After studying public administration, Mr. Klaas Schwartz joined the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in 1998. He is currently Associate Professor in Urban Water Governance in the Department of Water Governance at IHE Delft and visiting researcher with the Governance and Inclusive Development Group at the University of Amsterdam.

His research largely revolves around the implementation of policies in the water services sector. Policies set forth courses of action for the provision of water services or aim to address identified problems in the provision of water services. In order to implement these policies, practitioners working in water organizations (water utilities, community-based organizations, etc.) need to translate, adapt and modify these policies to suit the specific context in which they are to be implemented. This process of translation by practitioners and the impact it has on the level of services provided to consumers form the main focus of his research.  

Currently, Dr. Schwartz is engaged in three main research projects:

1. The practice of commercialization – this research project studies how water utility managers implement principles of commercialization in the provision of water services.
2. Providing pro-poor services – This project researches how water utilities in developing countries implement policies to serve consumers in low-income areas. Of particular interest is how these utility managers balance their mixed mandate of operating as a commercial entity whilst ensuring the human right to water.
3. Developing Water Operator Partnerships – this research project investigates how public water utilities are able to build capacity for the provision of service by partnering, and sharing knowledge, with other public water utilities.