Actors, governance and modalities of electricity supply : the case of low- income neighborhoods and refugee compounds in Halba.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the debates regarding basic service provision in Syrian refugees’ compounds, looking at the formal and informal modes of service provision for the acquisition of electricity in Halba after 2011. Studying the actors, governance and outputs of 25 Syrian refugee compounds and one Camp in Cheikh Mhammad village bordering Halba, the thesis unpacks how service provision is the outcome of a hybrid system operated both commercially and by self-help through formal (municipal) and informal actors. While this system responds to the dire needs of refugees in lieu of the ongoing ad-hoc, turn-a-blind-eye strategy adopted by the government, it suffers from many shortcomings, the most prominent of which is dangerous fire hazards that result from an increasing practice of cable hooking. Although the majority of them tap from the grid, they are still very much dependent on the private generators’ business during EDL’s cut-offs. A considerable sum of the refugees’ income go to the private generator owners which make Syrian refugees more vulnerable given they’re paying a more expensive bill then the one being paid to the government. In order to respond to this reality, the thesis argues for the importance of a service provision model that learns from existing hybrid systems and recommends the best model for Halba.