The relationship between participation and project success : evidence from rural water supply projects in India

This study examines data collected from 45 villages in two different water supply projects in India to evaluate: 1) whether participation in general has a relationship with project outcomes; 2) whether contribution towards up-front capital cost (typically thought to be a very low level of participation) has an impact on project outcomes; and 3) if higher levels of participation lead to improved outcomes. Based upon results of Ordinary Least Squares regression models, the study has three major conclusions. First, overall community participation is fundamentally important to project success. Second, the greater the number of households who have contributed towards capital cost in a village, the more likely households are to be satisfied and to rate the project as effective. Third, transparency of committee operations is important for project success as measured by tariff payment and overall project effectiveness. [autor's abstract]