Access to drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa: does the developmental state doctrine matter?
| Author | Steve Troupin,Geert Bouckaert,Bacha Kebede Debela |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852320930060 |
| Published date | 01 June 2022 |
| Date | 01 June 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Access to drinking water
in sub-Saharan Africa:
does the developmental
state doctrine matter?
Bacha Kebede Debela
Ambo University, Ethiopia
Geert Bouckaert
KU Leuven, Belgium
Steve Troupin
KU Leuven, Belgium
Abstract
Using data from 14 sub-Saharan African countries, this study investigates the relevance of
the developmental state doctrine to enhancingaccess to improved drinking water sources
and to reducing urban–rural inequalities in access to improved sources and piped-on
premises. Although access to improved water sources and urban–rural inequality seems
better in developmental states than in non-developmental states, we have not found suf-
ficient support for theclaim that the developmental state approach is the best alternative.
The influence of corruption is, unexpectedly, higher in developmental states than in non-
developmental states. Moreover, both developmental states and non-developmental states
were not significantly investing in access to drinking water supply programs. We find that
the total population growth rate is thestrongest predictor, rather than regimetype. Other
factors that explain the variation between all samples of developmental states and non-
developmental states are identified and discussed, and implications are outlined.
Points for practitioners
There is significant variation in access to improved drinking water sources and urban–
rural inequalities in access to improved sources and piped-on premises between devel-
opmental states and non-developmental states. The relevance of the developmental
Corresponding author:
Bacha Kebede Debela, Ambo University, PO Box 19, Ambo, Oromia 19, Ethiopia.
Email: bacha.kebede@ambou.edu.et
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
!The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852320930060
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2022, Vol. 88(2) 471–492
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
state doctrine to improving access to drinking water, reducing socio-economic inequal-
ities in access to drinking water, and realizing Sustainable Development Goal targets in
sub-Saharan Africa is ambiguous. We advise strengthening a functional Weberian
bureaucracy and promoting political decentralization.
Keywords
access to drinking water, developmental state, public administration, sub-Saharan
Africa, Sustainable Development Goals, urban–rural inequality
Introduction
Socio-economic inequalities and urban–rural inequalities in access to drinking
water are highest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (WHO and UNICEF, 2015).
Nevertheless, the United Nations (UN, 2015: 20) envisions “achieving universal
and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.”
To address the socio-economic inequalities, many African countries and intergov-
ernmental organizations, including the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa (UN-ECA, 2011) and the African Union (AU), are promoting the developmen-
tal state (DS) doctrine. The progress achieved by Botswana and Mauritius, which is
regarded as an “African miracle,” is often used as a DS showcase to resist the relevance
of neoliberal ideology in Africa (Seshamani and Ndhlovu, 2016; Taylor, 2005). The
advocated DS emphasizes the relevance of the state and politics in the development of
poor and underdeveloped societies towards prosperity (Joshi, 2012; Kieh, 2015).
The majority of the literature on African DSs focuses on economic performance
(mainly industrialization) and=or politico-administrative dimensions (see, e.g.,
Edigheji, 2010; Lefort, 2012); social performance appears to be largely ignored.
As Knight (2014) points out, impressive economic growth may not be followed by
improved societal well-being. Is the DS doctrine a hope for improving access to
basic services and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in SSA,
where class formation is incomplete and indigenous capital is near to absent
(Leftwich, 2000)? By analyzing time-series data from seven countries that are
regarded as DSs and seven other countries that are considered as non-
developmental states (NDSs) in SSA, this study throws a spotlight on this gap
and aims to contribute to the debate on the human right to water and the SDGs.
The study intends to answer the following questions:
•To what extent are countries that are regarded as DSs in SSA different from
NDSs in access to improved drinking water sources and piped-on premises?
•What factors explain the differences between DSs and NDSs, if any?
The article is structured as follows. In the second section, literatures are
reviewed and hypotheses are formulated. The third section outlines the research
472 International Review of Administrative Sciences 88(2)
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