Policy Issues for the Water and Sanitation Sectors

Date
Aug 1996
Given the importance of water and sanitation loans in the Bank's portfolio of infrastructure projects and the significance of the measures that are underway throughout the region, this discussion paper aims to identify those particular features of the water and sanitation sector which distinguish it from other infrastructure services and which will consequently merit special attention by countries engaging in such reforms. Included are a discussion of institutional problems facing state-owned providers of public services and policy responses to three key economic issues: optimal sector structure, the scope for privatization, and the redesign social policy.