Survey data from 10 OECD countries are used to model household water demand. Statistically significant results include: (1) an inelastic average price response is estimated for every country; (2) households not charged volumetrically consume more water than households that are; (3) household...

Using information on a basic or “lifeline” level of domestic water use obtained from a Stone-Geary water demand function and estimated at around 128m3 per household per year, we calculate water affordability indexes relating the cost of such lifeline to average municipal income levels in a...

The paper provides an integrated framework to assess water markets in terms of their institutional underpinnings and the three ‘pillars’ of integrated water resource management: economic efficiency, equity and environmental sustainability. This framework can be used: (1) to benchmark...

A key issue facing water planners and policy makers is the cost of reallocating water from extractive uses, such as irrigated agriculture, to environmental flows. To quantify these costs, a framework to analyze the economic trade-offs from water use reductions in irrigated agriculture is...

Using information on a basic or “lifeline” level of domestic water use obtained from a Stone-Geary water demand function and estimated at around 128m3 per household per year, we calculate water affordability indexes relating the cost of such lifeline to average municipal income levels in a...

Alternatives to the current buy-back of water entitlements by the government in the Murray Darling Basin are assessed using multiple criteria based on the western U.S. experience, real options theory, scenario analysis and policy adoption criteria. This analysis suggests the following benefits...

Although fresh water is abundant at a global level, only a tiny amount, less than 0.3 %, is easily accessible for human use (Dinar et al., 2007). An increasing amount of this water is utilized, with global water withdrawals tripling since 1950. Presently, 70 % of the world’s population lives...

The paper reviews current water reforms and initiatives in the Murray-Darling Bain from an economic perspective. It argues that while the principles (National Water Initiative) and rules (Water Act 2007) of water reform provide the framework to achieve the goals of reform, the financial...