Comparing price and non-price approaches to urban water conservation
By: Sheila M. Olmstead, Robert N. Stavins.
Contributors: Stavins, R. N. 1948-; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- working paper 14147; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) -- working paper no. 14147.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Number of pages: 24
Description: "Urban water conservation is typically achieved through prescriptive regulations, including the rationing of water for particular uses and requirements for the installation of particular technologies.  A significant shift has occurred in pollution control regulations toward market-based policies in recent decades.  We offer an analysis of the relative merits of market-based and prescriptive approaches to water conservation, where prices have rarely been used to allocate scarce supplies.  The analysis emphasizes the emerging theoretical and empirical evidence that using prices to manage water demand is more cost-effective than implementing non-price conservation programs, similar to results for pollution control in earlier decades.  Price-based approaches also have advantages in terms of monitoring and enforcement.  In terms of predictability and equity, neither policy instrument has an inherent advantage over the other.  As in any policy context, political considerations are important"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Title from PDF file as viewed on 7/23/2008.

Includes bibliographical references.

Also available in print.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.