This presentation discusses the new water policy in Brazil. The examples of the State of Ceará, the State of São Paulo and the Federal River Basin of Paraíba do Sul are given. In addition, the criteria of charges applied are detailed along with the formulae for the total monthly water charge....

This working paper concerns the estimation of benefits used in the evaluation of development projects, especially those within public facilities or environmental projects. The estimation of benefits uses a variety of techniques, both contingent valuation and behavioral techniques. Benefit...

There is a strong relationship between economic instruments and the polluter-pays principle. That principle involves allocating costs of waste management services, resource consumption, and pollution control to consumers and producers. Inherent in this principle, the polluter bears all internal...

This presentation discusses water management policy in France and the water charge design process. The discussion includes institutional and legal barriers and the three different periods of implementation. Also included: comparisons of subsidies and charge rates, drawbacks of the current water...

This report describes the application in 12 countries of a system of four indicators that measure the potential impact of natural hazards, the key element of those countries' vulnerability, and their capacity to manage risks. The development of this set of indicators relies on two decades of...

This presentation was commissioned by the Environment Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue for the III Hemispheric Meeting celebrated on March 9th and 10th, 2004. Latin American cities have high rates of air pollution, mainly particulate matter. There is no doubt that air pollution produces...

For a given technology, two ways are available to achieve low polluting emissions: reducing production per capita or reducing population size. This paper insists on the tension between the former and the latter. Controlling pollution either through Pigovian taxes or through tradable quotas...

This presentation was commissioned by the Environment Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue for the III Hemispheric Meeting celebrated on March 9th and 10th, 2004. Introduction: Why do them? Basic Economic Principles. Description of Valuation Techniques. Case Studies. Data Needs. Bibliography.

This presentation discusses water management problems and the institutional framework in Mexico such as the charges for water use of 1986, 1997, 1991 and subsequent changes that apply to water policy today. In addition, water use implementation issues such as the lack of monitoring capacity and...

The purpose of this paper is building a platform for analysis and action on these issues in the region.