Can Informal Water Vendors Deliver on the Promise of A Human Right to Water? Results From Cochabamba, Bolivia

Abstract

We examine the role of informal water vendors in the urban poor's efforts to secure safe and affordable water in the squatter settlements of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Using an economic justice framework, we evaluate (1) how informal water markets operate, (2) differences in client and vendor perceptions of distributive, procedural, and interactional (in)justice, and (3) how cooperation among water vendors impedes or assists in achieving justice in water delivery. The research includes a comparative institutional analysis of three key data sets: long-term participant-observation in water-scarce squatter settlements; interviews with 12 water vendors; and interviews with 41 clients from 23 squatter settlements. We find that informal water vendors organize themselves to safeguard distributive justice (e.g., fair pricing, good water quality), but clients are distressed by procedural and interactional injustices (e.g., unreliable and inequitable service). Our research also shows that unionized vendors are more effective than non-unionized vendors in creating and enforcing rules that advance distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. We make concrete recommendations for improving justice in informal water markets, including a larger role for unions and community consultation. We conclude that, despite challenges, the informal economy may play an important role in advancing the human right to water.

How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review

“…In the few cases where there are regulations in place, there is an inordinate focus on pricing [57], or regulations are highly fragmented [58]. As households assume more responsibility for their water, they move further into this regulatory vacuum.…”

Advancing methods for research on household water insecurity: Studying entitlements and capabilities, socio-cultural dynamics, and political processes, institutions and governance

“…Nevertheless, well-established methods can be used to research a household’s non-market or hybrid entitlements to water. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews can be used to discover and describe local forms of water acquisition, as in the role of yapa (bonus gift) in Bolivia’s informal water markets (Wutich et al 2016). Observation, diary methods, and structured recall can be used to systematically assess how much water is obtained through a single or complex combination of non-market water entitlements, as in Eichelberger’s (2010, 2017) exploration of reciprocal and community forms of water acquisition in Alaskan villages.…”

Intermittent Domestic Water Supply: A Critical Review and Analysis of Causal-Consequential Pathways

“…These can including restructuring water tariffs, awareness programs, or a phase-out of agricultural subsidies [67]. Wutich et al [126] examine ways that the informal water distribution economy can contribute to advancing the human right for water. Social, commercial and technical innovations can help extend the coverage and institutional creativity needed for future growth [143].…”