The Governance of Regulators Scotland’s Approach to Regulating Water Charges Innovation and Collaboration


Book Description

The price regulation conducted by economic regulators is a high-stakes process, with significant and lasting impacts on current and future service quality and the overall performance of the regulated sector. This report tracks the efforts of the economic regulator of the Scottish water sector to make the results of its price-setting process work better for the customers of today and tomorrow, addressing issues such as customer engagement, sustainable asset management and climate change.




OECD Studies on Water Water Governance in Argentina


Book Description

The report is the result of a policy dialogue with more than 200 stakeholders at different levels in Argentina. It assesses water governance in Argentina, identifies several key challenges to effective, efficient and inclusive water policies, and provides a set of policy recommendations to enhance water governance as a means to address relevant societal challenges, both within the scope of water management and beyond.




Handbook of Catchment Management


Book Description

HANDBOOK OF CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT In 2010, the first edition of the Handbook of Catchment Management provided a benchmark on how our understanding and actions in water management within a catchment context had evolved in recent decades. Over ten years on, the catchment management concept is entering a new phase of development aligned to contemporary and future challenges. These include climate change uncertainty, further understanding in ecological functioning under change, the drive for a low-carbon, energy efficient and circular society, multiple uses of water, the emergence of new pollutants of concern, new approaches to valuation, finance and pricing mechanisms, stewardship and community engagement, the integration of water across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the link between water, energy and food. These developments are framed within an increasingly data rich world where new analytics, sensor technology and processing power are informing increasingly real-time decision making. The challenge is also to increase cross-compliance and policy integration to meet multiple stakeholder objectives, and to link actions to achieve cost-effective outcomes. In addition, there are a number of new and exciting city, region and basin-scale real-world examples of contemporary and new catchment thinking; integrating science, technology, knowledge and governance to address multiple drivers and complex problems from across the globe. The time is now right, to capture the new challenges facing catchment management and water resources management globally. This revised and updated edition of the Handbook of Catchment Management features: Thoroughly rewritten chapters which provide an up-to-date view of catchment management issues and contexts New case study material highlighting multi-sectoral management in different globally significant basins and different geographical locations Up-to-date topics selected for their resonance not only in natural sciences and engineering, but also in other fields, such as socio-economics, law and policy The Handbook is designed for a broad audience, but will be particularly useful for advanced students, researchers, academics and water sector professionals such as planners, consultants and regulators.




Ethical Business Practice and Regulation


Book Description

This book explains the concepts of Ethical Business Practice (EBP) and Ethical Business Regulation (EBR), a new paradigm in compliance and enforcement based on behavioural science and ethics. EBR provides the basis for an effective relationship between a business and its regulators, resulting in better outcomes for both. EBR is attracting extensive attention from regulators and businesses around the world. The UK Government's 2017 Regulatory Futures Review draws on EBR as the foundation for its policy of 'regulatory self-assurance'. EBR draws on findings from behavioural science, responsive regulation, safety and business and integrity management to create a practical and holistic approach. Examples include the open culture that is essential for civil aviation safety, the Primary Authority agreements between regulators and national businesses, and feedback mechanisms provided by market vigilance systems and sectoral consumer ombudsmen. This book provides an essential blueprint for sustainable business and effective future regulation.




OECD Multi-level Governance Studies Regional Governance and Public Investment in Wales, United Kingdom Moving Forward Together


Book Description

This report identifies enablers for the effective use of a regional lens in Wales, including robust regional data, long-term and future-oriented objectives, effective co-ordination across Welsh Government policy areas related to regional development, capacitated regional structures, and trust and collaborative working among levels of government.




Outcome-Based Cooperation


Book Description

How do we cooperate – in social, local, business, and state communities? This book proposes an Outcome-Based Cooperative Model, in which all stakeholders work together on the basis of trust and respect to achieve shared aims and outcomes. The Outcome-Based Cooperative Model is built up from an extensive analysis of behavioural and social psychology, genetic anthropology, research into behaviour and culture in societies, organisations, regulation, and enforcement. The starting point is acceptance that humanity is facing ever larger risks, which are now systemic and even existential. To overcome the challenges, humans need to cooperate more, rather than compete, alienate, or draw apart. Answering how we do that requires basing ourselves, our institutions, and systems on relationships that are built on trust. Trust is based on evidence that we can be trusted to behave well (ethically), built up over time. We should aim to agree common goals and outcomes, moderating those that conflict, produce evidence that we can be trusted, and examine our performance in achieving the right outcomes, rather than harmful ones. The implications are that we need to do more in rebasing our relationships in local groupings, business organisations, regulation, and dispute resolution. The book examines recent systems and developments in all these areas, and makes proposals of profound importance for reform. This is a new blueprint for liberty, solidarity, performance, and achievement.







Handbook of Catchment Management


Book Description

This book addresses the fundamental requirement for aninterdisciplinary catchment based approach to managing andprotecting water resources that crucially includes anunderstanding of land use and its management. In thisapproach the hydrological cycle links mountains to the sea, andecosystems in rivers, groundwaters, lakes, wetlands, estuaries andcoasts forming an essential continuum directly influenced by humanactivity. The book provides a synthesis of current and future thinking incatchment management, and shows how the specific problems thatarise in water use policy can be addressed within the context of anintegrated approach to management. The book is written for advancedstudents, researchers, fellow academics and water sectorprofessionals such as planners and regulators. The intention is tohighlight examples and case studies that have resonance not onlywithin natural sciences and engineering but with academicsin other fields such as socio-economics, law and policy.




Water Consumption, Tariffs and Regulation


Book Description

Water Consumption, Tariffs and Regulation aims to provide a statistical overview about water abstraction, consumption, tariffs and data on sewage and wastewater treatment at an international level. It is mainly based on the statistical information provided by IWA Specialist Group on Statistics and Economics. The book is structured in three main parts. Part I presents tables and figures relative to water consumption and sanitation status and focuses on water abstraction, water delivered, water consumption and the evolution of sewer connection and wastewater treatment. Part II focuses on the analysis of water tariffs by investigating the structure of water tariffs by analysing the importance of the variable and fixed charge. It presents drinking water tariffs and illustrates the relationship between tariffs and GDP and also the size of the cities. Finally, charges in wastewater are dealt with country by country. Part III analyses the main aspects relative to water regulation and describes the importance of private operators in the management of the water cycle. Information relative to the principles used to fix drinking water prices is presented with an assessment of access to public water services.




Handbook for Evaluating Infrastructure Regulatory Systems


Book Description

More than 200 new infrastructure regulators have been created around the world in the last 15 years. They were established to encourage clear and sustainable long-term economic and legal commitments by governments and investors to encourage new investment to benefit existing and new customers. There is now considerable evidence that both investors and consumers-the two groups that were supposed to have benefited from these new regulatory systems-have often been disappointed with their performance. The fundamental premise of this book is that regulatory systems can be successfully reformed only if there are independent, objective and public evaluations of their performance. Just as one goes to a medical doctor for a regular health checkup, it is clear that infrastructure regulation would also benefit from periodic checkups. This book provides a general framework as well as detailed practical guidance on how to perform such "regulatory checkups."