Mugabi, J and Marin, P (2008) PPP in urban water: Lessons from Yerevan, Armenia. Proceedings of Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, 161(4), pp. 171-178. ISSN 17514312
Abstract
Recent literature on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in urban water supply and sanitation (WSS) services tends to concentrate on distressed projects, especially when high-profile concessions are cancelled. Successful projects get comparatively little attention, contributing to the impression that water PPPs do not work. The management contract in Yerevan, Armenia is one example in which private sector participation in WSS service provision has brought benefits to the population, and has been endorsed satisfactorily by the government and national stakeholders. This paper discusses the process and outcomes of Yerevan's management contract (2000-2005), and highlights important lessons for policy-makers and reformers. Based on available data, the authors find evidence of improvements in the quality of services, collections, and energy efficiency, but only modest improvements in technical efficiency. The case study holds valuable lessons for other developing countries, as some challenges had to be faced during implementation. It shows ultimately that, to realise benefits from a management contract, both parties must be willing to make it work, and build over time a true partnership.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contracting/management; water supply |
| Index terms: | private sector participation, developing country, water supply, Yerevan, sanitation, population, evidence, partnership, energy efficiency, efficiency, case study, implementation, Armenia, quality of service |
| Subjects: | demography, development economics, Geography, contractual arrangements, evaluation and assessment methods, environmental health, infrastructure and transport systems, partnership management, public and environmental health, performance management, sustainability and energy, stakeholder participation, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Urban Studies, International Construction, Research Practice, Stakeholder Management, Quality Management, Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Sustainability, Procurement |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here