Decentralization, institutions, and access to potable water in Malawi's urban and peri-urban informal settlements

In the peri-urban settlements of Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 70 percent of the current urban population lives, access to water is poor, and worsening due to rapid population growth and urbanization, and poverty, with dire consequences for health. Traditional state-led water policies have generally failed to address growing peri-urban water needs, creating scholarly interest in the efficacy of alternative water-delivery policies, including decentralized, community public-private partnerships (CPPPs). However, little is understood of the potential for CPPPs to improve water access in peri-urban settlements.

This dissertation study uses mixed research methods, including household surveys, key-informant interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and secondary data analysis, to examine whether and how a decentralized CPPP model based on Water User Associations (WUAs) can improve access to potable water in peri-urban settlements while promoting participation, empowerment, and community development. Using the case of two major cities in Malawi—Lilongwe and Blantyre—and insights from urban political ecology (UPE), common pool resources (CPR) theory and the community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) literature, this dissertation: (1) investigates underlying causes of poor water access in Malawi’s peri-urban settlements; (2) explores the key water policies, actors, and institutional effectiveness of WUAs at delivering water and social benefits; and (3) examines whether and under what conditions WUAs improve water access compared to areas predominantly served by publicly-managed water kiosks. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)