The human right to drinking water and sanitation in Mexico: how to make it effective?

Abstract

The objective is to understand what mechanisms of governance contribute to make the human right to drinking water and sanitation effective in Mexico. The methodological strategy we used is a case study of the Tijuana- San Diego cross-border region with the purpose of comparing two different traditions of governance within one same geographical context. The main finding suggests that it is the governance framework –and not economic capability– what determines the effectiveness of water policies. Specifically, we obtained three lessons on the mechanisms of governance and three lessons for desirable objectives in new legislations. Summarizing, paying attention to the mechanisms of governance is recommended instead of arguing axiomatically in favor of this right.