There is no question that water pricing and public-private partnership can improve water management practices in the future. However, this concept is neither the cure-all many proponents argue, nor the disaster its opponents forecast. Providing a comprehensive and objective assessment of what does and does not work, where, why and under what circumstances, this informative collection assesses the social, economic, equity and institutional implications. This cohesive set of carefully selected essays, the result of The Third World Centre for Water Management and the Inter-American Development Bank's decision to objectively and critically assess the experiences in these areas, transcends the current dogmatic debate on these complex issues. Providing an in-depth analysis and assessment of the main issues and constraints of water pricing, private sector participation and their affect on water supply, the collection draws on illustrative case studies from Argentina, Brazil, the USA and Western European countries amongst others. This is a special issue of the Journal of Water Resource Development.