Abstract
The management of water resource systems has to be efficient, but also fair and equitable in the share of the costs among involved stakeholders. Our work compares the allocation of cost of a cost-effective river basin management plan among different stakeholders at the river basin scale. A least-cost river basin optimization model has been developed to select the combination of management measures that allows meeting the quantitative water management targets at the river basin scale in a global change context. The optimal plan encompasses measures all over the river basin area, disregarding the individual interests of the stakeholders. In order to ensure equity in the cost allocation of the plan, different allocation scenarios are considered. First, cost allocation solutions are defined based on economic rationality concepts from cooperative game theory (the core of the game, Shapley value and Nucleolus). Then, alternative allocation scenarios have been considered based on axiomatic principles of social justice applied in the case study area. The comparison of the cost allocation scenarios brings contrasted insights to inform the decision making process at the river basin scale and potentially reap the efficiency gains from cooperation in the design of river basin management plan.
