Challenges of water and sanitation service co-production in the global South

Abstract

Co-production of water and sanitation services, especially in the global South, implies that recipients of a service play a fundamental role in managing water resources. In the context of citizen–government synergies, service recipients are more than consumers, and (co)-production alters their involvement in the service production process, with respect to their relationships with both the natural resources and the delivery process. Our hypothesis is that a meaningful understanding of co-production for water and sanitation services is only possible through an interdisciplinary approach that takes into account natural and social dimensions. The objective is to develop a possible new conceptualization of service co-production that can foster a renewed citizenship while taking into account the risks of urban fragmentation.