Macropolitics and Microperceptions: Is There a Possible Market Answer to Water Woes in Ambovombe-Androy, Madagascar?
Author(s)
Richard R. Marcus*
ABSTRACT
In Ambovombe-Androy water is scarce, time-consuming to obtain, and expense. Nonetheless, there is little study into the complexity of popular perception of costs for services in Madagascar. This paper addresses this gap. It is based on a district-wide household survey, focus groups, and interviews. It looks at the wide variation in pricing expectations across a number of intra-community demographic groups and economic classes before considering the user perceptions of water markets themselves as determinants of their willingness to pay. It concludes by isolating the determinants under which and places in which the new macro-level strategies are likely to be accepted, and work, at the community level in Ambovombe-Androy.
In Ambovombe-Androy water is scarce, time-consuming to obtain, and expense. Nonetheless, there is little study into the complexity of popular perception of costs for services in Madagascar. This paper addresses this gap. It is based on a district-wide household survey, focus groups, and interviews. It looks at the wide variation in pricing expectations across a number of intra-community demographic groups and economic classes before considering the user perceptions of water markets themselves as determinants of their willingness to pay. It concludes by isolating the determinants under which and places in which the new macro-level strategies are likely to be accepted, and work, at the community level in Ambovombe-Androy.
Cite this paper
R. Marcus, "Macropolitics and Microperceptions: Is There a Possible Market Answer to Water Woes in Ambovombe-Androy, Madagascar?," Natural Resources, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2012, pp. 329-339. doi: 10.4236/nr.2012.34030.
R. Marcus, "Macropolitics and Microperceptions: Is There a Possible Market Answer to Water Woes in Ambovombe-Androy, Madagascar?," Natural Resources, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2012, pp. 329-339. doi: 10.4236/nr.2012.34030.
References
[1] World Bank/PAEPAR, “Projet Pilote d’alimentation en eau Potable et Assainissement en Milieu Rural,” Mission de Suivi du 30 avril au 17 mai 2003. Rapport de Mission de Annie Savina, 2003. [2] P. H. Gleick, “Global Freshwater Resources: Soft-Path Solutions for the 21st Century,” Science, Vol. 302, No. 5650, 2003, pp. 1524-1258. doi:10.1126/science.1089967 [3] K. H. Redford and J. A. Mansour, “Traditional Peoples and Biodiversity Conservation in Large Tropical Landscapes,” The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, 1996. [4] J. Fisher, “The History of Landholding in England,” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 4, No. 12, 1876, pp. 97-187. doi:10.2307/3677922 [5] V. Ostrom, “The Political Economy of Water Development,” The American Economic Review, Vol. 52, No. 2, 1982, pp. 450-458. [6] International Institute for Sustainable Development, “Ministerial Declaration, Fourth World Water Forum, Local Actions for a Global Challenge,” 2006. http://www.iisd.ca/ymb/worldwater4/ [7] ICWE, “The Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development,” International Conference on Water and the Environment, Dublin, 26-31 January 1992. [8] R. Marcus, “Where Community Based Water Resource Management Has Gone to Far: Poverty and Disempowerment in Southern Madagascar,” Conservation and Society, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2007, pp. 202-231. [9] A. Dinar and A. Subramanian, “Water Pricing Experience: An International Perspective,” Technical Paper No. 386, World Bank, Washington DC, 1997. [10] NUS Consulting Group, “2005-2006 International Water Report & Cost Survey,” A Business of National Utility Service, Inc., Park Ridge, 2006. [11] D. Whittington, J. Briscoe, X. Mu and W. Barron, “Estimating the Willingness to Pay for Water Services in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Use of Contingent Valuation Surveys in Southern Haiti,” Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 38, No. 2. 1990, pp. 293-311. doi:10.1086/451794 [12] S. M. Olmstead, “Thirsty Colonias: Rate Regulation and the Provision of Water Service,” Land Economics, Vol. 80, No. 1, 2004, pp. 136-150. doi:10.2307/3147149 [13] S. R. Maria and A. Dinar, “The Institutional Economics of Water: A Cross-Country Analysis of Institutions and Performance,” The Edward Elgar/World Bank, Cheltenham and Northampton, 2004. [14] D. C. North, “Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance,” Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511808678 [15] R. Marcus and J. O. Marcus, “Exit the State: Decentralization and the Need for Local Social, Political, and Economic Consideration in Water Resource Allocation in Madagascar and Kenya,” Journal of Human Development. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2008, pp. 23-45. doi:10.1080/14649880701811385 [16] G. J. Syme, E. Kals, B. E. Nancarrow and L. Montada, “Ecological risks and Community Perceptions of Fairness and Justice: A Cross-Cultural Model,” Risk Analysis, Vol. 20, No. 6, 2000, pp. 905-916. [17] A. Gadgil, “Drinking Water in Developing Countries,” Annual Review of Energy and the Environment, Vol. 23, No. 1, 1998, pp. 253-286. doi:10.1146/annurev.energy.23.1.253 [18] G. S. M. de Oca, I. J. Bateman, R. Tinch and P. G. Moffatt, “Assessing the Willingness to Pay for Maintained and Improved Water Supplies in Mexico City,” CSERGE Working Paper ECM 03-11, 2003. [19] Government of Madagascar, “Enquête Périodique Auprès de Ménages 2005: Rapport Principal,” Ministere de l’Economie, des Finances, et du Budget, Antananarivo: Repoblikan’iMadagasikara, 2006. [20] R. G. Alcubilla and R. Garcia, “Derived Willingness-to-Pay for Water: Effects of Probabilistic Rationing And Price,” Unpublished, 2005. [21] S. M. Olmstead, “Thirsty Colonias: Rate Regulation and the Provision of Water Service,” Land Economics, Vol. 80, No. 1, 2004, pp. 136-150. doi:10.2307/3147149 [22] M. H. Chan, E. Baruwa, D. Gilbert, K. Frick and N. Congdon, “Willingness to Pay for Cataract Surgery in Rural Southern China,” Ophthalmology, Vol. 114, No. 3, pp. 411-416, 2006. [23] C. A. Marra, L. Frighetto, A. F. Goodfellow, A. O. Wai, M. L. Chase, R. E. Nicol, C. A. Leong, S. Tomlinson, B. M. Ferreira and P. J. Jewesson, “Willingness to Pay to Assess Patient Preferences for Therapy in a Canadian Setting,” BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2005, p. 43.; [24] N. B. Leigh, S. Tsao, D. L. Zawisza, M. Nematollahi and F. A. Shepherd, “A Willingness-to-Pay Study of Oral Epidermal Growth Factor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer,” Lung Cancer, Vol. 51, No. 1, 2005, pp. 115-121. [25] D. Whittington, J. Briscoe, X. Mu, W. Barron, “Estimating the Willingness to Pay for Water Services in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Use of Contingent Valuation Surveys in Southern Haiti,” Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 38, No. 2, 1990, pp. 293-311. [26] E. L. Michalson, “Recreational and Sociological Characteristics of Hunters and an Estimate of the Demand for Hunting in the Sawtooth Area of Idaho,” Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, 1973. [27] J. C. Kaufmann, “La Question des Raketa: Colonial Struggles in Madagascar with Prickly Pear Cactus, 1900-1923,” Ethnohistory, Vol. 48, No. 1-2, 2001, pp. 87-121. doi:10.1215/00141801-48-1-2-87 [28] J.-A. Rakotoarisoa, “Mille Ansd’Occupationhumainedans le Sud-Est de Madagascar: Anosy, Uneile au Milieu Desterres,” L’Harmattan, Paris, 1998. [29] R. Bhatia and M. Falkenmark, “Water Resource Policies and the Urban Poor: Innovative Approaches and Policy Imperatives,” Water and Sanitation Current, UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program, Washington DC, 1993.
[1] World Bank/PAEPAR, “Projet Pilote d’alimentation en eau Potable et Assainissement en Milieu Rural,” Mission de Suivi du 30 avril au 17 mai 2003. Rapport de Mission de Annie Savina, 2003. [2] P. H. Gleick, “Global Freshwater Resources: Soft-Path Solutions for the 21st Century,” Science, Vol. 302, No. 5650, 2003, pp. 1524-1258. doi:10.1126/science.1089967 [3] K. H. Redford and J. A. Mansour, “Traditional Peoples and Biodiversity Conservation in Large Tropical Landscapes,” The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, 1996. [4] J. Fisher, “The History of Landholding in England,” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 4, No. 12, 1876, pp. 97-187. doi:10.2307/3677922 [5] V. Ostrom, “The Political Economy of Water Development,” The American Economic Review, Vol. 52, No. 2, 1982, pp. 450-458. [6] International Institute for Sustainable Development, “Ministerial Declaration, Fourth World Water Forum, Local Actions for a Global Challenge,” 2006. http://www.iisd.ca/ymb/worldwater4/ [7] ICWE, “The Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development,” International Conference on Water and the Environment, Dublin, 26-31 January 1992. [8] R. Marcus, “Where Community Based Water Resource Management Has Gone to Far: Poverty and Disempowerment in Southern Madagascar,” Conservation and Society, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2007, pp. 202-231. [9] A. Dinar and A. Subramanian, “Water Pricing Experience: An International Perspective,” Technical Paper No. 386, World Bank, Washington DC, 1997. [10] NUS Consulting Group, “2005-2006 International Water Report & Cost Survey,” A Business of National Utility Service, Inc., Park Ridge, 2006. [11] D. Whittington, J. Briscoe, X. Mu and W. Barron, “Estimating the Willingness to Pay for Water Services in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Use of Contingent Valuation Surveys in Southern Haiti,” Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 38, No. 2. 1990, pp. 293-311. doi:10.1086/451794 [12] S. M. Olmstead, “Thirsty Colonias: Rate Regulation and the Provision of Water Service,” Land Economics, Vol. 80, No. 1, 2004, pp. 136-150. doi:10.2307/3147149 [13] S. R. Maria and A. Dinar, “The Institutional Economics of Water: A Cross-Country Analysis of Institutions and Performance,” The Edward Elgar/World Bank, Cheltenham and Northampton, 2004. [14] D. C. North, “Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance,” Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511808678 [15] R. Marcus and J. O. Marcus, “Exit the State: Decentralization and the Need for Local Social, Political, and Economic Consideration in Water Resource Allocation in Madagascar and Kenya,” Journal of Human Development. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2008, pp. 23-45. doi:10.1080/14649880701811385 [16] G. J. Syme, E. Kals, B. E. Nancarrow and L. Montada, “Ecological risks and Community Perceptions of Fairness and Justice: A Cross-Cultural Model,” Risk Analysis, Vol. 20, No. 6, 2000, pp. 905-916. [17] A. Gadgil, “Drinking Water in Developing Countries,” Annual Review of Energy and the Environment, Vol. 23, No. 1, 1998, pp. 253-286. doi:10.1146/annurev.energy.23.1.253 [18] G. S. M. de Oca, I. J. Bateman, R. Tinch and P. G. Moffatt, “Assessing the Willingness to Pay for Maintained and Improved Water Supplies in Mexico City,” CSERGE Working Paper ECM 03-11, 2003. [19] Government of Madagascar, “Enquête Périodique Auprès de Ménages 2005: Rapport Principal,” Ministere de l’Economie, des Finances, et du Budget, Antananarivo: Repoblikan’iMadagasikara, 2006. [20] R. G. Alcubilla and R. Garcia, “Derived Willingness-to-Pay for Water: Effects of Probabilistic Rationing And Price,” Unpublished, 2005. [21] S. M. Olmstead, “Thirsty Colonias: Rate Regulation and the Provision of Water Service,” Land Economics, Vol. 80, No. 1, 2004, pp. 136-150. doi:10.2307/3147149 [22] M. H. Chan, E. Baruwa, D. Gilbert, K. Frick and N. Congdon, “Willingness to Pay for Cataract Surgery in Rural Southern China,” Ophthalmology, Vol. 114, No. 3, pp. 411-416, 2006. [23] C. A. Marra, L. Frighetto, A. F. Goodfellow, A. O. Wai, M. L. Chase, R. E. Nicol, C. A. Leong, S. Tomlinson, B. M. Ferreira and P. J. Jewesson, “Willingness to Pay to Assess Patient Preferences for Therapy in a Canadian Setting,” BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2005, p. 43.; [24] N. B. Leigh, S. Tsao, D. L. Zawisza, M. Nematollahi and F. A. Shepherd, “A Willingness-to-Pay Study of Oral Epidermal Growth Factor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer,” Lung Cancer, Vol. 51, No. 1, 2005, pp. 115-121. [25] D. Whittington, J. Briscoe, X. Mu, W. Barron, “Estimating the Willingness to Pay for Water Services in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Use of Contingent Valuation Surveys in Southern Haiti,” Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 38, No. 2, 1990, pp. 293-311. [26] E. L. Michalson, “Recreational and Sociological Characteristics of Hunters and an Estimate of the Demand for Hunting in the Sawtooth Area of Idaho,” Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, 1973. [27] J. C. Kaufmann, “La Question des Raketa: Colonial Struggles in Madagascar with Prickly Pear Cactus, 1900-1923,” Ethnohistory, Vol. 48, No. 1-2, 2001, pp. 87-121. doi:10.1215/00141801-48-1-2-87 [28] J.-A. Rakotoarisoa, “Mille Ansd’Occupationhumainedans le Sud-Est de Madagascar: Anosy, Uneile au Milieu Desterres,” L’Harmattan, Paris, 1998. [29] R. Bhatia and M. Falkenmark, “Water Resource Policies and the Urban Poor: Innovative Approaches and Policy Imperatives,” Water and Sanitation Current, UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program, Washington DC, 1993.