Economy-Wide Implications of Direct and Indirect Policy Interventions in the Water Sector: Lessons from Recent Work and Future Research Needs

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Innovation in the Water Sector

“…Linked with rapid urbanization, the increase in demand arises mainly from manufacturing (400%), electricity (140%) and domestic use (130%) [29,30]. Furthermore, water consumption for irrigated agriculture and recreational activities contribute to the intensified pressure on water resources [7,11,31].…”

“…Moreover, in the 28 Member States, approximately 81% of the freshwater involved for energy production, agriculture, public water supply and industry, originates in surface water bodies, with groundwater being the primary source for public water supply [8,10]). At the same time, water is, alarmingly, becoming a limiting factor for sustainable economic growth, employment and development [11].European sustainable growth should come from innovation in products, services and business models: eco-industries play a crucial role in developing innovative solutions. The water industry is a key component within the eco-industrial landscape and it is profitable.…”

“…Moreover, in the 28 Member States, approximately 81% of the freshwater involved for energy production, agriculture, public water supply and industry, originates in surface water bodies, with groundwater being the primary source for public water supply [8,10]). At the same time, water is, alarmingly, becoming a limiting factor for sustainable economic growth, employment and development [11].…”

Review of hydro-economic models to address river basin management problems: structure, applications and research gaps

“…Thus, a total of 26 papers on IOM applications on water system analysis was included for further review. For CGE models related to water, we began from a recent paper (Dinar 2012) that reviewed 57 papers on CGE models, which also included water accounts. A few additional papers (n = 5) known to the authors were added to these studies.…”

Water resources management in southern Europe: Clues for a research and innovation based regional hypercluster

“…The WFD was an effective response to the existing concern about the weak sustainability of the business-as-usual approach to water resources management (García-Ruiz et al, 2011). Urban growth, as well as food and energy demands and recreational activities, are some of the steadily increasing pressures over water resources (Dinar, 2012;Cudennec et al, 2007). This is the case in the Mediterranean basin, where an uneven distribution of water in space and time is the main feature of the hydrological regime (López-Moreno et al, 2011).…”