. . . it will provide a fascinating and stimulating read for researchers, students and academics with an interest in water economics and public policy. Practitioners focusing on water management, sustainable development, water supply and health will also find this book invaluable. CABI Those seeking an informed overview of the social and economic aspects of water issues in developing contexts today would do well to read P.B. Anand s book. Scarcity, Entitlements and the Economics of Water in Developing Countries is extensive covering local, sub-national and international aspects of water scarcity, the human right to water, transboundary water disputes and progress on the Millennium Development Goals. . . It will be of interest to water resource managers, urban water and sanitation policy-makers, international donors, and students of environmental justice, water issues, and development more broadly. . . Anand s book is recommended as useful and interesting reading primarily for its broad range and interdisciplinary approach. Mark Zeitoun, Waterlines In this creative study Anand applies environmental economic tools and concepts to analyze water issues in developing countries. . . The author carefully integrates the poverty, inequality, and development issues of water; and he meticulously discusses the intertwined rivalrous and excludable public good characteristics of water supply. . . Highly recommended. B.F. Hope, Choice The book eloquently illustrates the economics of water and how economics can increase the understanding of topics such as water inequalities and the role of institutions. It convincingly explores and explains water scarcity, supply and demand to demystify water topics. It commendably presents different views and interpretations on contentious water topics such as large-scale dams, transboundary water and privatization of household water supply. In particular, the conceptual framework is helpful in illuminating the interface between water and well-being. The book contains several case studies and water multi-sectors, such as dams, water supply and sanitation and water resources and appeals to a wide readership interested in various water topics and their implementation. Håkan Tropp, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Sweden The author has sought to weave diverse strands of water policy in developing countries into a coherent framework. A multi country database is used to make the point that scarcity is not the absolute lack of water, but the result of policy and management failure. The sustainable access to drinking water, one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as consumer preferences for water supply are illustrated with data from the author s research in Chennai, a chronically water starved Indian city. Resolution of conflict in a river basin is analysed using the case of the Cauvery, an interstate river in India. All these themes are brought together using Sen s Capability approach to highlight the fact that water policy is not a technocratic exercise but a matter of justice and entitlements. Water managers, academicians and civil society groups will benefit from reflecting on the important issues raised by Dr Anand in this book. Paul Appasamy, Madras School of Economics Anand s book discusses in detail the economics of water and how societies deal with this scarce resource. The complexities of water as highlighted in his book have previously been little explored in any standard economic development textbook. Anand presents a fascinating framework on water and well-being by linking water and the capability approach. It is a must read for all those dealing with water issues in particular and development issues in general. Naren Prasad, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Switzerland This is a very thorough analysis of water s critical role as both a basic human need and an economic good. It is unlikely to be surpassed for so

Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity

This Book includes selected papers that has been published in the Water journal Special Issue (SI) on Water Supply and Water Scarcity. Moreover, an overview of the SI is included. The papers selected for publication in the SI include review and research papers on water history, on water management issues under water scarcity regimes, on rainwater harvesting, on water quality and degradation, and on climatic variability impacts on water resources. Overall, the issue identify and highlight the main challenges in water sector, and particularly in management and protection of water resources and in use of alternative (non-conventional) water resources, especially in areas with demographic change and climate vulnerability in order to achieve sustainable and secure water supply. Furthermore, general guidelines and possible solutions for an improved and sophisticated water management system are proposed and discussed, such as the adoption of advanced technological solutions and practices that improve water-use efficiency and the use of alternative water resources, to address the growing environmental and health issues and to reduce the emerging conflicts among water users.

The report aims to provide a conceptual framework to address food security under conditions of water scarcity in agriculture. It has been prepared by a team of FAO staff and consultants in the framework of the project "Coping with water scarcity - the role of agriculture", and has been discussed at an Expert Consultation meeting organized in FAO, Rome, during the period 14-16 December 2009 on the same subject. It was subsequently edited and revised, taking account of discussions in the Expert Consultation and materials presented to the meeting. The purpose of the Expert Consultation was to assist FAO to better design its water scarcity programme. In particular, the experts were requested to provide recommendations on the range of technical and policy options and associated principles that FAO should promote as part of an agricultural response to water scarcity in member countries. The document offers views on the conceptual framework on which FAO's water scarcity programme should be based, proposes a set of definitions associated with the concept of water scarcity, and indicates the main principles on which FAO should base its action in support to its member countries. At the meeting, experts were requested to review the draft document and provide feedback and recommendations for its finalization. Issues that were addressed in discussions included: 3⁄4 Water scarcity: agreement on key definitions. 3⁄4 The conceptualisation of water scarcity in ways that are meaningful for policy development and decision-making. 3⁄4 The quantification of water scarcity. . 3⁄4 Policy and technical response options available to ensure food security in conditions of water scarcity. . 3⁄4 Criteria and principles that should be used to establish priorities for action in response to water scarcity in agriculture and ensure effective and efficient water scarcity coping strategies.

This publication examines issues of water sector reform and performance from the perspectives of institutional economics and political economic studies. The authors develop an alternative quantitative assessment methodology based on the principle of 'institutional ecology', as well as data collected from 127 water experts from 43 countries and regions around the world using a cross-country review of recent water sector reforms within an institutional transaction cost framework.

Population growth and rising living standards, on the one hand, and changing climate, on the other hand, have exacerbated water scarcity worldwide. To address this problem, policymakers need to take a wide view of the water economy – a complex structure involving environmental, social, economic, legal, and institutional aspects. A coherent water policy must look at the water economy as a whole and apply a comprehensive approach to policy interventions. Written by two of the world's leading scholars on economics of water, this is the first graduate-level textbook on the topic. The book discusses water resource management within a comprehensive framework that integrates the different, yet highly entwined, elements of a water economy. It follows the steps needed to develop a well-designed set of policies based on detailed analyses of intervention measures, using multi-sectoral and economy-wide examples from a variety of locations and situations around the world.

A thirsty world; Alternative futures for water; Consequences of key policy changes; Implications for the future.