Adaptive governance of utilities: case of the water sector in an emerging market context

Adequate, equitable provision of essential resources requires governance that can adapt to the needs of a complex resource regime. Insufficient coordination and cooperation are barriers to governance of a resource system that is characterised by human and social interaction. This thesis explores how the application of governance frameworks for complex resource regimes, adaptive governance and social contracts that enable a diversity of perspectives on governance to inform understanding of cooperation in the provision of essential resources. Utilising an in-depth case study of water and sanitation provision in Medellin, Colombia, the thesis identifies insights from adaptive governance for the provision of essential resources through data-driven and theory-driven analytical approaches to: 1) test whether the system of water governance in Medellin is adaptive 2) describe the regime characteristics in comparison with existing theory on adaptive governance and assess alternative governing arrangements and 3) assess the social contracts within these governance arrangements. The results of semi-structured interviews with 30+ representatives from 6 stakeholder groups (utility provider, metropolitan authority, municipal authority, universities, community-based organisations and water user associations) indicate that the system of water governance in Medellin has: 1) adaptive governance in the policy domain and mechanisms for multi-stakeholder participation, 2) Strong features of polycentric governance associated with ‘bridging actors’, 3) Strong forms of monocentric governance among environmental and municipal authorities and 4) top-down, mixed and bottom-up social contract arrangements. These findings suggest a form of governance that is consistent with “malleable” governance the capacity of actors within a system to demonstrate different types of arrangements that evolve in relation to needs within the system. Contributions include a multi-disciplinary approach for navigating complex resource regimes and findings that provide a case study narrative of governance that moves towards malleability

Adaptive Governance as an Avenue for Delivering Public Purpose in the Wake of Financialization

The demand for infrastructure and utility services is an acute challenge for countries in middle- and low-income countries undergoing high levels of urbanization, demographic shifts, and civil and political reorganization. The demand for utilities occurs alongside a trend toward increased financialization of the local state. A challenge for meeting demand for utility services is the shift toward increased financialization where the delivery of public purpose is challenged. This chapter aims to highlight governing arrangements that aid in understanding how public purpose can be delivered through utilities using the case study of Medellin, Colombia. Through examples of public infrastructure projects and the delivery of water by its utility-company, Empresas Publicas de Medellin, the paper discusses how this company achieved alignment of essential services with public purpose through adaptive governance structures that mitigate adverse effects of financialization and promote the integration of economic, environmental, and social goals. While this case does not propose a transferable model of governance, it highlights arrangements that enable a more mixed, adaptive, and nuanced understanding of how adverse effects associated with total financialization might be abated

Integrating national policies to deliver compact, connected cities: an overview of transport and housing

This report explores the ways in which urban policy sectors are integrated (or fragmented) in ten case study countries: China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The analysis is based on the most recent and authoritative national-level policy documents