Transnational Corporations in Urban Water Governance

Joyce Valdovinos is a Research Fellow with the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) at Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de Información Geoespacial (CeontroGeo). She holds a PhD in Geography and Urban Planning from Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle Paris 3, France.

• Introduction 1. The Transnational Space for Water 2. Unravelling the Global Private Water Sector 3. From Local Water Companies to Transnational Corporations: Veolia and Suez 4. Transnational Water Corporations in Aguascalientes and Mexico City: The Limits of Adaptation Strategies in a Highly Politicized and Centralized Water Sector 5. Learning from the Past and Adapting to the Future in a Competitive U.S. Water Sector: Public-Private Partnerships in Atlanta and Milwaukee Conclusion

"While water and cities have figured centrally in discussions on globalization, urban water governance has been usually overlooked. This book fills that void and explores, with a multi-level approach, the role of water business as urban stakeholders. Combining insights from geography, international affairs, political science, and field research in the United States and Mexico, the author illuminates the role of the most powerful transnational companies through a comparative perspective. This book is a valuable and welcome theoretical contribution to the discussions on sustainability." — Graciela Schneier-Madanes, CNRS Senior Researcher Emeritus and Paris Water Observatory President "Transnational corporations are far more important in water supply and sewerage than is commonly understood – at times fair-market service providers, at others furtive profit-seekers facing calls for universal access to water. This volume by a rising analyst with the sharpest of insights is a must-read for academics, students and practitioners." — Christopher A. Scott, Director of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and Professor of Water Resources Geography, University of Arizona "Private sector participation in water and sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean has proven to be effective in different contexts and circumstances. Throughout our region’s cities, the private sector has successfully provided sustainable services for over 50 years. Yet, in some cases, it has not flourished and even failed. This book provides a relevant in-depth analysis of the role of the private sector, focusing on transnational corporations, and its impact on global and local water governance." — Sergio Campos, Chief of the Water and Sanitation Division, Inter-American Development Bank