http://hdl.handle.net/10366/4284 2026-04-23T12:02:09Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/169820 [EN] This paper develops an iterative micro-macro-economic modeling framework to assess agricultural water management policies including feedbacks between local and economy-wide impacts. The main contribution of the paper is the introduction of a set of bidirectional protocols that work through land use and price changes to model the bilateral feedbacks between the micro and macro scales. The proposed framework is applied to the Castile and León Region in Spain, where we assess the performance of two alternative water conservation policies (charges and caps) and compare results to those obtained using a conventional stand-alone microeconomic model. We find that, as compared to the proposed modular framework, the assessment of water conservation policies using conventional stand-alone microeconomic models is expected to overestimate water conservation and underestimate economic performance. Overall, our results suggest that water conservation targets can be achieved with lower economic losses than those anticipated by conventional stand-alone microeconomic models. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/169818 [EN] The contribution of this paper is twofold: 1) it develops a replicable socio-hydrology-inspired model that elicits agents’ preferences while accounting for the two-way feedbacks between complex human and water systems; and 2) it integrates the resultant socio-hydrology model into robustness-based frameworks to inform the adoption of policies that show a satisfactory performance under most plausible futures. The socio hydrology model is used to produce a database representing multiple plausible futures that quantifies uncertainty regarding scenario assumptions under alternative adaptation strategies. Using a robust decision-making framework, the mechanistic outputs from the database of plausible futures are combined with heuristic methods through experts’ knowledge and opinion to co-design scenarios, identify vulnerabilities and quantify tradeoffs of proposed strategies, and subjectively propose new scenarios and choose the preferred adaptation strategy. Methods are illustrated with an application to the Cega Catchment in central Spain, one of the few major catchments in central Spain that remains non-regulated, and where the construction of a major dam has been projected. Following a robust decision-making process informed by our socio-hydrology model and involving all key parties to the decision, the status quo strategy (no dam construction) was revealed preferred. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/169816 [EN] The lack of detailed and reliable data on the estimates of water use has been a key limitation in informing sustainable, equitable and efficient water reallocations in the agricultural sector. Conventional water use data have been commonly obtained from surveys or agronomic models, which have limitations on accurately reflecting the actual water use. This paper integrates cutting-edge satellite-based water use data with an ensemble of four Calibrated Mathematical Programming Models (CMPM) (one Positive Multi-Attribute Utility Programming model, one Weighted Goal Programming model, and two Positive Mathematical Programming models) to assess and compare the performance of water reallocations under satellite-based versus conventional water use estimates. We apply these methods to the water-stressed Mancha Oriental Aquifer (MOA) in central Spain, where we simulate the impacts of a hypothetical temporary water reacquisition policy in 2017, the last dry year in record. We find that water use estimates obtained with conventional approaches (which range between 4916 m3/ha and 4510m3/ha, on average) are 13–24 % lower than satellite-based estimates (5577 m3/ha on average) during the dry year. Moreover, the water reacquisition simulation using the CMPM ensemble shows that the reserve prices (25–66 % higher) and buyback costs (26–67 % higher) derived from conventional water use data approaches are consistently and significantly higher than those derived from satellite-based water use estimates for all the elements of the ensemble, suggesting that a policy informed with satellite-based data could significantly reduce the costs of the reallocation. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/169813 [EN] This paper compares the economic performance of a dam construction strategy versus a no dam construction (i.e., the statu quo) strategy under multiple scenarios and using a multimodel ensemble of three microeconomic mathematical programming models. The result is a database of simulations representing multiple plausible futures which offers information on uncertainty regarding scenario assumptions and model structure (through the ensemble spread). Using an iterative robust decision-making framework, simulation results are coupled with experts’ knowledge and opinion to detect vulnerabilities in the proposed strategies, quantify potential trade-offs between responses, and identify a robust adaptation strategy. Methods are illustrated as applied to the Órbigo Catchment in Northwestern Spain, where the Douro River Basin Authority (DRBA) will decide in the coming months whether to build two dams to enhance irrigation water supply and reliability. Simulation results show that, for most scenarios and models considered, dam construction costs lead to water prices beyond the willingness of local cereal-growing irrigators to pay. Following a robust decision-making process, parties to the decision unanimously declared the status quo (i.e., no dam construction) strategy to be preferred to the dam construction strategy. This outcome substantiates the need for economic assessments of dam construction projects that account for nonlinear responses by agents to complement technical assessments in decision making. 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168859 [EN] We extend Bergstrom, Blume, and Varian’s (1986) model to a non-cooperative approach where voluntary contributions and taxes coexist to finance public goods. After obtaining the uniqueness of equilibrium, we present different properties of the outcomes, showing the role that the taxes play and the impact on voluntary contributions. We also identify conditions ensuring neutrality. Finally, we present some remarks on welfare and efficiency, pointing out the second-best solution and identifying conditions for efficiency. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168790 [EN]This essay revisits and attempts a synthetic consolidation of a subject that was peripheral to general competitive analysis as initially developed by Wald and Arrow-Debreu-McKenzie, but central to social choice theory as developed by Arrow-Harsanyi-Sen and their followers. We provide a retrospective reading that connects to Foley, and even earlier to Stein-haus and Dubins-Spanier; and a prospective one that takes as its point of departure the recent work of Echenique, Fleurbaey, Moulin, Thompson and others that is more oriented to welfare economics, on the one hand, and to matching and network theory on the other. The principal motivation of the work reported here is bring together communities in an exploratory framing that can become the basis for future work of the authors, if not of that of others. 2025-05-08T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168786 [ES]We state and analyze a non-cooperative approach to the provision of public goods where agents decide simultaneously not only their private contribution for public goods but also their level of utilization which may differ among consumers (contributors and non-contributors). We show that the distribution of the levels of utilization matters and allows us to deepen the analysis of altruistic behaviors, neutrality results, congestions issues, and further externalities captured within our framework. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168780 [EN]The aim of this work is the development of an a posteriori error analysis for the Brinkman problem with non-homogeneous mixed boundary conditions. In order to clarify the analysis, we first study, for simplicity, the model problem with null mixed boundary conditions. Then, we derive a suitable aug- mented variational formulation, based on the pseudo-stress and the velocity unknowns. This process involves the elimination of the pressure, which can be recovered once the system is solved. Applying known arguments, we can prove the unique solvability of the referred formulation, as well as of the corresponding Galerkin scheme. Moreover, we can establish the convergence of the method, when con- sider row-wise Raviart-Thomas elements to approximate the pseudo-stress in 𝐻 (𝐝𝐢𝐯; Ω), and continuous piecewise polynomials for the velocity. Then, we proceed to deduce an a posteriori error estimator, which results to be reliable and local efficient. To obtain this, we basically take into account the el- lipticity of the bilinear form that defines our scheme. It is known that the Helmholtz decomposition technique could help us to derive a reliable and local efficient a posteriori error estimator for problems with mixed boundary conditions, but unfortunately the derivation of such estimator can be done only in 2D. Since we do not require any type of Helmholtz decomposition of functions living in 𝐻(𝐝𝐢𝐯;Ω), the corresponding analysis, described in this paper, is valid for 2D and 3D. The novelty of the current work relies on how we deal with the case we have non homogeneous mixed boundary conditions. The strategy is to perform first a suitable lifting for the Neumann and Dirichlet data, respectively, in order to homogenize them, and apply the procedure introduced at the beginning. Then, we also can establish the well posedness of the augmented variational formulation, at continuous and discrete levels, as well as the convergence of the method and the derivation of an a posteriori error estimator. We point out that in this case, the corresponding estimator consists of two residual terms, and two oscillation terms related to the boundary data, which are not present when the boundary data are piecewise polynomials. In that situation, the a posteriori error estimator results to be reliable, and locally efficient. We include some numerical experiments, which are in agreement with the theoretical results we have obtained here. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168639 [ES]We address economies with asymmetric information where agents are not perfectly aware of the informational structure for coalitions. Thus, when joining a coalition, each consumer considers the informational risk and may be uncertain about the prior relevant to her decision. In this context, we introduce cooperative solutions that we refer to as risky core, ambiguous core, and meu-core. We provide existence results and a variety of properties of these concepts, including their coalitional incentive compatibility. We also formalize the intuition that the blocking power of coalitions is increasing with their information but decreasing with the degree of risk or ambiguity aversion faced by their members. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168637 [EN] We consider a scenario where inequality levels originate harmful effects on society. To alleviate this negative externality, we introduce tradable consumption licenses within a general equilibrium framework to obtain efficient outcomes, reduce inequality, and improve social welfare. This mechanism would be easily implementable with the necessary support of the law. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168629 [EN] Bergstrom, Blume and Varian (1986) provided a neutrality result for the private provision of public goods that has inspired a considerable literature. The result has significant implications for income redistribution and broader policy interventions. This paper reviews the basic result and its applications, and discusses extension to general private provision economies. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168593 [ES]We extend to multiple private commodities the seminal model by Bergstrom, Blume and Varian (1986) on the private provision of public goods. Considering the relative value of the aggregate donations, we define a notion of equilibrium and show its existence. We analyze the effects of resource redistributions on the equilibrium outcome, identifying conditions that guarantee neutrality. We study some further properties of the contribution equilibrium, and provide a strategic market game approach, defining a sequence of non-cooperative games whose equilibria converge to an equilibrium of the economy. 2023-08-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168493 [EN] Pareto optimal, core, Walrasian, or Nash equilibrium outcomes depend on the preferences of the agents involved. On the other hand, value allocations, the Shapley value, the Nash bargaining solution, and the expected utility are contingent on the payoffs selected from an infinite number of representations of each preference. It also holds for risk aversion issues or welfare functions that combine individual utility functions to evaluate economic policies. To avoid inconsistencies and overcome this problem, we follow Kannai (1970) to construct a “canonical” utility representation for each continuous preference. Exploring unique preference representations can lead to a more precise understanding of decision-making processes. This approach can help study economic solutions and policies in scenarios where there is diversity in individ-uals’ preferences, as it facilitates the ranking of consumption bundles, the ordering of transitions between bundles, and interpersonal comparisons. Thus, we provide theo-retical foundations to the implicit assumption of consistency in problems where the solutions depend on utility functions or payoffs. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/166798 [EN] Cuba stands out among Latin American nations for itsefforts to institutionalize food sovereignty (FS) through thepromotion of alternative small-scale farming, making it aprime case study for this model. This paper examines theextent to which Cuba has institutionalized FS and the fac-tors driving this process from an agrarian political economyperspective. Public policies, sustainable practices and keyactors—including a ‘partner state’—have advanced agro-ecology as a core strategy to reduce food imports since theearly 1990s. However, other entities, such as the militaryenterprise Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.(GAESA), may be seen as obstacles to this strategy. Whilstthese struggles and tensions are not unique to Cuba, theisland stands out for its decisive steps in institutionalizingFS. Cuba has achieved significant ‘pockets’ or ‘spaces’ ofFS, despite lacking a fully consolidated domestic foodsystem 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/162451 [ES] La estadística jugó un papel clave en la gestión colonial en la Guinea Española desde 1930. Anteriormente no existía una sección de estadística. El defectuoso censo de 1930 lleva al gobierno a enviar una Comisión formada por estadísticos profesionales para ejecutar un nuevo Censo. Sería una misión muy compleja y bordeando lo trágico, pero completada con éxito en una historia poco conocida. Esta tendría continuidad al optarse en 1938 por la gestión directa desde Vicepresidencia del Gobierno con funcionarios de carrera de los distintos cuerpos.Desde 1941 hasta el final de la colonia se cubrirán plazas de Oficial de Estadística a cargo de funcionarios del Cuerpo de Estadística. Su puesta en marcha se benefició de un período en el que Guinea recibió más atención de la metrópoli con estudios seminales como el de Perpiñá Grau. Pese a la escasa dotación de personal técnico, se consiguen publicar estadísticas sectoriales anuales sin interrupción, además de ejecutar con éxito creciente los Censos de Población participando en los procesos administrativos y electorales ligados al proceso de descolonización. De este modo, el Delegado de Estadística será uno de los últimos funcionarios en abandonar la ya independiente Guinea Ecuatorial en 1969. La estadística jugó un papel clave en la gestión colonial. La estadística sanitaria centrada en la tripanosomiasis se convertiría en una herramienta de control de la población desde los últimos 1930, y, ya inmersos en el proceso internacional de descolonización en los años 1950 y 60, la estadística se utilizará como herramienta de propaganda del régimen en su esfuerzo, inútil, de mantener la soberanía sobre el territorio. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10366/161884 [EN] Water reallocations have costs to the users of water, or abatement costs (e.g., charges designed to marginally increase environmental water flows), but also nontrivial institutional transaction costs (e.g., costs incurred to develop institutions and organizations to support and enforce environmental reallocations). However, institutional transaction costs studies are very limited and those available do not integrate abatement costs measurements, which constrains our ability to assess the performance of water reallocation. This paper presents the first integrated analysis of abatement and transaction costs of water reallocation. The analysis is illustrated with an application to the Douro River Basin, an agricultural basin in central Spain that has recently finished its second planning cycle (2015–2021). First, we use a hydroeconomic model that accounts for the two-way feedback responses between human and water systems to estimate the abatement costs of water reallocations, as well as their effectiveness in achieving the good ecological status of water bodies. Second, we measure and monetize realized institutional transaction costs of river basin planning over time and build on this cutting-edge longitudinal dataset to assess future directions and magnitude of transaction costs. We use this information to assess and rank the performance (through cost-effectiveness) of the water reallocations considered in the latest Douro River Basin Plan under alternative climate change scenarios. We find that under the hypothesis of stationary transaction costs, these can represent between 5.7% and 8.3% of the total reallocation costs (abatement plus transaction costs). This non-trivial magnitude highlights the need to account for both abatement and transaction costs when assessing the performance of water reallocations, and environmental policy overall. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z