Water provides benefits as a commodity for agriculture, industry, and households, and as a public good such as fisheries habitat, water quality and recreational use. To aid in cost-benefit analysis under conditions where market determined price signals are usually unavailable, economists have developed a range of alternative valuation methods for measuring economic benefits. This volume provides the most comprehensive exposition to-date of the application of economic valuation methods to proposed water resources investments and policies. It provides a conceptual framework for valuation of both commodity and public good uses of water, addressing non-market valuation techniques appropriate to measuring public benefits - including water quality improvement, recreation, and fish habitat enhancement. The book describes the various measurement methods, illustrates how they are applied in practice, and discusses their strengths, limitations, and appropriate roles. In this second edition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated, and in particular the coverage of water markets and valuation of ecosystem services from water has been expanded. Robert Young, author of the 2005 edition, has been joined for this new edition by John Loomis, who brings additional expertise on ecosystem services and the environmental economics of water for recreational and other public good uses of water.
Water, already a scarce resource, is treated as though it were plentiful and free. The task of supplying enough water of the required quality to growing populations is straining authorities and governments to the limit as the economic and environmental costs of new supply sources escalate and wasteful supply, delivery and consumption systems persist. Managing Water as an Economic Resource argues that the root of the crisis is the failure of suppliers and consumers to treat water as a scarce commodity with an economic value. James Winpenny evaluates policies for the improved management of existing demand, and draws on case studies from different countries as he discusses how policies could be implemented to treat water as an economic good conferring major economic, financial and environmental benefits.
Economical, Political, and Social Issues in Water Resources provides a fully comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of all three factors in their relation to water resources. Economic issues consist of Water accounting, Water economy, Water pricing, Water market, Water bank and bourse. Political issues consist of Water power and hydrogemistry, Water diplomacy and hydropolitics, Water rights and water laws, Water governance and policy, Shared water resources management, Water management systems, and social issues consist of Water and culture, civilization and history, Water quality, hygiene, and health, Water and society. This book familiarizes researchers with all aspects of the field, which can lead to optimized and multidimensional water resources management. Some of abovementioned issues are new, so the other aim of this book is to identify them in order to researchers can easily find them and use them in their studies. - Includes diverse case studies from around the world - Presents contributions from global and diverse contributors with interdisciplinary backgrounds, including water engineers, scientists, planners the economic, political and social issues surrounding water - Contains in-depth definitions and concepts of each topic
Values and facts; The economic analysis of different values; Facts: public failure and maket failure; Water resource management and market failure; Summing; Conclusion: toward improved water resources management.
. . . it will provide a fascinating and stimulating read for researchers, students and academics with an interest in water economics and public policy. Practitioners focusing on water management, sustainable development, water supply and health will also find this book invaluable. CABI Those seeking an informed overview of the social and economic aspects of water issues in developing contexts today would do well to read P.B. Anand s book. Scarcity, Entitlements and the Economics of Water in Developing Countries is extensive covering local, sub-national and international aspects of water scarcity, the human right to water, transboundary water disputes and progress on the Millennium Development Goals. . . It will be of interest to water resource managers, urban water and sanitation policy-makers, international donors, and students of environmental justice, water issues, and development more broadly. . . Anand s book is recommended as useful and interesting reading primarily for its broad range and interdisciplinary approach. Mark Zeitoun, Waterlines In this creative study Anand applies environmental economic tools and concepts to analyze water issues in developing countries. . . The author carefully integrates the poverty, inequality, and development issues of water; and he meticulously discusses the intertwined rivalrous and excludable public good characteristics of water supply. . . Highly recommended. B.F. Hope, Choice The book eloquently illustrates the economics of water and how economics can increase the understanding of topics such as water inequalities and the role of institutions. It convincingly explores and explains water scarcity, supply and demand to demystify water topics. It commendably presents different views and interpretations on contentious water topics such as large-scale dams, transboundary water and privatization of household water supply. In particular, the conceptual framework is helpful in illuminating the interface between water and well-being. The book contains several case studies and water multi-sectors, such as dams, water supply and sanitation and water resources and appeals to a wide readership interested in various water topics and their implementation. Håkan Tropp, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Sweden The author has sought to weave diverse strands of water policy in developing countries into a coherent framework. A multi country database is used to make the point that scarcity is not the absolute lack of water, but the result of policy and management failure. The sustainable access to drinking water, one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as consumer preferences for water supply are illustrated with data from the author s research in Chennai, a chronically water starved Indian city. Resolution of conflict in a river basin is analysed using the case of the Cauvery, an interstate river in India. All these themes are brought together using Sen s Capability approach to highlight the fact that water policy is not a technocratic exercise but a matter of justice and entitlements. Water managers, academicians and civil society groups will benefit from reflecting on the important issues raised by Dr Anand in this book. Paul Appasamy, Madras School of Economics Anand s book discusses in detail the economics of water and how societies deal with this scarce resource. The complexities of water as highlighted in his book have previously been little explored in any standard economic development textbook. Anand presents a fascinating framework on water and well-being by linking water and the capability approach. It is a must read for all those dealing with water issues in particular and development issues in general. Naren Prasad, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Switzerland This is a very thorough analysis of water s critical role as both a basic human need and an economic good. It is unlikely to be surpassed for so
Because water in the United State has not been traded in markets, there is no meaningful estimate of what it would cost if it were traded. But failing to establish ground water's valueâ€"for in situ uses such as sustaining wetlands as well as for extractive uses such as agricultureâ€"will lead to continued overuse and degradation of the nation's aquifers. In Valuing Ground Water an interdisciplinary committee integrates the latest economic, legal, and physical knowledge about ground water and methods for valuing this resource, making it comprehensible to decision-makers involved in Superfund cleanup efforts, local wellhead protection programs, water allocation, and other water-related management issues. Using the concept of total economic value, this volume provides a framework for calculating the economic value of ground water and evaluating tradeoffs between competing uses of it. Included are seven case studies where ground-water valuation has been or could be used in decisionmaking. The committee examines trends in ground-water management, factors that contribute to its value, and issues surrounding ground-water allocation and legal rights to its use. The book discusses economic valuation of natural resources and reviews several valuation methods. Presenting conclusions, recommendations, and research priorities, Valuing Ground Water will be of interest to those concerned about ground-water issues: policymakers, regulators, economists, attorneys, researchers, resource managers, and environmental advocates.
Water scarcity, whether in the quality or quantity dimension, afflicts most countries. Decisions on water management and allocation over time, space, and among uses and users involve economic considerations. This Handbook assembles research that represents recent thinking and applications in water economics. The book chapters are written by leading scholars in the field who address issues related to its use, management, and value. The topics cover analytical methods, sectoral and intersectoral water issues, and issues associated with different sources of water.
The United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is hosted and led by UNESCO. WWAP brings together the work of 31 UN-Water Members as well as 37 Partners to publish the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) series. Under the theme Water for Sustainable Development, the WWDR 2015 has been prepared as a contribution from UN-Water to the discussions surrounding the post-2015 framework for global sustainable development. Highlighting water's unique and often complex role in achieving various sustainable development objectives, the WWDR 2015 is addressed to policy- and decision-makers inside and outside the water community, as well as to anyone with an interest in freshwater and its many life-giving benefits. The report sets an aspirational yet achievable vision for the future of water towards 2050 by describing how water supports healthy and prosperous human communities, maintains well functioning ecosystems and ecological services, and provides a cornerstone for short and long-term economic development. It provides an overview of the challenges, issues and trends in terms of water resources, their use and water-related services like water supply and sanitation. The report also offers, in a rigorous yet accessible manner, guidance about how to address these challenges and to seize the opportunities that sound water management provides in order to achieve and maintain economic, social and environmental sustainability.
In a past of abundance, we had clean water to meet our demands for showers, pools, farms and rivers. Our laws and customs did not need to regulate or ration demand. Over time, our demand has grown, and scarcity has replaced abundance. We don't have as much clean water as we want. We can respond to the end of abundance with old ideas or adopt new tools specifically designed to address water scarcity.In this book, David Zetland describes the impact of scarcity on our many water uses, how the institutions of abundance fail in scarcity, and how economic ideas and tools can help us direct water to its highest and best use. Written for non-academic readers, The End of Abundance provides examples, insights and ideas to anyone interested in the management of our most precious resource.
A radical new approach to tackling the growing threat of water scarcity Water is essential to life, yet humankind’s relationship with water is complex. For millennia, we have perceived it as abundant and easily accessible. But water shortages are fast becoming a persistent reality for all nations, rich and poor. With demand outstripping supply, a global water crisis is imminent. In this trenchant critique of current water policies and practices, Edward Barbier argues that our water crisis is as much a failure of water management as it is a result of scarcity. Outdated governance structures and institutions, combined with continual underpricing, have perpetuated the overuse and undervaluation of water and disincentivized much-needed technological innovation. As a result “water grabbing” is on the rise, and cooperation to resolve these disputes is increasingly fraught. Barbier draws on evidence from countries across the globe to show the scale of the problem, and outlines the policy and management solutions needed to avert this crisis.
