When are Partnerships a Viable Tool for Development? Institutions and Partnerships for Water and Sanitation Service in Latin America

Partnerships are increasingly becoming unpopular in Latin America, they have narrowly been analysed in the context of the international political agenda and criticized for bringing benefits only to the private sector and not to the public sector and society at large. This paper analyses the context in which water and sanitation is delivered in peri–urban areas based on case studies, identified actions for effective provision and on discussion of the institutional framework options and partnership implementation at local and national level. This paper does not advocate partnerships per se; nor are these seen as the problem.