Resumen

CASTRO, JOSÉ ESTEBAN. Agua y gobernabilidad: entre la ideología neoliberal y la memoria histórica. CDC [online]. 2005, vol.22, n.59, pp.03-22. ISSN 1012-2508.

This article examines the policies promoting private sector participation in the provision of water and sanitation services since the 1980s, from the perspective of governance. After a brief review of the historical roots of the privatist ideology in relation to these services, the author explores recent experiences by focusing on case studies from Latin America and Europe. A central argument is that, although the programmes of public sector reform seeking the liberalization and commodification of water and sanitation services are often justified as instruments to promote democratic governance and respect for citizenship rights, in practice the implementation of these policies has exacerbated pre-existing conditions of inequality and social injustice.

Palabras clave : Governance; Water; Privatization.