Paper long abstract:

Lack of community ownership is often sited as a reason for the poor sustainability of programmes to provide clean and accessible water in Africa. Whilst it is assumed in policy that community management will lead to more sustainable, equitable and efficiency, recent research suggests this link is unproven. This paper offers a comparative analysis of some different models of community participation in the management of water in Tanzania and South Africa. It seeks to understand the tension between cost recovery (payment for water) and basic needs provision to reduce poverty and considers how community management mechanisms or state subsidy might work to resolve this tension.