29 September 2014: The 11th meeting of the International Water and Resource Economics Consortium (IWREC), hosted by the World Bank, discussed the latest research on the economics of water management, focusing on the theme “Efficiency and Water Conservation.”

The meeting, which took place from 7-9 September 2014, in Washington, DC, included sessions on: water and welfare implications; climate change and efficiency of water supply and use; policies for improved groundwater and conjunctive use; optimization of groundwater management; agricultural water productivity and efficiency; agricultural water pricing and reallocation; efficiency in agricultural water use; adoption and impact of improved irrigation; residential water pricing and conservation; improved urban water systems; hydroeconomic modeling; and water quality management.

During presentations, a number of case studies included: the drought in California; groundwater in India, Oman and the US; rainwater harvesting in Ethiopia and India; and economic valuation of dams in Pakistan and on the White Volta River in West Africa. A number of issues were addressed, including: how to model and quantify efficiency; how to optimize water use and management, groundwater extraction, and climate change adaptation; residential and consumer response to economic factors; and the impact of subsidies on irrigation. [World Bank Press Release] [IWREC 11 Website]