One of the priority areas of focus for the USAID SWS learning partnership (see other project) is on collective action approaches for WASH service delivery. This research has defined a collective action approach as a process in which sector stakeholders regularly convene and take joint actions to address shared problems, in which: problems are complex, and their solutions require deliberation and action by many actors; members agree on a shared vision and shared problem definition; and stakeholders clarify responsibilities and hold each other accountable for actions. SWS will continue to learn about how collective action approaches work, when and why to implement them, how to monitor them, and what outcomes can be expected from them. SWS undertook a cross-case comparison to assess a variety of applications, including learning- and action-focused groups in Ethiopia and Uganda, government partnership meetings in Uganda, and county-level WASH multi-stakeholder forums in Kenya.

This research program was led by Kimberly Pugel, Dr. Amy Javernick-Will, and Shawn Peabody from Environmental Incentives. It was supported by Eleanor Sandifer.

Research findings and products