The results of this state of affairs is evident in many aspects of life. Streets tend to be in poor repair and litter is everywhere, since individuals feel little stake in the appearance of public places. Power failures occur daily, and the public water supply is unreliable and unsafe. Two views from Pakistan Naturally, elite groups arrange their own parallel supply systems. They own massive diesel generators that are noisy and pollute but isolate them, at a price, from an unreliable public hydro system.
Security systems based on walled communities and armed guards are common place.
As well, those elites arrange for their own delivery of safe water. Dysentery and dehydration are major causes of death. Yet it's impossible for the rich to remain isolated from all of the consequences of a weak public sector. Some would say that poor public institutions are an inevitable consequence of poverty. Sen's books document that poor blacks in the U.S. have much higher incomes but lower life expectancy than average citizens in poor countries like Sri Lanka.