| 1. |
- Amaechina, Ebele, et al.
(författare)
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Policy Note : Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services during COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network
- 2020
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 6:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers’ bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities’ COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.
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| 2. |
- Amaechina, E., et al.
(författare)
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Policy Note: Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services During COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific Pub Co Pte Lt. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 6:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers' bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities' COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.
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| 3. |
- Hristov, Jordan, et al.
(författare)
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The Economic Role of Water in FYR Macedonia: An Input–Output Analysis and Implications for the Western Balkan Countries
- 2016
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 2:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sustainable management of water resources is imperative in the Western Balkan (WB) region, due to the seasonal, spatial and quality distribution of these resources. This paper analyzed water consumption and associated relationships between the economic sectors in Macedonia in 2005, based on input–output (IO) analysis. Using an environmentally extended IO framework, water consumption was investigated by developing several indicators. Disaggregation of the agriculture sector into 11 sub-sectors, combined with backward and forward linkage analysis, allowed us to identify rice, fruits, grapes and wine, other crop and cattle production as key water-consuming sub-sectors. The developedindicators revealed a high proportion of direct water consumption in agriculture and some other non-agricultural sectors such as mining and quarrying, other mining and quarrying products, food products and beverages as well as electrical machinery, which imposed significant pressure on natural water resources in Macedonia. Therefore, changes in production technology and specializations in Macedonia toward less water-intensive options are needed to ease the pressure on natural water resources. Extending the existing waterpricing policy to capture economic, social and environmental aspects should also be considered. Moreover, the development and construction of water accounts and the disaggregation procedure have valuable implications for the WB countries. Applications elsewhere following this Macedonian example can provide a meaningful understanding of the role of water and interdependencies at regional level and increase awareness of the water resource availability at trans-boundary scale.
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| 4. |
- Häggmark Svensson, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of Water Quality Management Policies on Innovation in Nitrogen and Phosphorus Technology
- 2021
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study is to examine the effects on innovation of environmental regulations aimed at reducing eutrophication. We focus on innovations in nitrogen and phosphorus management technology in the wastewater treatment sector and the agricultural sector. Patent data from Sweden over a 50-year period is used as a measure of innovation. We estimate a negative binomial regression model in a reduced form and by the use of control-functions, taking into account environmental regulation as well as more general determinants of innovation. Our results suggest that increased regulation has induced innovation in the wastewater treatment sector, both in the long and short run. The short-run effect was estimated to 40-70% in the years immediately following the introduction of new environmental regulations. A corresponding effect could not be identified in the agricultural sector. The difference between the sectors is likely explained by differences in policy design, where performance standards are applied in the wastewater sector, while design standards and technology-specific subsidies dominate in the agricultural sector.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Per-Olov, et al.
(författare)
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On the Social Cost of Water-Related Disasters
- 2015
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 1:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper is devoted to some important welfare economic issues related to natural disasters, in particular those connected with floods and storms. Our analysis of the social cost of a natural disaster is different from (most) existing analyses, in that we focus sharply on the welfare effects of a disaster. We derive a simple dynamic general equilibrium cost-benefit rule, which captures loss in production of private and public goods, as well as the value of (statistical) lives lost; it also clarifies the role played by changes in stocks and flows, respectively. Standard analysis of losses typically only includes damages to market-priced stocks and flows, thus our model paints a different picture of social cost. This difference is particularly striking for disaster that results in many deaths, but has relatively low (reported) costs. We take our model to the data by using EM-DAT, one of the several prominent databases in this literature, focusing on water-related disasters in the US.
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| 6. |
- Li, Chuan-Zhong, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Growth, Water Resilience, and Sustainability : A DSGE Model Applied to South Africa
- 2016
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 2:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we analyze a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model on how water resilience affects economic growth and dynamic welfare with special reference to South Africa. While water may become a limiting factor for future development in general, as a drought prone and water poor country with rapid population growth, South Africa may face more serious challenges for sustainable development. Using the model, we conduct numerical simulations for di¤erent parameter con…gurations with varying discount rate, climate change scenario, and the degree of uncertainty in future precipitation. We fi…nd that with sufficient capital accumulation, development may still be sustainable despite increased future water scarcity and decreased long-run sustainable welfare; While stochastic variation in precipitation has a negative effect on water resilience and the expected dynamic welfare, the e¤ect is mitigated by persistence in the precipitation pattern. With heavier time discounting and lower capital formation, however, the current welfare may not be sustained
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| 7. |
- Marbuah, George, et al.
(författare)
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Management of an Aquatic Invasive Weed with Uncertain Benefits and Damage Costs: The Case of Elodea Canadensis in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The invasive aquatic weed Elodea canadensis (Mich) (Canadian pondweed) might provide benefits for nature and society when present in low abundance by contributing to nutrient regulation in lakes, particularly in more degraded environments where native species are unable to persist, but can cause damage when it forms extensive monocultures that choke lake littoral zones. Using a bioeconomic model developed to describe the population dynamics and uncertain spatial dispersion of the weed in Lake Lot in Sweden, we conducted an analysis of optimal management of the species as regards good and bad effects on society. A theoretical finding was that the level of control required depends on the benefits, damage costs, control costs, and uncertainty in dispersal of the weed. Lake Lot was chosen as the case because data on dynamics of the weed are available for this lake. The empirical results showed that the total net benefits were sensitive to inclusion of uncertainty and benefits of the species, but uncertainty had little effect on the level and timing of optimal control of the weed. However, the cost of no action with associated damage costs net of benefits of the weed proved to be considerably larger than the control costs, irrespective of inclusion of benefits and uncertainty.
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| 8. |
- Muchapondwa, Edwin, et al.
(författare)
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Lessons from applying market-based incentives in watershed management
- 2018
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 4:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Watershed management is a complex activity with constraints on funding and human resources in many parts of the world, and there is a need for global effort to identify strategies that can work. To complement regulatory approaches, attention is now also being given to market-based incentives because of their potential cost-effectiveness. This study seeks to provide impetus to the use of the most successful market-based incentives to promote sustainable watershed practices through strengthening and increasing direct participation by local communities and the private sector. To identify proven market-based incentives for use to catalyze local community and private sector participation, a review of a sample of 26 purposively selected case studies from different contexts in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas is conducted. In reviewing those case studies, emphasis is placed on understanding the threats to specific watersheds, the market-based incentives used, the countrywide policy environment, the outcomes from the interventions, the factors for success and failure, and the pertinent policy issues in support of upscaling and the uptake of appropriate market-based approaches. The study identifies seven key policies that Governments should consider to upscale and facilitate the uptake of market-based incentives to promote participation by local communities and the private sector in watershed management.
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| 9. |
- Uwera, Claudine, et al.
(författare)
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Water demand by unconnected households in urban districts of Rwanda
- 2015
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 1:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we analyse water demand by urban households in Rwanda who currently lack a piped connection into their home. The analysis uses data from a cross-sectional survey. The results show that public taps are the most widely used water source and that the demand for water from this source is more inelastic than that for water from other water sources. Although some households combine different sources of water, the majority in the sample uses only one source. We use the full household income, including the value of the household’s time, and obtain results which indicate income elasticities higher than those obtained using monetary income only. The full cost associated with alternative water sources (including the opportunity cost of the time used) is shown to be important for determining the choice of source – something which has been overlooked in most previous studies.
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| 10. |
- Xenarios, Stefanos, et al.
(författare)
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Developing a User-Based Decision-Aid Framework for Water Storage Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa : The Case of Blue Nile Basin in Ethiopia
- 2015
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Ingår i: Water Economics and Policy. - : World Scientific. - 2382-624X .- 2382-6258. ; 1:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of water storage schemes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is considered a major aid for those regions with unequal water distribution, limited accessibility and anticipated climate change impacts. Great attention is given by many SSA countries to set up different water storage schemes that may improve rural and urban development on a national level. The funding for the water storage schemes is often derived from foreign agencies which conduct feasibility studies for the financing of potential investments. Often however, the feasibility studies rely on a single monetary criterion which may not identify the most appropriate water storage in each case. In addition, limited data availability in many SSA countries increases the difficulty of identifying the most suitable storage option. This paper develops a multicriteria framework for the integrated evaluation of water storage strategies in Sub-Saharan African countries. A set of economic, agronomic and opinion-based criteria are assessed through the PROMETHEE II outranking approach. The introduction of crop modeling complements the limited field data available in agronomic criteria and enhances the scientific rigor of the method. Ethiopia is adopted as a representative case of SSA countries where a diverse set of water storage options is currently under construction, often financed by foreign agencies.
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