Boldly boring: public banks and public water in the Nordic region

Public banks in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have played a critical role in financing the costs of public water services in the Nordic region for over a century. A pooled banking model, collectively owned and operated by municipal and/or national governments, has allowed public water operator...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWater international Vol. 47; no. 5; pp. 791 - 809
Main Authors Juuti, Petri S., Juuti, Riikka P., McDonald, David A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Urbana Routledge 04.07.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Banking
Central government
Commercialization
Denmark
Financing
Finland
Marketing
Nordic region
Norway
Operators
Privatization
public banks
Public finance
public water
Public waters
Regions
Services
Sweden
Water
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Summary:Public banks in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have played a critical role in financing the costs of public water services in the Nordic region for over a century. A pooled banking model, collectively owned and operated by municipal and/or national governments, has allowed public water operators to obtain financing at the lowest possible rates, improving services and protecting their public status. It is not without its challenges, including threats of privatization and commercialization of public water operators and public banks, but this Nordic model has much to offer global debates about public financing of public water services.
ISSN:0250-8060
1941-1707
DOI:10.1080/02508060.2022.2072149