本文分析了20多年来许多国家实施水务民营化改革失败的典型案例，在讨论水的物品属性和经营主体的基础上，指出水务行业推行民营化政策存在一定的风险。分析了日本通过科技创新和管理创新，采取公有化模式管理水务行业来提高效率的案例，指出我国政府应该汲取国外水务民营化失败的教训，谨慎对待水务民营化改革，并提出了相关建议。

This paper analyzes cases that failed to privatize water service in the past 20 years worldwide, and water’s properties theoretically. With the case of Japan, the paper point out the water service can improve the efficiency through management and technological innovation, and great policies risks of water service privatization could have. Thus it emphasizes that the Chinese government should learn from the failures of water service privatization to avoid making the same mistakes.

科技部水专项“城市供水安全保障管理支撑体系研究”(编号2011ZX074－001－03)；本成果受到中国人民大学“统筹支持一流大学和一流学科建设”经费支持。