But water reforms are frequently long-term endeavours that involve planning, ex ante evaluation and consultation, several stages of implementation and ex post evaluation. Short-term considerations and vested interests can result in potentially counter-productive action; inversely, long-term planning and commitment can face strong bottlenecks on the ground because of political discontinuity. It is therefore important that strategic plans consider timing and political discontinuity in relation to water policy. Ensuring transparency across different constituencies is essential for the effective implementation of water policies. The process is not always transparent and certain measures, such as shortening of the decision-making process, increase the risk of capture and corruption, especially when local governments lack the capacity to monitor investment and civil society is not fully engaged. In the 1990s, Latin America saw a decrease in government provision of public goods and an increase in private sector participation in the water sector.