Planning rural water services in Nicaragua: A systems-based analysis of impact factors using graphical modeling |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad Diego Portales. Av. Ejército 441, Santiago, Chile;2. University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. 1111 Engineering Drive, ECOT 512 428 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA;1. Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, 300 Stein Plaza, Suite 562, Fifth Floor, Wasserman Building, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6901, USA;2. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;4. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;1. School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;2. Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;4. Institute of Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;1. Institut für Geographie, Universität Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany;2. Lehrstuhl für Grünlandlehre, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany |
| |
| Abstract: | The success or failure of rural water services in the developing world is a result of numerous factors that interact in a complex set of connections that are difficult to separate and identify. This research effort presented a novel means to empirically reveal the systemic interactions of factors that influence rural water service sustainability in the municipalities of Darío and Terrabona, Nicaragua. To accomplish this, the study employed graphical modeling to build and analyze factor networks. Influential factors were first identified by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing transcribed interviews from community water committee members. Factor influences were then inferred by graphical modeling to create factor network diagrams that revealed the direct and indirect interaction of factors. Finally, network analysis measures were used to identify “impact factors” based on their relative influence within each factor network. Findings from this study elucidated the systematic nature of such factor interactions in both Darío and Terrabona, and highlighted key areas for programmatic impact on water service sustainability for both municipalities. Specifically, in Darío, the impact areas related to the current importance of water service management by community water committees, while in Terrabona, the impact areas related to the current importance of finances, viable water sources, and community capacity building by external support. Overall, this study presents a rigorous and useful means to identify impact factors as a way to facilitate the thoughtful planning and evaluation of sustainable rural water services in Nicaragua and beyond. |
| |
| Keywords: | Sustainability Rural water services Nicaragua Graphical modeling Factor analysis Networks |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
