Now available from RFF Press, Tapping Water Markets explores the past, present, and future of water marketing. Written by PERC Executive Director Terry Anderson and research fellows Brandon Scarborough and Reed Watson, the book provides up-to-date information of where and why water shortages are occurring and where and why markets are emerging to resolve water conflicts.
Unlike other books that portray water wars as an inescapable reality of a crowded planet, Tapping Water Markets proposes institutional reforms aimed at fostering voluntary water exchange, conservation, and cooperation. The book contains case studies from the United States and other parts of the world demonstrating the importance of clearly defined, secure and transferable water rights.
Intended for professional and lay audiences, the book covers a range of topics including surface water allocation, groundwater management, environmental flows, and water quality trading. It concludes with predictions about the future of water scarcity and the ability of water markets to shape that future more positively.
Copies are available direct from the publisher and at Amazon.com.
Founded 30 years ago in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—is the nation’s oldest and largest institute dedicated to improving environmental quality through property rights and markets.
PERC’s publications, each designed to resonate with specific groups, move ideas generated at PERC to broader audiences.
Research is at the heart of PERC's work, with a focus on the question: What is the link between economic growth and environmental quality?
The goal of PERC’s programs is to fully realize the vision of establishing “PERC University,” where scholars, students, policy makers, and others convene to expand the applications of free market environmentalism.
PERC's fellowships share a common goal of exposing new scholars, students, journalists, and policy makers to free market environmentalism, as well as enable scholars already familiar with FME to explore new applications.
PERC continues to publish and present a broad range of research and discussion through podcasts, videos, and other multimedia channels.