Valuing water is an emerging concept in the scientific as well as policy discourse. However, definitions and assessment methods are largely incoherent and/or lack comprehensiveness. Frequently the value of water is assesses through an economic lens, neglecting values that are typically not expressed economically, such as the environmental and socio-cultural values (Garrick et al., 2017, Hellegers and van Halsema, 2019). To capture dimensions beyond the economic sphere, valuing water frameworks are currently being developed in different projects within the Multidisciplinary Water Management (MWM) group. All of these frameworks consider the environmental, socio-cultural and economic values of water, but differ in their geographical scale (from local to global). Moreover, different approaches to assess the multidimensional value of water are tested, e.g. by serious gaming (Poplawsky et al., 2025 [under review]). However, none of these frameworks and assessment methods specifically incorporate water quality, which is also frequently only assessed through an economic lens (Artell, 2014, Bateman et al., 2023, Calderón-Arrieta et al., 2019, Viscusi et al., 2008).
Aim
Develop and apply an (indicator) framework to assess the environmental, socio-cultural and economic values of clean water.
Proposed method
- Literature study on valuing water frameworks (see e.g. Liu et al. (2024), Schulz et al. (2024), Zhao and Wang (2021))
- Literature study on valuing water quality (see e.g. Bateman et al. (2023), Johnston et al. (2023), Lupi et al. (2023))
- Identification of indicators and approaches to value water quality
- Developing an (indicator) framework to value water quality and/or extend an existing water valuation framework by water quality elements.
- Apply the framework to a case region. Data collection can take place through surveys, interviews, or workshops. Previously developed methods within the MWM group can serve as inspiration.
Expected results
An (indicator) framework that can be used to assess the environmental, socio-cultural and economic values of clean water and an application of the framework to a case region.
References
Artell, J. 2014. Lots of value? A spatial hedonic approach to water quality valuation. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 57, 862-882, 10.1080/09640568.2013.772504.
Bateman, I. J., Keeler, B., Olmstead, S. M. & Whitehead, J. 2023. Perspectives on valuing water quality improvements using stated preference methods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120, e2217456120, 10.1073/pnas.2217456120.
Calderón-Arrieta, D., Caudill, S. B. & Mixon, F. G. 2019. Valuing recreational water clarity and quality: evidence from hedonic pricing models of lakeshore properties. Applied Economics Letters, 26, 237-244, 10.1080/13504851.2018.1458187.
Garrick, D. E., Hall, J. W., Dobson, A., Damania, R., Grafton, R. Q., Hope, R., Hepburn, C., Bark, R., Boltz, F., De Stefano, L., et al. 2017. Valuing water for sustainable development. Science, 358, 1003-1005, doi:10.1126/science.aao4942.
Hellegers, P. & Van Halsema, G. 2019. Weighing economic values against societal needs: questioning the roles of valuing water in practice. Water Policy, 21, 514-525, 10.2166/wp.2019.048.
Johnston, R. J., Moeltner, K., Peery, S., Ndebele, T., Yao, Z., Crema, S., Wollheim, W. M. & Besedin, E. 2023. Spatial dimensions of water quality value in New England river networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120, e2120255119, 10.1073/pnas.2120255119.
Liu, G., Li, F., Qiu, L., Wang, H., Fang, Z., Xu, Z. & Yao, S. 2024. Composite water value: A way forward to balance the development and protection of transboundary lakes. Journal of Environmental Management, 365, 121618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121618.
Lupi, F., Herriges, J. A., Kim, H. & Stevenson, R. J. 2023. Getting off the ladder: Disentangling water quality indices to enhance the valuation of divergent ecosystem services*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120, e2120261120, 10.1073/pnas.2120261120.
Schulz, C., Wolf, L. J., Martin-Ortega, J., Glenk, K. & Gischler, M. 2024. Valuing water: A global survey of the values that underpin water decisions. Environmental Science & Policy, 153, 103685, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103685.
Viscusi, W. K., Huber, J. & Bell, J. 2008. The Economic Value of Water Quality. Environmental and Resource Economics, 41, 169-187, 10.1007/s10640-007-9186-4.
Zhao, Q. & Wang, Q. 2021. Water Ecosystem Service Quality Evaluation and Value Assessment of Taihu Lake in China. Water, 13, 618, https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/5/618
Supervision
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