TY - JOUR
T1 - European attitudes to water pricing
T2 - internalizing environmental and resource costs
AU - Jensen, Anne Kejser
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Efficient use of the water resource requires internalization of all costs in the price of water, including environmental and resource costs. However, water resource management tends to be highly political and increasing water prices are a sensitive and complicated policy matter. Hence, there is a need for increased understanding of the implementation process and the attitudes towards implementation among the general public. This paper explores the spatial heterogeneity in the public attitude towards internalizing environmental and resource costs in the price of water across the EU regions. Within an extensive spatial dataset constructed for the purpose, we estimate the effect of individual information levels and affordability concerns on the attitude towards environmental water pricing. Information about water problems is found to have a significant and positive effect on attitudes as is affordability concern, which may be explained by expectations of inequity measures to come in place in parallel with increasing water prices. Overall these results support the hypothesis that lack of information and affordability concern could lead to resistance towards efficient water pricing among the general public.
AB - Efficient use of the water resource requires internalization of all costs in the price of water, including environmental and resource costs. However, water resource management tends to be highly political and increasing water prices are a sensitive and complicated policy matter. Hence, there is a need for increased understanding of the implementation process and the attitudes towards implementation among the general public. This paper explores the spatial heterogeneity in the public attitude towards internalizing environmental and resource costs in the price of water across the EU regions. Within an extensive spatial dataset constructed for the purpose, we estimate the effect of individual information levels and affordability concerns on the attitude towards environmental water pricing. Information about water problems is found to have a significant and positive effect on attitudes as is affordability concern, which may be explained by expectations of inequity measures to come in place in parallel with increasing water prices. Overall these results support the hypothesis that lack of information and affordability concern could lead to resistance towards efficient water pricing among the general public.
KW - Affordability concern
KW - Environmental and resource costs
KW - Information
KW - Water framework directive
KW - Water pricing
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.08.074
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.08.074
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 27612618
AN - SCOPUS:84991781049
SN - 0301-4797
VL - 183
SP - 453
EP - 459
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
ER -