Authors: GAN Hong *, QIN Chang-hai *, WANG Lin *, ZHANG Xiao-juan **
* China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China,
** Beijing Research Institute of Hydraulic Automation 100036, China

Abstract: The economic characteristic of value was analyzed from the viewpoint of political economics, and the attribute of value of water resources was defined based on classic axiology. The evaluation of water resources should be based on the particular stage of society and history, and both the subject and object should be determined. The comprehensive values of water resources include use value, property value, labor value and compensative value, and each value will be reflected by marketable value, which will be measured by price. For the public benefit of water resources, the price of water should be determined by government which includes water resources fee, production cost and environmental compensation fee based on shadow price. For achieving rational water resources allocation among livelihood, production and ecology, the necessary pricing measures and administrative methods should be included in management, among which water resources fee should be an important measure.

Key words: water resources, axiology, property value, compensative value, equilibrium price, shadow price, externality

Published in: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2012
Article ID: 0559-9350 (2011) 03-0289-07