"In the peri-urban settlements of Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 70 percent of the current urban population lives, access to water is poor, and worsening due to rapid population growth and urbanization, and poverty, with dire consequences for health. Traditional state-led water policies have generally failed to address growing peri-urban water needs, creating scholarly interest in the efficacy of alternative water-delivery policies, including decentralized, community public-private partnerships (CPPPs). However, little is understood of the potential for CPPPs to improve water access in peri-urban settlements. This dissertation study uses mixed research methods, including household surveys, key-informant interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and secondary data analysis, to examine whether and how a decentralized CPPP model based on Water User Associations (WUAs) can improve access to potable water in peri-urban settlements while promoting participation, empowerment, and community development. Using the case of two major cities in Malawi--Lilongwe and Blantyre--and insights from urban political ecology (UPE), common pool resources (CPR) theory and the community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) literature, this dissertation: (1) investigates underlying causes of poor water access in Malawi's peri-urban settlements; (2) explores the key water policies, actors, and institutional effectiveness of WUAs at delivering water and social benefits; and (3) examines whether and under what conditions WUAs improve water access compared to areas predominantly served by publicly-managed water kiosks. Results demonstrate that although access to water in terms of quality (91 percent using improved sources) and quantity (per capita mean daily water use of 29 liters) were satisfactory based on Malawi and international standards, actual use was severely limited by availability and irregular supply. Empirical analysis under a multidimensional water-access framework encompassing time burden, water adequacy, water availability, and affordability, showed water insecurity is due to long waiting-times from erratic water supply, overcrowding, and high rates of water-kiosk non-functioning, suggesting the need to incorporate waiting time as a key determinant of peri-urban water access. Results show that while broader social goals are still important to WUAs, the supply of reliable and safe water was more important, superseding participation, empowerment, and broader social benefits. Hence, although the business-based WUA model enhanced water access mainly through enhanced management, accountability and general professionalization, trade-offs ensued between water supply and social goals of ownership, participation, and community empowerment. This suggests flexibility in (CBNRM) expectations, including a rethink of the notion 'participation' in peri-urban contexts. Multilevel linear regression analyses revealed WUAs enhanced affordability and reliability of water supply. However, the time burden on water fetchers (disadvantaging women and girls) was significantly higher in WUA areas. This suggests that although WUAs improved water access, deep-seated infrastructure problems need to be addressed. I argue that although WUA-based decentralization can improve water-system management and efficiency, and ultimately peri-urban water access, socio-economic factors and biophysical conditions (weak infrastructure, low water pressure, and commodified nature of water) undermine success, and policies should target solving them."--Pages ii-iii.
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