1st Edition

The Use of Economic Valuation in Environmental Policy Providing Research Support for the Implementation of EU Water Policy Under Aquastress

Edited By Phoebe Koundouri Copyright 2009
    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book aims to show that economics in general and non-market valuation methods in particular, together with participatory and engineering tools, can facilitate the design and implementation of the different European policies in relation to mitigation of water stress. The results presented in this book derive from AquaStress, an EU funded integrated project, delivering interdisciplinary methodologies to help mitigate water stress problems. The project draws on both academic and practitioner skills to generate knowledge in technological, operational management, policy, socio-economic, and environmental domains.

    The book is divided in three parts and as the AquaStress project, is case study driven. Part I begins with a review of the up-to-date use of non-market valuation economic methods in the design and implementation of EU water policies. Part II of the book proceeds to discuss and analyze participatory and engineering tools that can facilitate the determination of efficient water resources policies and the consequent implementation of the EU WFD, using case studies of test sites from Bulgaria, Italy, Morocco and Poland. Part III of the book, brings us back to the use of economic tools and focuses on policy appraisal through social cost-benefit analyses and the choice/estimation of the socially efficient discount rate to be used in such analyses. The book concludes with specific policy recommendations for all case-studies considered in previous chapters.

    This work would be of most interest to water resources managers and policy makers as well as consultants working on the implementation of the WFD. It would also be helpful to students and scholars of water resource management.

    1. Introduction. Phoebe Koundouri and Kyriaki Remoundou PART I: CAN CHOICE EXPERIMENT HELP IN THE POLICY DESIGN PROCESS? SELECTED CASE STUDIES ON AQUASTRESS MITIGATION. 2. Choice experiments informingwater resources policy making: a review. Kyriaki Remoundou and Phoebe Koundouri 3. Local public’s valuation of flood risk reduction, biodiversity conservation and recreational activities: the Polish case study Ekin Birol, Nick Handley, Phoebe Koundouri and Yiannis Kountouris 4. Understanding farmers’ preferences for water policy design: the Portuguese case study. Akiko Katayama, Xiaoying Liu, Hanadi Musharrafiyeh, Mare Sarr, Timothy Swanson 5. Estimating farmers’ valuation of aquifer recharge with treated wastewater: the Cypriot case study Ekin Birol, Phoebe Koundouri and Yiannis Kountouris 6. An Analysis of Water Users’ preferences for a Community Based Management Regime to manage Groundwater Use: the Tunisian case study. Xiaoying Liu, Hanadi Musharrafiyeh, Richard Noden, Mare Sarr and Timothy Swanson PART II: CAN PARTICIPATORY AND ENGINEERING INSTRUMENTS HELP IN THE POLICY DESIGN PROCESS? SELECTED CASE STUDIES ON AQUASTRESS MITIGATION. 7. The use of multi-agent based models to support water resources management: the Moroccan case study. Ole Benjamin Schroeder, Maria Manez and Paul Jeffrey 8. Industrial water management as a water stress mitigation option: the Bulgarian and Polish case studies. T. Wintgens, G. Dimova, I. Ribarova, E. Druzynska, M. Caruk, L.-S. Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, K. Tarnacki, T. Melin and D. Savic 9. Enhanced reservoir operation as an instrument for supporting water stress mitigation: the Italian case study. Melanie Bauer, Paolo Botti, Stefania Zaccolo, Oliver Olsson PART III: CONCLUDING REMARKS FOR COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF WATER STRESS MITIGATION OPTIONS. 10. Defining the discount rate trajectory for the evaluation of water stress mitigation policies and projects. Yiannis Kountouris and Phoebe Koundouri

    Biography

    Phoebe Koundouri has been an Assistant Professor at DIEES, Athens University of Economics and Business since 2005.

    'This book will be of most interest to individuals interested in the use of 'economics' to understand environmental problems with economic tools, both theoretical and applied'.

    - Robert E. Wright, University of Strathclyde, UK