loss of enthusiasm (see Figure 4). Institutions provided the context within which actors could interact, especially when they changed over time as a result of interactions among multiple actors without losing focus on why they were created in the first instance [57]. Issues, such as lack of enthusiasm among some members of the WUCs and even community members, might occur when water points broke down frequently, boreholes were abandoned, water points had low functionality, and when financial commitment from the community and government for water points rehabilitation was lacking.…”

Water operators’ partnerships and their supporting role in the improvement of urban water supply in Da Nang

“…An important understanding is that partnerships are focused on strengthening capacity, not substituting it (i.e. 'institutional transplantation' in Breeveld, Hermans, Veenstra, 2013).…”