Levers supporting tariff growth for water services: evidence from a contingent valuation analysis.

The backwardness of the water utilities sector necessitates urgent investment in infrastructure to improve water quality and efficiency in water supply networks. A policy of tariff growth represents the main source to sustain such investments. Therefore, customer engagement in the form of willingness to pay (WTP) is highly desirable by water utilities to obtain social legitimization and support. This study examines the determinants of consumers' WTP for improvement programs for three drinking water issues: quality of water sources, renewal of water mains, and building of new wastewater treatment plants. The study is based on a survey conducted among a sample of 587 customers of a water utility located in the province of Verona in the north of Italy. The contingence valuation method is used to measure WTP. Specifically, an ordinal logistic regression model yields the following significant determinants of WTP: quality of water and services provided, preference for privatization of the water utility, sustainable consumption of water, and some socio-demographic variables. The findings provide interesting insights into the drivers of WTP as well as managerial recommendations for water utilities. In particular, the findings show that water utilities need to improve service and water quality to increase customers' acceptance of tariff growth. In addition, utilities should invest in customer education and communication activities focusing on specific age groups (e.g., older customers) to enhance their WTP. Finally, communication strategies should reinforce the possible role of liberalization and privatization in supporting infrastructure investments.

Uma discreta dança da resistência: corpo, arte e subjetivação na oficina de criatividade de um hospital psiquiátrico / A discrete dance of resistance: body, art and subjectivation in the artistic workshop of a psychiatric hospital / Una discreta danza de la resistencia: cuerpo, arte y subjetivación en el taller artístico de un hospital psiquiátrico

Este artigo busca problematizar o corpo, as relações corpo-poder, por meio das práticas artísticas realizadas na oficina de criatividade de um hospital psiquiátrico, sondando possibilidades não disciplinares de experiência corporal ou do uso dos corpos - mediante gestos, posturas, movimentos na produção artística. A partir disso, busca-se associar ética-estética-política, no âmbito de uma visão processual da experiência artística em duas situações etnográficas, estabelecendo uma relação íntima entre arte, corpo e subjetivação. É a partir daí que se discutem as possibilidades de resistência. Os próprios processos de subjetivação (e possibilidades de práticas corporais de re-singularização, re-apropriação e indisponibilização ao poder, na produção de um sujeito não sujeitado) são vistos no âmbito do estético. Assim, atenta-se para a produção da arte por meio do corpo e para a produção do corpo por meio da arte.

This paper seeks to pose questions regarding the body and body-power relationships, through artistic practices accomplished in a creativity workshop at a psychiatric hospital, by means of prospecting non-disciplinary possibilities for body experience, using gestures, postures and movements in artistic production. From this, it sought to associate ethics, esthetics and politics, within a processual view of the artistic experience in two ethnographic situations, thereby establishing a close relationship between art, body and subjectivation. From this, in turn, the possibilities of resistance are discussed. The particular processes of subjectivation (and the possibilities of body practices of re-singularization, re-appropriation and creation of unavailability to power, through producing a non-subjected subject) are viewed from an esthetic point of view. Thus, production of art through the body and production of the body through art are both emphasized.

Se propone discutir el cuerpo, la relación cuerpo - poder a través de las prácticas realizadas en el taller de creación artística en un hospital psiquiátrico, investigando las posibilidades no disciplinarias de experiencia del cuerpo o del uso de los cuerpos - a través de gestos, posturas, movimientos en la producción artística. A partir de lo cual se busca asociar estética-ética-política, como parte de un proceso de experiencia artística en dos situaciones etnográficos en este taller. Se establece una relación íntima entre el arte, cuerpo y subjetivación, discutiéndose. Es desde allí que propone discutir las posibilidades de resistencia. Los procesos de subjetivación (y las posibilidades de prácticas corporales de re-singularización, re-apropiación e indisposición al poder en la en la producción de un sujeto no sometido) se consideran dentro de la estética. Por lo tanto, se destaca la producción de arte a través del cuerpo y la producción del cuerpo a través del arte.