Democratic rivalry, institutional fragmentation, and the erosion of equitable water provision in urban Accra

This article examines how democratic competition, under conditions of institutional fragility and fiscal constraint, can undermine state coherence and developmental capacity. While liberal democratic theory often portrays multiparty elections as mechanisms for accountability and responsiveness, this study complicates that narrative by analyzing how partisan rivalry has fragmented the governance of urban water provision in Accra. Drawing on two years of qualitative fieldwork in urban Accra, including interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis, the article traces how electoral turnover, the strategic depoliticization and repoliticization of policymaking, and institutional misalignment have destabilized long-term planning and eroded commitments to equitable access. Focusing on the structural tensions between Ghana’s regulatory authority (the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) and the state-owned utility, the Ghana Water Company Limited, the study reveals how competing logics of technocratic autonomy, populist responsiveness, and fiscal survival have undermined institutional coordination and produced contradictory policy outcomes. These dynamics have contributed to policy volatility, underinvestment, and widening inequality in water access, particularly for underserved urban communities in Accra. By foregrounding the spatial and institutional consequences of democratic rivalry, the article contributes to critical debates on state transformation, infrastructure governance, and the uneven geographies of service delivery in urban and comparable contexts across the global South. It concludes that democratic competition does not inherently foster inclusive development; rather, effective governance depends on institutional alignment, fiscal realism, and sustained political commitment to the public good.