In recent years, several countries in Latin America have sought to enlist private investment to the task of expanding piped water and sewage systems. Millions of people in the region still lack access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation, and with governments short on money to provide the necessary infrastructure, private investment has been seen by policymakers as a … [Read more...] about The Dilemmas of Boosting Water and Sewer Access
Carolina Tojal Ramos Dos Santos
Carolina Tojal is an economist in the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Her research focuses on industrial organization, environmental economics, and development economics. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan in 2024 and holds master's and bachelor's degrees in Economics from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Designing Better Policies for Water Pricing
Water pricing policies are designed to encourage conservation while ensuring that utilities can recover their costs and consumers afford their bills. In many Latin American countries, including Brazil, utilities use increasing block rates (IBRs), a tariff structure where the price of each unit of water rises as consumption passes certain thresholds and enters into a new … [Read more...] about Designing Better Policies for Water Pricing
How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America
In recent decades, Latin America's water and sanitation infrastructure has expanded to the point that around 90% of the urban population has access to improved water services and, as a result, the region seems to be advancing towards two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and a reduction in … [Read more...] about How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America