Exploring policy perceptions and responsibility of devolved decision-making for water service delivery in Kenya's 47 county governments
Exploring policy perceptions and responsibility of devolved decision-making for water service delivery in Kenya's 47 county governments
复制标题
探索肯尼亚 47 个县政府供水服务交付下放决策的政策认知和责任
DOI：
10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.02.018
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发表时间：
2018
期刊：
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Koehler J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Koehler J
改善供水服务是在非洲广泛的水利政治现实背景下赢得公众支持的一种经过精心策划的政治手段。本文考察了向肯尼亚47个县的权力下放是否促进了宪法对水资源人权的授权。具体而言，它考察了哪些因素影响决策者对其所在县供水服务提供责任的看法。通过对各县水利部的访谈，建立并检验了利用公共选择理论的社会政治风险模型。有关选举差额、气候风险、城市化、贫困水平、水资源预算和公民满意度的信息被建模，以解释决策者对其责任的看法的差异。结果显示，县水利部认识到，在水量、质量、可及性和非歧视标准方面，对现有供水地区以外的穷人负有越来越大的政治责任。负担能力是最具争议的标准，只有少数国家承担责任。较高的社会气候风险和狭窄的选举优势可能会增强权力下放的责任承担者对改善供水服务交付的责任的认识。这些可变因素表明，在肯尼亚权力下放过程中，空间和政治维度相互依存，并促使人们得出这样的结论：对于生活在农村地区、面临不可预测气候风险的绝大多数肯尼亚人来说，独立和强有力的监管对于实现用水人权至关重要。
Improving water services is a well-rehearsed political instrument to win public support against a backdrop of a wide range of hydro-political realities in Africa. This paper examines whether devolution to Kenya’s 47 counties advances the constitutional mandate for the human right to water. Specifically, it examines which factors influence decision-makers’ perception of their responsibility for water service delivery in their counties. Drawing on interviews from all county water ministries, a sociopolitical risk model leveraging public choice theory is developed and tested. Information on election margin, climate risk, urbanisation, poverty levels, water budget and citizen satisfaction is modelled to explain variations in the policymakers’ perceptions of their responsibilities. Results reveal that county water ministries recognise increased political responsibility for the poor outside current provision areas across water quantity, quality, accessibility and non-discrimination criteria. Affordability is the most contested criterion, with only a limited number of counties accepting responsibility. High socioclimatic risks and narrow election margins are likely to boost devolved duty-bearers’ perception of responsibility for improved water service delivery. These variable factors demonstrate the interdependence of spatial and political dimensions during Kenya’s devolution process and promote the conclusion that independent and strong regulation is critical to realising the human right to water for the great majority of Kenyans living in rural areas and facing unpredictable climate risks.