Water International Best Paper 2025 Announced!
Recognising outstanding research with meaningful impacts on water policy, governance, and management worldwide
The International Water Resources Association (IWRA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Best Paper and Honourable Mention Awards for 2025, which recognise distinguished scholarly contributions published in Water International, the association’s peer-reviewed journal,.
The 2025 awards consist of two significant studies that offer important insights into water policy and governance. The awards for these papers will be presented at the IWRA XX World Water Congress, taking place in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 4 to 8 October 2027.
Best Paper Awardees
Thalita Salgado Fagundes and Rui Cunha Marques (2025).
Water privatization in Brazil: is the private sector making the same mistakes as in the past?
Water International, 50(6), 583-603
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The Best Paper article is a policy-relevant contribution to research on water services privatization and public-private partnerships. Drawing on case studies from Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the article examines the financial risks associated with private sector involvement in water services, particularly when companies submit overly ambitious bids to secure contracts.
The research highlights how these practices can potentially threaten the financial sustainability of water services and offers practical lessons for improving the management and oversight of public–private partnerships.
Honourable Mention Awardees
Kennedy Mkutu, David M. Anderson, Klerkson Lugusa, Evelyne Owino, and Tessa Mkutu Agade. (2025).
Scarcity, structures and scoundrels: water-related conflicts in northern Kenya.
Water International, 50(7), 680–702.
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Drawing on rich qualitative fieldwork in Isiolo County, northern Kenya, this study contributes to understanding water scarcity as a political and institutional problem, rather than simply a consequence of climatic conditions.
The research shows how inequalities in water distribution, land ownership and governance can contribute to water scarcity and conflict, offering valuable insights for water management in Africa and other water-scarce regions.
IWRA congratulates the award recipients on their achievements and thanks them for their valuable contributions to water research.