What is it about?
The management of waste and integrated water services requires a balance to be struck between two fundamental needs: industrial efficiency on the one hand, and the protection of the public interest on the other. This article analyses how cooperation between local authorities and the creation of coordinated public multi-utility organisations can generate significant economies of scale and scope. The integration of the urban waste supply chain with the water supply chain facilitates the achievement of circular economy objectives without compromising local authorities’ capacity for control and governance.
Featured Image
Photo by Nerea Martí Sesarino on Unsplash
Why is it important?
On the path towards the ecological transition and the circular economy, traditional models of fragmented management or total outsourcing to the market may prove to have limitations. This study proposes an analytical and accounting model that demonstrates how integration and inter-municipal cooperation can overcome the phenomenon of double marginalisation, reduce transaction costs and improve the quality and environmental standards of the service for the benefit of the community and economic sustainability.
Perspectives
Bringing water and waste management together under coordinated public governance allows key technological and industrial synergies to be harnessed, whilst ensuring transparent tariffs and standards for citizens.
Prof. Giacomo Di Foggia
Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Governance of local public service provision: between policy, efficiency and sustainability, Transforming Government People Process and Policy, February 2026, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/tg-10-2025-0346.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
