An uncooperative commodity : privatizing water in England and Wales

Around the world reference is made to the 'British' experiment with water privatization: in some cases as a salutary example, in others as a warning; no other country has entirely privatized its water supply and sewerage system. Bakker examines the privatization and regulation of water supply in England and Wales, exploring the relationship between socio-economic restructuring and environmental change, and linking privatization to changing patterns of public policy and trends in public services provision in Britain. She provides an innovative explanation of why water supply has proved to be difficult to commercialize, and is hence an 'uncooperative' commodity.