Popular participation, equity, and co-production of water and sanitation services in Caracas, Venezuela

Abstract

This article argues that the technical water committees in Venezuela are an example of co-production of public service delivery between state and citizen. In practical terms, the committees help to reduce information asymmetries between service providers and citizen-users and improve accountability. Unlike depoliticized notions of co-production that have been celebrated in the mainstream development literature, however, this experiment in urban planning promotes participation as empowerment, because the committees are part of a wider political agenda, engage citizens in a broader process of social change, promote rethinking of the concept of citizenship, and have thus far avoided elite capture.