Charles Howe – The Roles and Impacts of Large Dams As Instruments of Development Around the World

Charles Howe, CU Boulder & IBS

Given that millions of persons are displaced annually by dams and other infrastructure investments with inadequate or no resettlement arrangements, these impacts loom as major social issues. This powerpoint presentation presents background information and several case studies of the impacts of large dams that are touted as effective development instruments. The World Commission on Dams report and Ted Scudder’s early work in the field are cited, along with suggestions for alternative strategies and compensating policies.

Charles W. (Chuck) Howe has played a crucial role in defining the key issues in water resource economics and has been a champion of water research and policy. Under his direction, the Water Resources Program at Resources for the Future began exploring topics remarkable in breadth ranging over domestic, agricultural and industrial withdrawal use and transportation in situ use. With a distinguished career spanning over 40 years he has produced major and important works covering many topics in water resource economics including transboundary water issues, water pricing, water marketing, valuation, property rights and privatization. Howe's book Natural Resource Economics stands as the first effort to develop an integrated treatment of the literature for a graduate audience.