The Poor Paying For the Rich: The Politics of Inequality in the Water-Pricing Structure in Ghana, 2003-2013

Abstract

The Ghanaian constitution guarantees citizens equal access to public services; however, the market-led provision of public services has excluded the rural poor from access to affordable drinking water. This study analyzes public policy developments in the water sector from independence to the Fourth Republic, with emphasis on 2003–2013, when political and economic liberalization of state services created a dual experience of citizenship, in which urban rich enjoyed higher-quality services at lower prices than did the rural poor. The tariff structures of state institutions that distribute water adopted a free-market pricing model, aiming for cost recovery. Through mixed methods methodology, this article shows that the rural poor pay more for lower-quality water services while making contributions to state taxes and international loans that subsidize the price of water in wealthy urban areas.