The results from a regression analysis indicate that people who
are dissatisfied with the status quo strongly prefer increased government
leadership. According to our models, almost 80% of the
least satisfied respondents prefer government responsibility.
Among the most satisfied citizens, however, the share is only about
40%. In other words, satisfaction with current waste management
halves the respondent's interest in government responsibility. This
relationship is robust and the estimate of the effect of dissatisfaction
versus satisfaction stable across model specifications. Since
most respondents in the survey are not satisfied with their waste
management, this finding could also explain high levels of preference
for greater government involvement.
The results are of general importance. As Vergara and
Tchobanoglous (2012) note, inadequate municipal waste management
is now a truly global problem that reduces quality of life in
urban settings across different continents. According to Medina
(2007), millions of people around the world make a living as
waste pickers due to the lack of a municipal governance solution.
Our results indicate that, at least in the case of Dar es Salaam, the
public prefers government involvement in the typical condition of
poor results. From a policy perspective, this suggests that governments
of growing cities in developing countries have both political
and economic incentives to invest in waste management to avoid
environmental and health problems.
Our results also speak to the debate on privatizing waste management.
As Samson (2009) notes, the privatization of waste
management is an important, if politically controversial, topic in
many developing countries. While our results do not address the
question of whether or not private contractors should play some
role, they do highlight the public's preference for government
leadership. This result suggests that a privatization strategy, if any,