Improved water supply and water handling technologies: Revealed complements but perceived substitutes for safe water quality

Q1 Economics, Econometrics and Finance Development Engineering Pub Date : 2022-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.deveng.2021.100089

Elena Gross , Isabel Guenther , Youdi Schipper

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

We analyze the impact of public water infrastructure and water handling technologies on the water quality and water handling behavior of households in rural Benin using both quasi-experimental and experimental household-level panel data. We find that the installation of improved village-level water sources induces households to reduce water disinfection efforts at home, indicating that households perceive improved public water infrastructure as a substitute for improved water handling to obtain safe drinking water. Consequently, point-of-use drinking water quality does not change. A reduction of contamination with E. coli at points of use can only be achieved if interventions providing drinking water technologies at the water source are complemented by household-level interventions and efforts to teach households how to maintain good water quality.

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改善供水和水处理技术:对安全水质的补充和替代

我们使用准实验和实验家庭层面的面板数据分析了公共供水基础设施和水处理技术对贝宁农村家庭水质和水处理行为的影响。我们发现，安装改善的村级水源会促使家庭减少家中的水消毒工作，这表明家庭将改善公共水基础设施视为改善水处理以获得安全饮用水的替代品。因此，使用点的饮用水质量不会改变。只有在水源提供饮用水技术的干预措施辅以家庭一级的干预措施和教育家庭如何保持良好水质的努力，才能减少使用地点的大肠杆菌污染。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Development Engineering Economics, Econometrics and Finance-Economics, Econometrics and Finance (all)

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

31 weeks

期刊介绍： Development Engineering: The Journal of Engineering in Economic Development (Dev Eng) is an open access, interdisciplinary journal applying engineering and economic research to the problems of poverty. Published studies must present novel research motivated by a specific global development problem. The journal serves as a bridge between engineers, economists, and other scientists involved in research on human, social, and economic development. Specific topics include: • Engineering research in response to unique constraints imposed by poverty. • Assessment of pro-poor technology solutions, including field performance, consumer adoption, and end-user impacts. • Novel technologies or tools for measuring behavioral, economic, and social outcomes in low-resource settings. • Hypothesis-generating research that explores technology markets and the role of innovation in economic development. • Lessons from the field, especially null results from field trials and technical failure analyses. • Rigorous analysis of existing development "solutions" through an engineering or economic lens. Although the journal focuses on quantitative, scientific approaches, it is intended to be suitable for a wider audience of development practitioners and policy makers, with evidence that can be used to improve decision-making. It also will be useful for engineering and applied economics faculty who conduct research or teach in "technology for development."