My doctoral research looks at how government actors operating at the district level interpret and go about implementing Malawi's national policies for rural water supply. The research uses ethnographic methods to understand the experiences and everyday practices of these actors, exploring the constraints they face (be they financial, political or social) and the diverse strategies they employ in ‘getting the job done’. In the context of decentralised water governance, the actions of these frontline workers and their relationships with other stakeholders are integral to service sustainability and ensuring universal access to clean water.
Research aim: To understand how actors translate water policies through their everyday practices, and the strategies they employ ‘to get the job done’.