Has Private Participation in Water and Sewerage Improved Coverage?

The household surveys, conducted over a number of years, allow them to compile data before and after the introduction of PSP, as well as from similar (control) regions that never privatized at all. Their analysis reveals that, in general, connection rates to piped water and sewerage improved following the introduction of PSP, consistent with the case study literature. The authors also find, however, that connection rates similarly improved in the control regions, suggesting that PSP may not have been responsible for those improvements. On the other hand, connection rates for the poorest households also tended to increase in the regions with PSP and in the control regions, suggesting that--in terms of connections at least--PSP did not harm the poor"--Abstract.