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

VL - 183

SP - 453

EP - 459

JO - Journal of Environmental Management

JF - Journal of Environmental Management

SN - 0301-4797

ER -