Turning Water into a Commodity: Digital Innovation and the Private Sector as Development Agent

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Christiane Tristl (University of Münster)

Turning Water into a Commodity

Digital Innovation and the Private Sector as Development Agent

Christiane Tristl (University of Münster)

$165.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bristol University Press
31 July 2025

Development studies; Development economics; Water industries; Human geography; The environment

Pay-as-you-go water dispensers are used in many areas in the Global South, particularly those that are 'off-grid'. This book examines the increasing influence of private sector companies and philanthrocapitalist organisations in development cooperation by focusing on the example of water supply to the inhabitants of rural and peri-urban areas of Kenya.

Rather than serving the needs of the poor, the book shows how the private sector opens up remote regions to market-based development, while excluding local approaches and actors.

By: Christiane Tristl (University of Münster)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781529245479
ISBN 10: 1529245478
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 31 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction: PAYGo Water Dispensers and the SDGs 1. Digital technologies and private sector market constructions 2. The Private Sector and Market-based Development 3. From Water Privatization to Financialization 4. The Co-emergence of Automatic Water Dispensers and Market-based Water Services 5. Extending Water Supply to Urban “Informal” Areas 6. Disrupting Rural Water Supply 7. Inverted Infrastructures of Market-based Development 8. Ontologies of Water 9. Conclusion: Automatic Water Dispensers?