Doing More with Less Smarter Subsidies for Water Supply and Sanitation

The report shows how – when well-designed and implemented effectively – subsidies can be powerful and progressive tools in delivering water and sanitation. It provides proposals for making public resources work even harder for the poor.

The report also shows that subsidies are common across countries, irrespective of region or income level – they are found in the water and sanitation sectors of nearly all countries. Subsidies, notably poorly designed ones, are preva­lent across countries of all regions and income levels, largely due to the political salience and visibility of water services. The report encourages policymakers to rethink and reform subsidies for water and sanitation.