Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-244) and index.
Contents:
Public services after democratization and decentralization -- Accounting for reform in the Mexican urban water sector -- Water and particularistic politics in urban Mexico : a historical overview -- Reform adoption in León and Irapuato : policy insulation through broad elite incorporation -- Reform adoption in Naucalpan and Celaya : policy insulation through narrow elite incorporation -- Reform failure in Toluca and Xalapa : ad hoc solutions and gradual services decay -- Reform failure in Neza and Veracruz : repurposed clientelism and acute services decay -- Politics, time horizons, and the global water crisis.
Summary:
"Most of the world's population lives in cities in developing countries, where access to basic public services, such as water, electricity, and health clinics, is either inadequate or sorely missing. Through the lens of urban water provision, this book shows how politicians fail to provide reliable and high quality public services because they often benefit politically from manipulating public service provision for electoral gain. In many young democracies, politicians exchange water service for votes or political support, attempting to reward allies or punish political enemies. Surprisingly, the political problem of water provision has become more pronounced in many young democracies, as water service represents a valuable political currency in resource-scarce environments. When do politicians forgo the clientelistic manipulation of water services and invest in programmatic and universal service provision? Water and Politics finds that middle-class and industrial elites play an important role in generating pressure for public service reforms. Based on extensive field research and combining process tracing with a subnational comparative analysis of eight Mexican cities, Water and Politics constructs a framework for understanding the construction of universal service provision in these weak institutional settings"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.