More than a billion people lack access to clean and safe water, causing 12 million deaths a year, as well as widespread poverty and disease. Government monopolies, underinvestment, inappropriate pricing, and insufficient property rights are to blame. Of all water distribution in poor countries, 97 percent is public, but in a few locations privatization and market-oriented reforms have improved the situation. This development has been met with fierce resistance, however. This book shows why the protesters are wrong and how more reforms could save millions of lives and improve the lives of hundreds of millions of others.