sanitation

Why has water treatment been historically neglected by governments and donors given the significant short- and long-term benefits of clean water provision and use? How can we design interventions to ensure households have access to and use clean water?

To effectively improve sanitation in low-income areas, policy must address a number of key issues, including credit market failures, environmental externalities, social preferences and low public sector capacity

A household’s access to the urban sanitation network can have a significant impact on whether it pays its taxes

Sanitation investments in India led to large increases in water pollution, which offset the intended health benefits of increased latrine construction

Labeled microcredit loans increase the take-up of safe toilets, but take-up and conversion are influenced by intra-household gender differences in perceptions and bargaining power

Poverty, low social capital and low government administrative capacity hinder sanitation improvements, even when the health benefits are clear.

Where community interventions lead to behaviour change, continued interactions are needed to help people maintain healthy behaviours

Privatising sludge treatment centres improves sanitation outcomes and reduces desludging prices without concentrating market power

Ageing pipe systems and the absence of complementary sanitation investments compromise the health benefits of water disinfection