Journal Articles

Innovation and New Public Water

Author:

David A. McDonald

Year:

2018

Publisher:

David A. McDonald (2018): Innovation and new public water, Journal of Economic Policy Reform, DOI: 10.1080/17487870.2018.1541411

Number of pages:

Available languages:

Available Formats:

PDF (EN)

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Abstract

Technological innovation has made significant improvements to water services but water delivery remains largely unchanged since Victorian times. This is because water is an essential, non-substitutable resource with little potential for economies of scale. By contrast, there has been dynamic innovation in the governance of water services, with privatization now giving way to a significant shift back to public ownership and management, with new and creative forms of societal engagement. This article reviews these governance changes through the lens of a ‘hydrosocial cycle’, arguing that innovations in ‘new public water’ can only be achieved by recognizing how water-society relations take place.