The relationship between participation and project outcomes: A study of rural drinking water projects in India.

摘要

This dissertation strives to answer some persistent questions about the relationship between participation and project outcomes in the drinking water sector. While the earlier literature has shown that there is a relationship, it is unclear precisely how this relationship operates. For instance, how important is it who participates? What type of participation leads to improved project outcomes? What features of a local user committee lead to better projects? To answer these questions, two World Bank-assisted water and sanitation projects in India were studied. These projects, in the state of Karnataka and the state of Uttar Pradesh, emphasized the role of community involvement and the importance of representative user committees. Both household and village level data were collected in a total of 45 project villages. These data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. In both the projects, women's participation remained at quite low levels with women never taking active leadership roles. At the levels of women's participation observed, there was no statistical relationship between women's involvement and levels of project effectiveness. Project effectiveness was measured in a variety of ways, including household satisfaction and more objective indicators of the project's operation. While women's participation did not improve project outcomes, it was found that women became more empowered as a result of their involvement. As the percentage of households in a village that contributed to the initial start-up costs increased, the overall levels of satisfaction increased. However, the percentage of households contributing did not have a statistically significant relationship with levels of water improvements. More active types of participation, as measured by meeting attendance and involvement in key decisions, were significant determinants of both household satisfaction and overall project effectiveness. It was found that villages with higher levels of social capital had better functioning committees in terms of higher levels of transparency and greater participation. Committees with higher levels of transparency had higher levels of tariff payment than their counterparts.