Investigating affordability problems of utility services - a theoretical study on the ratio measure

Unlike in developing countries, there tends to be no problem of access to water, electricity, and heating for private households in transition countries. However, transition countries have a considerable amount of low-income households, and the problem of affordability of these environmental-related utility services remains urgent. Welfare economics literature suggests to neglect affordability aspects by separating allocative from distributive impacts of pricing. In practice, this separation runs the risk of rendering impossible any sustainability-oriented price reform. An Institutional Economics approach takes competing objectives into account. From this viewpoint it appears to be worth investigating the affordability-concept. Although the affordability-related research has escalated remarkably in recent years, the theoretical contributions are still limited. Hence, we focus on the simple ratio measure often used in practice. We analyze the arguments speaking for the 'potential affordability approach'. But we find that - within that approach - adhering formally to the ratio measure is possible only under conditions that make no sense regarding the concern of the measure. Thus for most cases the ratio measure is misleading. Some considerations on practical use for governance conclude the paper. --Affordability,Transition Countries,Utility Services

Investigating affordability problems of utility services - a theoretical study on the ratio measure

Unlike in developing countries, there tends to be no problem of access to water, electricity, and heating for private households in transition countries. However, transition countries have a considerable amount of low-income households, and the problem of affordability of these environmental-related utility services remains urgent. Welfare economics literature suggests to neglect affordability aspects by separating allocative from distributive impacts of pricing. In practice, this separation runs the risk of rendering impossible any sustainability-oriented price reform. An Institutional Economics approach takes competing objectives into account. From this viewpoint it appears to be worth investigating the affordability-concept. Although the affordability-related research has escalated remarkably in recent years, the theoretical contributions are still limited. Hence, we focus on the simple ratio measure often used in practice. We analyze the arguments speaking for the 'potential affordability approach'. But we find that - within that approach - adhering formally to the ratio measure is possible only under conditions that make no sense regarding the concern of the measure. Thus for most cases the ratio measure is misleading. Some considerations on practical use for governance conclude the paper

Recht auf Wasser - eine ökonomische Perspektive

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Affordability of water supply in Mongolia: Empirical lessons for measuring affordability

Affordability of water services is a pressing water policy issue for both the developed and in particular the developing world. Despite its well-known theoretical shortcomings affordability analysis for water supply is up to now widely based on the ratio of a household's water expenditure and income (CAR). However in the housing sector alternative concepts of measuring affordability have been developed among them the potential affordability approach (PAA) and the residual income approach (RIA). Against this background the article compares three prominent affordability measures (CAR, PAA, RIA) on the basis of an empirical case study of a ger i.e. low income area in the Mongolian city of Darkhan using household data from a survey conducted in 2009. Thus we gain insight into both the water-related affordability situation of people in Mongolia checking the World Bank's thesis of missing affordability problems in this country as well as the comparative functionality of different affordability measures. Additionally, institutional as well as access-driven problems of water supply are introduced into the analysis. It is shown that affordability problems quite occur for considerable parts of the households but have to be distinguished depending on the economic causation: We argue that none of the regarded measures gives a satisfyingly contoured notion of affordability properly distinguished from the adjacent problems of poverty and access. A mere CAR analysis does not provide sound recommendations for water policy at all. In particular, problems of access entailing non-pecuniary costs of water provision have to be taken into account and might explain both problems of underconsumption and given CAR-affordability at the same time

Das Wasserentnahmeentgelt in Baden-Württemberg: Bestandsaufnahme und Evaluierung

Endbericht. Im Auftrag des Ministeriums für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft des Landes Baden-Württemberg

Ein neues Konzept zur Bewertung von nachhaltigem Zugang zu Wasser

Auch nach der Anerkennung eines Rechts auf Wasser durch die UN- Generalversammlung im Jahr 2010 steht ein Durchbruch bei dessenUmsetzung immer noch aus. Dazu fehlen bisher nicht zuletzt ein klares Begriffskonzept und Prüfsteine, wann das Recht auf Wasser erfüllt sein soll. Der Beitrag entwirft auf institutionenökonomischer Grundlage ein neues, nachhaltigkeitsorientiertes Bewertungssystem für den Zugang zu Wasser

Staatliche Instrumente zur Verlängerung der Produktnutzung auf dem Prüfstand

Die Lebens- und Nutzungsdauer von Produkten steht im Zentrum einer Diskussion um nachhaltigen Konsum. Ließe sich die Nutzungsdauer von Produkten auch durch staatliche Eingriffe verlängern und wäre dies tatsächlich ein Gewinn für die Nachhaltigkeit? Aus institutionen- und rechtsökonomischer Sicht ergeben sich Möglichkeiten und Grenzen unterschiedlicher Rechtsinstrumente

Perspectives on Institutional Change â Water Management in Europe

Agricultural Finance, Political Economy,

Effects of GPR139 agonism on effort expenditure for food reward in rodent models: Evidence for pro-motivational actions

Apathy, deficiency of motivation including willingness to exert effort for reward, is a common symptom in many psychiatric and neurological disorders, including depression and schizophrenia. Despite improved understanding of the neurocircuitry and neurochemistry underlying normal and deficient motivation, there is still no approved pharmacological treatment for such a deficiency. GPR139 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor expressed in brain regions which contribute to the neural circuitry that controls motivation including effortful responding for reward, typically sweet gustatory reward. The GPR139 agonist TAK-041 is currently under development for treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia which include apathy. To date, however, there are no published preclinical data regarding its potential effect on reward motivation or deficiencies thereof. Here we report in vitro evidence confirming that TAK-041 increases intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and has high selectivity for GPR139. In vivo, TAK-041 was brain penetrant and showed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile. It was without effect on extracellular dopamine concentration in the nucleus accumbens. In addition, TAK-041 did not alter the effort exerted to obtain sweet gustatory reward in rats that were moderately food deprived. By contrast, TAK-041 increased the effort exerted to obtain sweet gustatory reward in mice that were only minimally food deprived; furthermore, this effect of TAK-041 occurred both in control mice and in mice in which deficient effortful responding was induced by chronic social stress. Overall, this study provides preclinical evidence in support of GPR139 agonism as a molecular target mechanism for treatment of apathy

Centre de recherches interdisciplinaires sur l’Allemagne – CRIA

Falk Bretschneider, ATERAlexandre Escudier, chargé de recherche à la FNSPWolfgang Kaiser, Pierre Monnet, Michael Werner, directeurs d’étudesChristine Lebeau, professeur à l’Université Paris-IMarie-Louise Pelus-Kaplan, professeur à l’Université Paris-VIIPatrice Veit, directeur de recherche au CNRS Les mots de l’histoire : historiens allemands et français face à leurs concepts et à leurs outils Pendant l’année, le CRIA a poursuivi le séminaire collectif « Les mots de l’histoire », avec le souti..