Water and Sustainable Development

The Developing Countries Prize of the University of Gießen provokes academic contributions to the improvement of the living conditions in developing countries. This book is written to document the results of the interdisciplinary symposium Water and Sustainable Development which was held in October 2004. The water issue is one of the most urgent problems facing developing countries: 1.1 billion people still do not have access to safe water, and 2.4 billion lack access to basic sanitation. In spite of huge efforts during the past two decades, water is becoming increasingly scarce, and this in turn is causing disagreement and regional conflicts. According to recent estimates by the UN, if the world's population continues to grow at its current rate, by the year 2025 3.4 billion people won't have access to sufficient water. These people are facing major health problems and have much lower chances of developing. This book analyses the major problem, identifies the driving forces behind the water issue und discusses methods of solution.

Autorentext

The Editor: P. Michael Schmitz is full Professor of Agricultural and Development Economics, Director of the Institute of Agribusiness and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ZEU. His research fields are European and International Agricultural Policies and Policy Analysis, International Agricultural Trade and Trade Policies, Applied Welfare Economics, Transition and Development Economics and Environmental Economics.

Inhalt
Contents: Scott Templeton/David Zilberman: Technology, Incentives, Institutions and Sustainability Eyal Benvenisti: The Legal Framework of Joint Management Institutions for Transboundary Water Resources: Ancient Practices Informing Contemporary Regional Cooperation Claudia Ringler: The Role of Economic Incentives for the Optimal Allocation and Use of Water Resources - Case Study of the Dong Nai River Basin in Vietnam Knut Bourquain: Are there Human Rights in International Law Guaranteeing Individual Freshwater Access? Jenniver Sehring: 'Do not fix the Pipes, fix the Institutions that fix the Pipes' - Water Governance as a Crucial Factor for Sustainable and Equitable Water Management Walter Huppert: 'Principal-Agent' Problems in Water Management - Inviting Rentseeking and Corruption Wolfgang Bichmann: Water and Health Sabine Lattemann: Seawater Desalination - Environmental Impacts of Brine and Chemical Discharges on the Marine Environment Veronika Deffner: A Theory-Directed Problem Analysis in the Sector of Urban Water Management in Developing Countries P. Michael Schmitz: Closing Remarks.