This apology is neither a wholesale rejection of economic thought and perspective nor an admission of error in our understanding of ecological values or human impacts on the environment. Life is complex. It's an apology for the unintended damage that's resulted from misapplying economic ideas:...

We examine the Dutch national groundwater tax (GWT) – a ‘win–win, green' tax that promised to reduce distortions by simultaneously reducing the income tax burden and improving environmental outcomes. We find no evidence of these impacts. Instead, we see that the GWT increased distortions...

This paper proposes a novel mechanism for reallocating temporary water flows or permanent water rights. The All-in-Auction (AiA) increases efficiency and social welfare by reallocating water without harming water rights holders. AiAs can be used to allocate variable or diminished flows among...

This paper describes the structure, incentives, assessments, and results of a course in common-pool resource management (CPRM) that can be run in 8 weeks with 15-30 students. The course structure helps students learn about the complexity of CPRM by grouping students into "too large" groups where...

We find that student performance on questions posed in the standard heterogeneous combination of algebraic direct demand and graphic inverse demand is significantly worse than their performance on questions posed in homogeneous combinations. Since this performance deficit persists with advanced...

The Real Estate Market Index (ldquo;REMIrdquo;) combines sales price, sales volume and days on market into a summary measure of market activity or liquidity. The REMI, which rises with price or volume and falls with days on market, is more sensitive to market sentiment than indices based on...

Water meters are necessary for tracking leaks, using prices to encourage conservation, and allocating costs in proportion to use. They are not necessary when water is abundant or costs are covered by taxes or transfers. This paper discusses the move to residential water metering in England and...

Nations persist and thrive when economic and social institutions complement each other; they weaken and die when these institutions conflict. The same is true for sustainable water management, which is becoming more difficult as rising demand, falling supply and intensifying climate change...

This article explores the origin and cost of conflict within the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET), a cooperative of 26 member agencies delivering water to nearly 20 million people. Conflict within MET has existed for over 30 years, but increasing population and decreasing...