We provide a synthesis of the economics of groundwater with a focus on optimal management and the Pearce equation for renewable resources. General management principles developed through the solution of a single aquifer optimization problem are extended to the management of multiple resources...

Despite abundant rainfall and groundwater resources, the State of Hawai'i has managed to erect so many barriers to efficient use that serious conflicts have erupted over use rights to water. In what is currently the most prominent battle, environmental and agricultural interests of windward...

To meet the growing demand for freshwater, many regions have increased pumping of groundwater in recent years, resulting in declining groundwater levels worldwide. A promising development is technical change regarding groundwater substitutes such as desalination and wastewater recycling....

General principles of groundwater management for a single aquifer are extended to the management of multiple water resources, including additional aquifers, recycled wastewater, and desalinated seawater. Optimal groundwater extraction can be incentivized by pricing according to the Pearce...

We review the theory of optimal conjunctive-use management absent transaction costs as a point of departure for a second-best theory of management. We first explore the problem of optimal pricing of surface water when groundwater remains unregulated. We then move to consideration of...

Both the economics and the engineering of irrigation design are typically based on the assumption of a single source. The more general economic problem is to determine which sources should be developed and how water should be allocated and delivered to various receptor-farmers. This is a problem...

There is a persistent tendency in economic development circles to jump to policy conclusions without entertaining more fundamental explanations of empirical patterns. After reviewing several examples in the field of agricultural development, I provide an alternative paradigm for understanding...