Research: Sustainability and scalability
Introduction
A persistent challenge in the water and sanitation sector is designing service improvements that are both sustainable, i.e., that continue to provide safe, reliable, affordable services over the long-term, and that can achieve impact at large scale quickly. Indeed, in many cases these two objectives can be in conflict. Our group is interested in operationalizing different conceptions of sustainability (e.g., financial, social, environmental), as well as investigating the linkages between user demand (preferences) and sustainability.
Current projects
Using data from communities in Bolivia, Peru, and Ghana we are investigating the linkages between pre-construction community investments and post-construction financial sustainability of rural water systems.
We are also investigating the contribution that productive uses of water (e.g., for raising livestock, small-scale irrigation, etc.) makes toward sustainability of rural water systems in Kenya, Colombia, and Senegal.
Publications
Whittington, D., Davis, J., Prokopy, L., Komives, K., Thorsten, R., Lukacs, H., Bakalian, A., and Wakeman, W. 2009. How well is the demand-driven, community mangement model for rural water supply systems doing? Evidence from Bolivia, Peru, and Ghana. Water Policy 11(6): 696-718. Link.
Bakalian, A. and Wakeman, W. (eds.). 2009. Post-construction support and sustainability in community-managed rural water supply: case studies in Peru, Bolivia, and Ghana. Water Sector Board Discussion Paper Series 14: 1-135. Link.
Davis, J., et al. 2008. Sustaining rural water supply investments: Experience from Bolivia. Water Resources Research 44: W12427. Link.
Davis, J. and P. Iyer. 2004. Scaling up sustainable rural water supply services: What’s holding us back? Waterlines 22(3). Link.
Davis, J. 2003. Scaling up slum upgrading efforts: Where are the bottlenecks? International Development Planning Review 26(3): 301-319.