Current Sociology 1–13 © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0011392116657288 csi.sagepub.com CS Challenging state modernity: Governmental adaptation and informal water politics in Mexico City Felipe de Alba Centro de Estudios Sociales y de Opinión Pública, Mexico Abstract This article analyzes political practices shaping water usage in the Mexico City region. Based on four different case studies, it reflects on the role of intermediaries in the state restructuring process. The cases explore political negotiation over the use of water in contexts of shortage or abundance, clean potable water, or waste water. The article illustrates how the use of natural resources affects the state’s role and how it reconfigures citizen participation. It compares traditional political mechanisms such as clientelism or electoral promotion, with emergent informal practices such as the multiplication of intermediaries who distribute water privately, but are ambiguously subsidized and organized by public institutions. It concludes that unequal water provision and intermediaries are key elements for the renewal of state legitimacy. Keywords Informal services, informal state, intermediaries, water scarcity Introduction A report by the Government of the Distrito Federal (Mexico City) claims that, in 2014, only 71% of water provision in Mexico City was of acceptable quality. Moreover, 15% of this water was provided through the overuse of aquifers. This reduced the level of ‘sustainable’ water provision to 50%. Policy-makers have been preoccupied with the Corresponding author: Felipe de Alba, Centro de Estudios Sociales y de Opinión Pública, Emiliano Zapata 66, El Parque, Ciudad de México, DF, Mexico. Email: dealbamf@gmail.com 657288CSI 0 0 10.1177/0011392116657288Current Sociologyde Alba research-article 2016 Article by guest on September 24, 2016 csi.sagepub.com Downloaded from