“When donors are investing in the [water] sector, they need to think beyond infrastructure – it’s not a matter of counting the number of pipes and pumps which need to be bought. You must look at the social structures and institutional setups that need to be in place…to deliver the services that are actually required.”

ODI research on how governance constraints can undermine the effective delivery of public services in developing countries identified a number of ways aid can help to ‘unblock results’ and get services flowing.

Research Fellow Helen Tilley sat down with Rinus Van Klinken, acting Director of SNV Tanzania, to talk about the governance constraints he has encountered in his work on improving rural water supply in Tanzania, and the approaches he has adopted to overcome them.