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Annual Review of Resource Economics

Volume 11, 2019

Dams: Effects of Hydrological Infrastructure on Development

Abstract

Hydrological investments, particularly irrigation dams, have multiple potential benefits for economic development. Dams also have financial, environmental, and distributional impacts that can affect their benefits and costs. This article reviews the evidence on the impact of dams on economic development, focusing on the levels and variability of agricultural productivity, and its effect on poverty, health, electricity generation, and flood control. We also review the evidence on irrigation efficiency and collective action of dam maintenance. Throughout the discussion, we highlight the empirical challenges that restrict the body of causally interpretable impact estimates and areas in which the evidence is particularly thin. We conclude with a discussion of emerging issues pertaining to the long-term sustainability of dams’ impacts and suggest directions for future research.

Keyword(s): agriculture, dams, development, irrigation, JEL O13, JEL Q12, JEL Q25, JEL Q56
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2019-10-05
2024-04-19
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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-resource-100518-093913
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Dams: Effects of Hydrological Infrastructure on Development
Annual Review of Resource Economics 11, 125 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-100518-093913
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-resource-100518-093913
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-resource-100518-093913
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