Dutch drinking water companies now deliver safe affordable water to the entire population, but this result was not planned. It emerged, rather, from an evolutionary process in which various... Show moreDutch drinking water companies now deliver safe affordable water to the entire population, but this result was not planned. It emerged, rather, from an evolutionary process in which various pressures on the commons resulted in changes to drinking water systems that addressed old concerns but uncovered new problems. Our analytical narrative traces this problem-solution-new problem pattern through four eras in which a common-pool dilemma is addressed by a private-good solution (1850-1880), a club-good solution (1880-1910) and a public-good solution (1910-1950) before returning to a private-good solution in the last 1950-1990 era. Actions, like the dates just given, were not always exact or effective, as the process was shaped by changing social norms regarding the distribution of costs and benefits from improved water services. This Dutch history is unique, but its insights can help improve drinking water services elsewhere. Show less
Background Many African countries experience a protracted epidemiologic transition, different from the classical transition in western societies. The factors driving this protracted transition are... Show moreBackground Many African countries experience a protracted epidemiologic transition, different from the classical transition in western societies. The factors driving this protracted transition are largely unknown. In northeast Ghana, we studied an ongoing epidemiologic transition and investigated the effects of socioeconomic status and drinking water source on the transition. Methods During a 9-year period, we followed a cohort of almost 30 000 individuals and collected information on mortality and fertility rates. In addition, using the standards set out by the WHO, we obtained the causes of death by verbal autopsy. Individuals were stratified according to their socioeconomic status and the households' use of an improved or unimproved drinking water source. Results Mortality rates decreased by −5.0% annually (p<0.001) and the main cause of death shifted from infectious to non-infectious diseases (p=0.014). General fertility rates and child-women ratios decreased annually by −12.7% (p<0.001) and −11.9% (p<0.001), respectively. There was no difference in the decline of mortality and fertility depending on socioeconomic status or drinking water source. Show less
Pawn or pioneer, Rotterdam - municipal activity in the 19th century. The liberal watchword 'laissez-faire' gives succinct sum and substance to the preference that nineteenth century liberal... Show morePawn or pioneer, Rotterdam - municipal activity in the 19th century. The liberal watchword 'laissez-faire' gives succinct sum and substance to the preference that nineteenth century liberal administrators had for state restraint. Society was well served, they believed, when government took a modest role and only in specific cases intervened in the public domain. The defence of the country against hostile forces and against the sea were considered to be government__s responsibility. The maintenance of public order and the building of public roads by the government also enjoyed liberal approval. But there it really ended. Anything else was better left to the untrammelled dynamics of social forces. The machinery of government however grew vigorously under liberal hegemony in the nineteenth century. The historian Jan van den Noort has carried out an inquiry into the causes and reasons for that growth. He focuses his attention on the growth of municipal activity and tries to explain this. In doing so he concentrates on the foundation of municipal utilities in Rotterdam. In only a few decades the municipal utilities for water, gas and electricity, municipal sanitation and harbour operations emerged there.|De liberale leuze 'laissez-faire' is een bondige samenvatting van de voorkeur die negentiende-eeuwse liberale bestuurders hadden voor staatsonthouding. De samenleving was ermee gediend, meenden zij, als de overheid zich zo bescheiden mogelijk opstelde en slechts in enkele gevallen ingreep in het maatschappelijk proces. De verdediging van het land tegen vijandelijke legers en de strijd tegen de zee werden tot de overheidstaak gerekend. De handhaving van de openbare orde en de aanleg van openbare wegen door de overheid hadden eveneens liberale instemming. Maar daarmee was het wel zo'n beetje gezegd. De rest kon nog het beste worden overgelaten aan het vrije spel van maatschappelijke krachten. Onder liberale hegemonie groeide het overheidsapparaat in de negentiende eeuw evenwel sterk. De historicus Jan van den Noort deed onderzoek naar de oorzaken en motieven voor die groei. Hij richtte zijn aandacht op de groei van gemeentelijke activiteit en probeerde deze te verklaren. Daarbij concentreerde hij zich op de stichting van gemeentebedrijven te Rotterdam. In enkele decennia slechts ontstonden daar de gemeentebedrijven voor water, gas en elektriciteit, gemeentereiniging en havenexploitatie. Show less
