Water Policy Collection

Dear Colleagues,

Water management is a key element for social and economic development. All over the world there is a growing need to build a capacity of integrated water management, to face human needs (drinking water, agriculture and food production), climate change, scarcity and drought, and to manage related local, national, and trans-boundary conflicts. Water policies can be intended as the mechanisms arranged to achieve these goals, mainly by public bodies in charge of water management. Over the past few decades, water policies have undergone significant changes, notably due to the development of political, social, and environmental issues, including globalization, trade liberalization, institutional and legal requirements, changing standards of living, management practices, and technological innovation. This evolution, not only requires a change in perspective, but also points to the need to study institutional innovations and economic evaluation instruments, able to better assess policy performance and provide evidence for improved design.

This special topic aims to encourage dialogue between researchers, policy makers and practitioners on the issue of improvement of water policy and related management practices, through an interdisciplinary perspective, including economics, political science and social sciences. In this context, high quality papers are sought illustrating original research about the following issues:

-       Case studies, experiences, and open issues with recent country/regional policy approaches (e.g. water framework directive in EU countries).

-       Innovative policy instruments and mechanisms (water markets, auctions, pricing mechanisms).

-       Innovative collective solutions for water management (e.g., collective reservoirs) and link to policy.

-       Linkage between consumer behavior and preferences, water use and management strategies, including the role of policy.

-       Connection with other scarce resource management (e.g., energy, nutrients) and related policies.

-       Water and the bioeconomy development.

-       Economics of water related innovation, in particular water treatment, re-use and information technology, and related role of policy.

-       Ex post and ex ante policy evaluation approaches, methods and tools, and their application to cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis of water policy measures.

-       Coordination between water policy and specific sector policies (e.g., agriculture, energy).

-       Water policy and viability of economic sectors in the context of drought and climate change.

-       Water policy and wider economic and social issues (global economic networks, health, food security).

-       Water policy and competitiveness.

-       Economic analysis of experiences and open issues with innovative management of water for crop production.

-       Water policy and institutional settings.

Papers focusing on cutting edge innovation in policy mechanisms and implementation strategies are especially encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Giacomo Zanni
Prof. Dr. Davide Viaggi
Dr. Meri Raggi
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts for the topical collection can be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on this website. The topical collection considers regular research articles, short communications and review articles. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The article processing charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss francs).