Water pricing and markets: Principles, practices and proposals

Abstract

The allocation of water across space and time is a key challenge of water governance, with demand and supply often not well matched over time and place. Best practice water pricing and markets may promote water conservation, yet their application is limited. We highlight the governance principles needed for best practice water pricing and water markets, describe differences across regions, and provide six key water demand governance recommendations, for both Global North and Global South countries.

Keywords

Replaced by

Sarah Ann Wheeler, Céline Nauges, and Quentin R. Grafton, “Water pricing and markets: Principles, practices and proposals”, Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2025, forthcoming.

Reference

Céline Nauges, Sarah Ann Wheeler, and Quentin R. Grafton, “Water pricing and markets: Principles, practices and proposals”, TSE Working Paper, n. 24-1634, April 2025.