Water Works: The Economic Impact Of Water Infrastructure – July 2012

by Harvard Environmental Economics Program

“Water Works: The Economic Impact of Water Infrastructure” explores how improved drinking water infrastructure and household technologies can help increase economic production.

In developing countries, households without water infrastructure spend billions of hours collecting water for domestic use every year, which diverts time from potentially income generating activities, such as formal work, agricultural labor, and small businesses.

While the paper analyzes the impacts of a large-scale water infrastructure project in rural Kyrgyzstan, its findings have practical applications for many locations.