"Look Before You Leap": Lessons from Urban Water Sector Reforms in Ghana. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zaato, Joshua Jebuntie
• Is Part Of: Journal of Asian and African studies. Volume 50:Number 6(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 683
• Page End: 701
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Management contracts -- water -- creative adaptation -- task specificity -- Ghana; Social change -- Africa -- Periodicals; Social change -- Asia -- Periodicals; Economic development -- Africa -- Periodicals; Economic development -- Asia -- Periodicals; Africa -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; Asia -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; Africa -- Periodicals; Asia -- Periodicals; 950
• DOI: 10.1177/0021909614541077
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9096

Abstract

The article is primarily a case study of the use of a management contract for the reform of urban water in Ghana and addresses two main questions: (1) is contractualism suitable for the reform of urban water sector activities in developing countries; (2) under what conditions can contracting actually promote efficiency in the water sector? The findings point to answers for both questions. First, contractualism is a defective tool for reforming the politically sensitive water sector. Second, in order for contractualism to actually promote efficiency, certain fundamental conditions − context, agency task specificity and creative adaptation − must be adequately addressed.