Despite the contrasts in history and hydroclimatic contexts, the water diaries of Bangladeshis and Kenyans reveal similar daily practices. Rains stand out as the most defining driver of water source choice. Rural populations in Khulna and Kitui shift to rainwater when available, whether harvested in containers from their own roof catchments or in rocks and dams. Whether in sarees or sarongs, in kolshis stacked on the waist or jerrycans balanced on the head, women are the primary drawers of water. When water needs to be transported via motorcycles or boats, a well is dug or a community tube well is installed, men come onto the scene. Individual practices are shaped by institutional behaviours and the quality of water governance. Regulation is missing or ineffective for rural drinking water services in Kitui and Khulna, while non-compliance is normalised in case of urban water pollution in Dhaka and unreliable piped supply in Lodwar. Our findings propose that policy and practice focus more attention on the interactions between rainfall and water use behaviours in a changing climate, and the need for better information on water risks for institutional accountability and sustainable finance. We finally chart where change is happening to improve water security in Bangladesh and the opportunities that exist in Kenya.

Scholars are increasingly taking note of a species of government institutions that fall outside the traditional separation of powers and have come to be known as the “fourth branch”: these institutions are created by constitutional design to engage in independent oversight and investigation of the other branches. Using South Africa as a case study of “fourth branch” institutions, this chapter dives deeply into the South African cases on corruption (such as the Scorpions litigation, set in its political background) before turning to the more general theme of Chapter 9 institutions in South Africa, then surveying the rise of the furth branch in constitutional systems around the world. The chapter concludes by evaluating both the value and the limits of the “deep dive” case study approach to understanding topics in constitutional design.