Innovations in municipal service delivery : the case of Vietnam's Haiphong Water Supply Company

Abstract

This thesis describes a state owned municipal water supply service company, the Haiphong Water Supply Company (HPWSCo), that improved its service delivery and successfully transformed itself into a profit making utility with metered consumers willing to pay for improved service. The thesis examines how HPWSCo tackled the typical problems of a developing country's municipal water supply company and succeeded in the eyes of the consumers, the local and national governments, and the wider development community. The thesis describes how and under what conditions HPWSCo has changed itself from a poorly performing utility to a successful one. It explores the characteristics of the local level service delivery 'ward model' that underpin HPWSCo's success, including: the structure of the ward water supply sub offices; the local procedures for responding to consumer need; and the management of local employees in a way that motivates exemplary performance. The thesis examines how HPWSCo used existing resources and scaled-out improvements ward by ward, learning lessons for subsequent ward enhancements. By focusing on what HPWSCo did the thesis attempts to illustrate the reform strategy of a government agency (state owned enterprise) previously riddled with problems and poor performance that became much more effective and efficient.