System reliability and water service decentralization: Investigating household preferences in Nicaragua

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

Concern continues to grow over unreliable water access at the household level in many developing countries. A contingent valuation survey was designed to elicit willingness-to-pay for safe and reliable drinking water in León, Nicaragua. In addition, split-sample treatments were used to investigate preferences for two forms of service governance: the current, centralized water supplier and a decentralized service implemented at the municipal level. Results show that households are willing to pay a substantial increase in their water bills for reliable water supply. Findings also indicate that households hold greater confidence in the current, centralized provider rather than a localized service based on several characteristics such as overall service, awareness of water issues, interest in solving water problems, capacity, accountability, and potential investment.

Comments

Copyright 2013 Science+Business Media Dordrecht

A link to full text has been provided for authorized users.

Publication Title

Water resources management

Published Citation

Vásquez, William F. and Dina Franceschi. "System reliability and water service decentralization: Investigating household preferences in Nicaragua." Water resources management 27, no. 14 (2013): 4913-4926. doi: 10.1007/s11269-013-0447-4.

DOI

10.1007/s11269-013-0447-4

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS