The Value of Scarce Water: Measuring the Inefficiency of Municipal Regulations
43 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2006
There are 2 versions of this paper
The Value of Scarce Water: Measuring the Inefficiency of Municipal Regulations
The Value of Scarce Water: Measuring the Inefficiency of Municipal Regulations
Date Written: January 2006
Abstract
Rather than allowing water prices to reflect scarcity rents during periods of drought-induced excess demand, policy makers have mandated command-and-control approaches, like the curtailment of certain uses, primarily outdoor watering. Using unique panel data on residential end-uses of water, we examine the welfare implications of typical drought policies. Using price variation across and within markets, we identify end-use specific price elasticities. Our results suggest that current policies target water uses that households, themselves, are most willing to forgo. Nevertheless, we find that use restrictions have costly welfare implications, primarily due to household heterogeneity in willingness-to-pay for scarce water.
Keywords: Resource Allocation, Market-based Regulation, Residential Water Demand, Drought Policy
JEL Classification: I30, D10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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