Drone-Operated Mobile Toilets In China!
China’s Toilet Revolution is a prime example of the paradox of innovation in public service delivery. It has shown how centralized innovation planning can achieve an unparalleled degree of digital transformation, improving every aspect of service from user access to maintenance. However, such innovation has also proven to be a distraction from the key interests of the population it is expected to serve. [...] Although China’s Toilet Revolution has received positive reviews overall, a few problems have exposed underlying issues with its top-down program approach. [...] China’s Toilet Revolution experience is one of a kind. Quite unusually, this is a case where the expansion in physical infrastructure is preceded and aided by the rapid advance of digital infrastructure in the country. It was also undertaken in a highly centralized political environment which enabled a high level of efficiency in policy implementation. However, China’s experience does offer lessons to developing countries at comparable stages of development. Digitalization and centralization of sanitation services management is a vital enabler for innovation and reform. At the same time, implementation needs to be better conceived. To improve the rural component of the program, governments needs to reform their subsidy structure to account not only for the toilet but also the full list of capital and maintenance expenditure items. The exact rollout needs to be planned with respect to local income level, water, and climate conditions and subject to villagers’ consent. Further, there is a need to incorporate affordability and usage data into program evaluation.