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Market Design for Surface Water

Author

Listed:
  • Billy A. Ferguson
  • Paul Milgrom

Abstract

Many proposed surface water transfers undergo a series of regulatory reviews designed to mitigate hydrological and economic externalities. While these reviews help limit externalities, they impose substantial transaction costs that also limit trade. To promote a well-functioning market for surface water in California, we describe how a new kind of water right and related regulatory practices can balance the trade-off between externalities and transaction costs, and how a Water Incentive Auction can incentivize a sufficient number of current rights holders to swap their old rights for the new ones. The Water Incentive Auction adapts lessons learned from the US government’s successful Broadcast Incentive Auction.

Suggested Citation

  • Billy A. Ferguson & Paul Milgrom, 2023. "Market Design for Surface Water," NBER Working Papers 32010, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32010
    Note: EEE LE
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Ricardo Martinez & Juan D. Moreno-Ternero, 2024. "Fair allocation of riparian water rights," Papers 2407.14623, arXiv.org.
    3. Do, Ngoc Ha, 2025. "The Economic Benefits of Water Rights Adjudication: Evidence from Agricultural Land Sales in Western States," 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO 361196, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights

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