Brazil: Regulatory Assessment and Privatization, 1999-2000

The Situation

The responsibility for water and wastewater service provision in Brazil was shared between municipal, state and federal government. The World Bank wanted to carry out a diagnosis and prescription for structural, contractual, and regulatory reforms concerning the sector.

NERA's Role

NERA wrote two World Bank reports on private participation in the water and sanitation sector in Brazil. One report focused on the regulatory framework, while the second reviewed the lessons to be learnt from privatisation of services in Brazil during the 1990s. Together, the reports covered all aspects of private participation in the water sector, from the execution of privatisation transactions, to the most appropriate regulatory structures, to options for expanding services to cover low income households.

The Result

The work has strongly influenced the drafting of Federal legislation on regulation of the water and sanitation sector.