Determinants of Performance of Drinking-Water Community Organizations: A Comparative Analysis of Case Studies in Rural Costa Rica

The authors examine the performance of community organizations that provide safe drinking water in rural Costa Rica.

They uses a qualitative approach and matching techniques to analyze how the complex characteristics of watersheds, delivery, governance, and socioeconomic attributes of local users affect three key dimensions of performance (financial health, water delivery infrastructure, and user satisfaction) in four community organizations. The conditions that promote better performance are a demand-driven approach with local accountability, working rules for tariff collection and infrastructure maintenance, and appropriate support from the government.