Franchising in the Water Industry: The Case of Buenos Aires

The franchising of the water supply and waste water system of Buenos Aires to Suez-Lyonnaise in 1993 (the most populated franchise area in the world, with a population of nine million people) is regarded as a “laboratory” for the study of reforms of urban management in Latin America based on increased private sector participation.
The conflicts created by the implementation of the infrastructure’s expansion plan and of the new service rates are analysed as a socio-economic process that contributes to changes in the notion of public (utility) service, through the reference to universal service and user participation.