Handbook of Water Economics: Principles and Practice Hardcover - 2003

First line

The popular definition of economics is that it is the study of the economy but few dictionaries of economics define the term 'economy' although definitions of subcategories such as market and planned economic usually are given.

From the rear cover

Water is vital to social and economic development whilst both arable land and water are scarce. Managing water is highly capital intensive, and capital is also scarce. Simultaneously, there are environmental consequences to any intervention in the water cycle whilst the economy depends on the environment. Therefore, for an integrated catchment, economic analyses must be undertaken on the analysis of the impacts of the proposed scheme upon the catchment as a whole.

This book starts with the Dublin declaration for defining sustainable water management and sets out the economic framework needed to support the implementation of its requirements. The book is divided into two parts: the theory and applications. The theory side sets out the nature of choice and decision-making, considering social and policy issues for water and resource management. The applications side provides the tools for the economic evaluation of water needs, the use of economic instruments and cost-benefit analysis.

Handbook of Water Economics: principles and practice:
* Adopts an integrated approach to managing land-water interactions.

* Includes good practice guidelines for each method along with a comparative summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

* Illustrates techniques with real applications from projects in Egypt, South Africa, China and the United Kingdom.

* Includes case studies on water availability, sewerage and wastewater treatment, tradable permits, flooding, and hydrometric data.

* Incorporates other aspects of water management, including law, sociology, psychology, development studies and market research.

* Is orientated to practical application.
This book is suitable for MSc students taking environmental economics modules in Departments of Environmental Management, Geography and Engineering, and researchers in Hydrology. This book will be a useful resource for professionals and policy makers in water companies, water authorities, NGO's, government agencies and international agencies.