Neoliberal Versus Postneoliberal Water: Geographies of Privatization and Resistance

This article documents the increasingly variegated pattern of urban water supply privatization since the 1990s. The analysis cautions against sweeping generalizations of postneoliberalism often associated with putative alternatives to private water supply. The continued growth of private-sector activity, combined with the strategic retreat of private companies from certain countries and regions, should be interpreted as a partial intensification of—rather than straightforward retreat from—neoliberalization. The article concludes with reflections on the relevance of the findings for broader debates over neoliberalization and postneoliberalism.