Governance restricts: a contextual assessment of the wastewater treatment policy in the Guadelupe River Basin, Mexico

Lack of wastewater treatment is among the main water problems worldwide. The implementation of wastewater treatment policies faces varying challenges given the many different contexts. Therefore, context-sensitive approaches are required from a governance perspective. This paper aims to improve the understanding of the role of contextual factors in water and wastewater governance drawing on empirical evidence from Latin America, with a focus on the Guadalupe River Basin in Mexico. The findings indicate that the governance context restricts the implementation of wastewater treatment policy. Thus, future reforms should consider the top-down nature of the policy implementation process