Paper short abstract:

Using unique data from Kilifi County, Kenya, this empirical study explores how intrahousehold decisions-making dynamics shape households’ water outcomes and water security.

Paper long abstract:

Households make a complex set of decisions on water source choice, quantity demanded, and the allocation of water across household members and activities. In many parts of the world, people choose from among multiple sources of water that are of different quality and reliability; many households may rely on unimproved sources of water, such as rivers, ponds, and open springs. The water sources chosen by the household and amount taken from each source may vary based the household’s access to different water sources; the household’s preferences and specific water needs; and costs and constraints in obtaining the water from each source. Demand for water in these contexts is often modelled to consider the households’ choices among water sources, the quantity demanded of water, or to take into account simultaneity between households’ source choice and the quantity of water taken from that source. In these models, the household is portrayed as a single decision-making unit with a single set of household preferences (i.e. a unitary household model). Power dynamics and the decision-making process within the household are not made explicit, and the fact that household members may have differing preferences is not taken into account. Yet, extensive work on unpacking household decision making has demonstrated that portraying households as a single decision-making unit is not appropriate. Using unique data from Kilifi County, Kenya, this empirical study disentangles how intrahousehold decisions-making dynamics shape households’ water outcomes and security.