Market Solutions and Inequalities in Sanitation Services Access in Brazilian Cities
Market Solutions and Inequalities in Sanitation Services Access in Brazilian Cities

Summary/Abstract: Market solutions have become the core of public administration in both developed and underdeveloped countries. The aim of this paper is surveying sanitation services in Brazil in order to discuss how the pri-vatization and other means to transfer public services to private capital hands may reduce the sanitation services access for low-income households. The paper drew out experiences from different areas of Brazilian territory with the view to show the complexities involved in public policies related to sanitation services. The arguments presented in this paper show that the market solutions may not be the best an-swer to improve sanitation access to low-income households the mismatch of objectives between private capital and public policy. Also, Brazilian experiences show that the inequalities in sanitation services ac-cess reflect the lack of accountability. Brazil has legal instruments and institutions to improve its sanita-tion accountability but there is no social control over those institutions. In conclusion, the way to improve sanitation services to low- income households does not depend on changes in the ownership of utilities or in institutional/legal design, but how to manage the existing instruments in regard to a less unequal system.

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