Water materialities and citizen engagement: Testing the implications of water access and quality for community engagement in Ghana and South Africa
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
We analyze the relationship between perceptions of domestic water access, and quality, in
relation community engagement. While others have suggested linkages between material
conditions of water access and engagement (e.g., that poor water access might spur
engagement), to date there have been no studies those test these relationships using
statistical methods. Based on a quantitative analysis of survey data from underserved
sites in Accra, Ghana, and Cape Town, South Africa, our results show that water access and
quality are both predictive of community engagement. The analysis also makes a strong
case that there are different dimensions when considering the material conditions of
water—in this case, water access and quality each condition engagement in opposite
directions. Furthermore, consistent with other studies, our study also shows different
demographics (notably gender) mediate these relationships in important ways.
Description
Keywords
Community engagement, Gender, Ghana, Materiality, South Africa, Water
Citation
Harris, L.M. et al. (2017). Water materialities and citizen engagement: Testing the implications of water access and quality for community engagement in Ghana and South Africa. Society and Natural Resources.