Serving all urban consumers : a marketing approach to water services in low and middle-income countries. Book 1. Guidance for governments' enabling role

This book is one of a series of six publications that consider how water utilities and other key stakeholders can meet the needs and demands of urban water consumers – including the poor – through developing an understanding of the needs and demands of all consumer groups, and by the adaptation of marketing/commercial approaches.
This part (Book 1) considers how governments can best support an enabling environment, both for utilities and other stakeholders, to work effectively towards improving services to all consumer groups.
A summary of the contents is as follows :
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the experiences and challenges in the sector, as well as examples from innovative marketing-type approaches from around the world.
Chapter 2 summarizes marketing approaches to water services for all consumer groups, and presents guidance notes for managers. If the relevant government departments and regulators understand how marketing principles can best be adapted to the urban water sector, they can encourage utilities to utilise or adapt such approaches for serving low income areas.
Chapter 3 considers how to improve incentives for different stakeholders in order to provide better services to low-income communities. Governments and regulators have substantial influence over the various incentives for utilities and civil society institutions to improve services.
Chapter 4 considers how governments and regulators can support utilities and other stakeholders in improving services to all consumer groups.

These summary guidance notes are suitable for use by senior and middle-level managers in government departments, regulators, sector advisors and senior utility managers.