Water Politics And Money

This book reveals all that can potentially happen when a private company takes over a local water supply system, both the good and the bad. Backed by real life stories of water privatization in action, author Manuel Schiffler presents a nuanced picture free of spin or fear mongering. Inside, readers will find a detailed analysis of the multiple forms of water privatization, from the outright sale of companies to various forms of public-private partnerships. After covering their respective strengths and weaknesses, it then compares them to purely publicly managed water utilities. The book examines the privatization and the public management of water and sewer utilities in twelve countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Philippines, Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Uganda, Bolivia, Argentina and Cuba. Readers will come to understand how and why some utilities failed while others succeeded, including some that substantially increased access, became more efficient and improved service quality even in the poorest countries of the world. It is natural that a private company taking over a local water supply system causes both fear and worry for consumers. With the aid of solid empirical evidence, this book argues that who manages the system is only half the story. Rather, it is the corporate culture of the utilities and the political culture of where they operate that more often than not determines performance and how well a community is served.

"In these times of growing interest in climate change, with its potential to affect supplies of one of the world's major natural resources, this volume aims to provide an extensive overview of the politics of water. Chapters offer an overview of various topics in the field, while the thorough glossary section contains a wealth of explanations to, and information on, water issues, terms, law and organizations. A section dedicated to the world's major river basins further informs on issues affecting water supply and use, and maps and statistics offer graphic and cartographic representations for reference."--P. 4 of cover.

In this authoritative Advanced Introduction, Ken Conca expertly examines the fundamentals of water politics, covering poverty, health and livelihoods alongside key areas such as water law, the environment, international politics and the growing role of climate change in water governance

In January 2007 the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, announced a $10 billion plan to reform rural water management. Most of the effort will focus on the Murray-Darling Basin. In this book Daniel Connell explains why there is a crisis in the Murray Darling. He highlights the disastrous consequences of a century of fitful, reluctant "co-operation" between the six governments responsible for the region. Connell argues that a new institutional system is essential - but a Commonwealth takeover is not the best answer. Instead, the Commonwealth government should use its constitutional and financial power to force the States to adopt national policies - and stick to them, whatever the local politics. The States would continue to play a substantial role but the controls would be tighter, the framework more comprehensive. He also shows how the National Water Initiative, the great blueprint for water reform, has stalled with many of its most important recommendations ignored. So far the public debate about the future of the Murray Darling Basin has concentrated on new technical projects and increased water trading. Connell argues that unless institutional change is given priority, hundreds of millions of dollars of annual investment will be frittered away - and the crisis will continue.

Water Barons is the fascinating tale about the ownership of water in Australia. Since the arrival of the first fleet at Sydney Cove, money has been made from supplying water. Now, anyone can own water, and the buying and selling of water has seen the creation of water barons, private individuals in Australia and overseas investors who own water licences valued at millions of dollars. With overseas interests holding 10 per cent of water licences in our largest agricultural region, the Murray-Darling Basin, and overseas investors owning Australian water licences valued at many millions of dollars, who is controlling our water? Water Barons: Money, Politics and Control of Water in Australia speaks to all of us who are interested in our most precious resource.

This book is about the enactment, adaption, and ultimately fragmentation of government policy regarding the use of water in the American west. It describes its origins, how it became about building big projects, and how it was fragmented by pressures from environmental activism. The book also explores the western water crisis in the United States. The case studies used in here will help readers understand water development and the political battles around it in most of the western states to show here how and why the policy changed and even broke down. The book is divided into two parts and describes the different eras of water policy. While most books on water policy focus on its deficiencies for meeting future challenges, Water Politics: The Fragmentation of Western Water Policy attempts to explore why those deficiencies occurred in the first place. The book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in political science and policy studies who are interested in how public policies are enacted, how they change, and how they fall apart over time and why. The book will also be of particular interest to students in other disciplines that deal with water such as environmental studies, geology, sociology, hydrology, and civil engineering.

This book presents an analysis of the main traits of the Turkish political culture and articulates some of the most important deeply embedded social qualifications of political life in Turkey. It reveals that when water management is historically and socially shaped by heavily technical knowledge systems of engineering it becomes a particularly useful tool for various political interests. The book analyses how Turkish freshwater management is socially constructed as both an engineering discourse and a paternalistic bureaucratic transaction. Such a construction stands in stark contrast to the water management discourse of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), the European Union s common water policy. Of all the issues faced in Turkish water management, none are as important and problematic as the issue of complying with European Union (EU) accession criteria. Not only is water socially, economically and environmentally important; its water management is a useful prism through which the EU accession process can be viewed as a whole. It showcases the complementarities and divergences between Turkish and EU bureaucratic constructs and value systems.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR Who are the immensely wealthy right-wing ideologues shaping the fate of America today? From the bestselling author of The Dark Side, an electrifying work of investigative journalism that uncovers the agenda of this powerful group. In her new preface, Jane Mayer discusses the results of the most recent election and Donald Trump's victory, and how, despite much discussion to the contrary, this was a huge victory for the billionaires who have been pouring money in the American political system. Why is America living in an age of profound and widening economic inequality? Why have even modest attempts to address climate change been defeated again and again? Why do hedge-fund billionaires pay a far lower tax rate than middle-class workers? In a riveting and indelible feat of reporting, Jane Mayer illuminates the history of an elite cadre of plutocrats—headed by the Kochs, the Scaifes, the Olins, and the Bradleys—who have bankrolled a systematic plan to fundamentally alter the American political system. Mayer traces a byzantine trail of billions of dollars spent by the network, revealing a staggering conglomeration of think tanks, academic institutions, media groups, courthouses, and government allies that have fallen under their sphere of influence. Drawing from hundreds of exclusive interviews, as well as extensive scrutiny of public records, private papers, and court proceedings, Mayer provides vivid portraits of the secretive figures behind the new American oligarchy and a searing look at the carefully concealed agendas steering the nation. Dark Money is an essential book for anyone who cares about the future of American democracy. National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist LA Times Book Prize Finalist PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Finalist Shortlisted for the Lukas Prize