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The choice made early in the post-conflict transition by the international community to directly fund WASH service delivery through non-state actors rather than through the Liberian government undermined both sector policy dialogue and the formation of robust government institutions able to lead and orchestrate service delivery by non-state actors. This paper aims to inform this new wave of support to Liberia's WASH sector by looking back at service provision in the country over the period 2003 to 2015 and reflecting on the transition from the post-war emergency response to the nascent development response. The paper first describes key trade-offs encountered by the international community in this transition, describing choices made in Liberia that held back government capacity to orchestrate a national response to service delivery. It then goes on to describe how WSP and other development partners have, since 2011, worked with the government of Liberia to build and attract investment to a country-led WASH development program. The paper presents lessons for sector practitioners operating in post-crisis transition situations, both those in developing country governments and their development partners.

Front Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Main Messages -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Executive Summary -- Abbreviations -- Part I The Status Quo Institutions That Allocate Water -- Chapter 1 An Economic View of Water Scarcity: The Inescapable Role of the State in Allocating Water -- Introduction -- What is the price of water? -- Identifying reform directions using an economic lens -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2 Middle East and North Africa: Diversity of Economic and Hydrological Context -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3 Supply-Side Institutions That Build Large Infrastructure but Fail to Reduce Water Stress -- Origins and evolution of water institutions in the Middle East and North Africa -- Industrial-scale expansion of water-related infrastructure -- Signs of distress in managing supply-side infrastructure -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 4 Demand-Side Behavior That Challenges States' Ability to Raise Finance and Regulate Water -- Drivers of water demand -- How the two main consumptive uses of water-irrigated agriculture and cities-interact and shape long-term financing options -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 5 Externalities: Status and Trends of Water Depletion and Pollution -- Identification of externalities is a first step toward valuing water -- Water depletion -- Pollution of freshwater and marine resources -- compound effects of water-related externalities -- Hidden costs of water-related externalities -- Notes -- References -- Part II Understanding Why Status Quo Institutions Produce Outcomes That Endanger Water Security and Well-Being -- Chapter 6 Economic Framework to Understand How State Institutions Function in Allocating, Managing, and Investing in Water -- Introduction -- The framework -- Applying the framework to understand the state's tariff and revenue-raising capacity to invest in water.

Establishing and maintaining public water services in fragile states is a significant development challenge. In anticipation of water infrastructure investments, this study compares drinking water sources and quality between Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and Monrovia, Liberia, two cities recovering from political and economic instability. In both cities, access to piped water is low, and residents rely on a range of other private and public water sources. In Port Harcourt, geographic points for sampling were randomly selected and stratified by population density, whereas in Monrovia, locations for sampling were selected from a current inventory of public water sources. In Port Harcourt, the sampling frame demonstrated extensive reliance on private boreholes and a preference, in both planned and unplanned settlements, for drinking bottled and sachet water. In Monrovia, sample collection focused on public sources (predominantly shallow dug wells). In Port Harcourt, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were detected in 25% of sources (N = 566), though concentrations were low. In Monrovia, 57% of sources contained FIB and 22% of sources had nitrate levels that exceeded standards (N = 204). In Monrovia, the convenience of piped water may promote acceptance of the associated water tariffs. However, in Port Harcourt, the high prevalence of self-supply and bottled and sachet drinking water suggests that the consumer's willingness to pay for ongoing municipal water supply improvements may be determined by service reliability and perceptions of water quality.