For the most part, economic research in Latin America has had a ‘macro’ orientation (e.g., economic growth, monetary and fiscal policy, hyperinflation crisis). This is perfectly understandable because of the macro instability that has affected the entire region for decades and that still remains in many places.

We used 2008 DHS data sets to construct child height- and weight-for-age Z-scores and used regression analysis to analyze the effects of different sources of drinking water and sanitation on child health outcomes in Nigeria. We also calculated the probability of a child being stunted or underweight as our measure of malnutrition among children aged 0–59 months.

The design of a sensor-placement scheme capable of detecting all possible contamination events for a water distribution system before consumers are put at risk is essentially impossible given current technologies and budgets.

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

Las organizaciones comunales de abastecimiento de agua y saneamiento en Costa Rica

Read Francisco Alpizar’and Róger Madrigal’ opinion article (Algo más que construir acueductos rurales) in “La Nacion” (January 18th) associated with the EfD Central America Project: Decentralization in water resource management: exploring the determinants of success (Spanish only).

This article presents a case study of development of a Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program related to drinking water in the city of Copán Ruinas, Honduras. (Text in Spanish)

The methodology used for the design and the implementation of this program is based on an integrated and adaptive management approach. It includes the following elements: general diagnostic, definition of objectives, analysis of enabling conditions, technical design, implementation and evaluation.

The use of increasing block water tariffs is widespread throughout developing countries. An increasing block tariff (IBT) is a price structure in which a commodity is priced at a low initial rate up to a specified volume of use (block), then at a higher or several increasingly higher rates for additional block used.

The ordinary household municipal water bill in developing countries is often calculated on some sort of IBT structure, and donor organizations and consultants continue to recomend this practice for town and city water systems.

Increasing world demands for water call for new institutions and rules to minimize economic and political conflicts. Growing water quality problems from industry and agriculture only further exacerbate supply problems. Such conflicts can jeopardize economic and, in some parts of the world, even social order.