In the French magazin Politiques & management public 2024/2 (N° 41), Marie Tsanga Tabi* published an article titled «La tarification sociale de l’eau au regard des droits humains : vers une stratégie de service essentiel?» (Social water pricing from a human rights perspective: Towards an essential service strategy? pages 189-215). Here a short summary and the link to order the article (PDF French, 8€).
Summary
Over the past few decades, the socio-economic landscape of rich countries has witnessed the emergence of multi-faceted poverty, coupled with rising prices of essential goods and services leading to the exclusion of vulnerable populations from access to these services. In response to the perceived shortcomings of public policies in addressing this issue, a new paradigm has emerged, rooted in the principles of fundamental human rights, to ensure equitable access to vital goods and services. In France, and specifically within the water sector, the human right to water has paved the way for the implementation of strategies aimed at providing essential service. This development occurs within a context largely influenced by technical and market-oriented rationalities. These strategies which draw upon unprecedented experiences of social tariffs, aim to make water prices accessible to disadvantaged households and to mitigate the resulting social inequalities. In the contemporary era, where the imperative lies in managing the sustainability of our societies, these innovative strategies cast new light on and prompt a fresh reexamination of the challenges of governing public affairs.
* Marie Tsanga Tabi has a doctorate in management science specialising in public management. She is a research engineer at the Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INRAE) and a member of the ‘Gestion territoriale de l’eau et de l’environnement’ joint research unit (Geste UMR MA 8101), also attached to the École nationale du génie de l’eau et de l’environnement. Her main areas of publication are action research on access to water for poor populations, the right to water and benchmarks for evaluating public action in water services.
