Essays on water resources and the Ugandan economy
English: This thesis analysed the link between water resources and the Ugandan economy. The study was motivated by the fact that Uganda is largely an agro-based economy. In addition, agricultural activity on which many socioeconomic activities are anchored is rain-fed, with less than 1 percent of the country s arable land being currently under irrigation. Furthermore, reports suggest that many episodes of economic instability are attributed to disruptions in agricultural activities which, in many cases have been due to changes in water availability. This study first, used the System of Economic and Environmental Accounting for Water (SEEAW) in order to establish the available volume as well as use of water resources across the major sectors of the economy. It was established that the current level of water supply is adequate to meet the country s current demands. In addition, a framework for analysing the link between water resource policies and other socioeconomic policies in the economy was developed. This framework is envisaged to guide researchers and policy practitioners in the analysis of environment-economy policy issues. Second, the study investigated the economy-wide impact of drought on the Ugandan economy using a computable general equilibrium model (UgAGE-Water) for Uganda. An assessment of the resulting losses with respect to GDP, employment, the trade balance and household welfare was undertaken. Overall, the results show that even a short-term drought can cause substantial losses to the economy. Third, the effects of a water tax policy on the economy were investigated. Specifically, an investigation of the possibility of designing a tax that is capable of minimising the costs of environmental regulation while achieving the economic objective of raising tax revenue was undertaken. Underpinned by the double dividends hypothesis , the results show that whatever the degree of regressivity resulting from the tax, it is possible to design it in a way that benefits the economy. The overall findings in this thesis are designed to highlight the challenges which the economy faces whenever there are changes in water availability. It further articulates the possible interventions which can be used to mitigate such water related challenges in a developing country context. Sepedi: Thesese ye e sekasekile kamano magareng ga methopo ya meetse le ekonomi ya Uganda. Dinyakišišo di hlohleleditšwe ke taba ya gore Uganda ke kudu ekonomi ye e theilwego godimo ga temo. Godimo ga fao, mediro ya tša temo yeo godimo ga yona ditiro tša ekonomi ya setšhaba di theilwego e thušwa ke pula, fao persente ya ka fase ga ye 1 ya naga ya temo ya ka mo nageng e nošetšwago. Godimo ga fao, dipego di šišinya gore ditiragalo tše ntši tša seemo sa ekonomi sa go tekateka se bonwa se bakwa ke ditšhitišo ka go mešomo ya temo yeo, mabakeng a mantši di bakilwego ke diphetogo tša go hwetšagala ga meetse. availability. Dinyakišišo tše sa mathomo di šomišitše Tshepedišo ya Tekodišišo ya Ekonomi le Tikologo mabapi le Meetse (SEEAW) ka nepo ya go tseba bontši bja meetse ao a hwetšagalago gammogo le tšhomišo ya methopo ya meetse go ralala le makala a magolo a ekonomi. Go hweditšwe gore maemo a bjale a kabo ya meetse a lekane go fihlelela dinyakego tša meetse tša bjale tša ka nageng. Godimo ga fao, motheo wa go sekaseka kamano magareng ga melawana ya methopo ya meetse le melawana ye mengwe ya ekonomi ya setšhaba ka ekonoming e hlamilwe. Motheo wo go akanywa gore o hlahla banyakišiši le bašomi ba melawana ka tshekatshekong ya merero ya melawana ya ekonomi le tikologo. Sa bobedi, dinyakišišo di nyakišišitše seabe sa komelelo go ekonomi ka bophara ka ekonoming ya Uganda ka go šomiša mokgwa wa tekatekano ya kakaretšo ya khomphutheng (UgAGE-Water) go Uganda. Tshekatsheko ya ditahlegelo tše di tšwelelago mabapi le GDP, ya tlhokego ya mešomo, ya tekatekano ya kgwebišano le seemo sa ka malapeng e dirilwe. Ka kakaretšo, dipoelo di laetša gore le komelelo ya lebaka le lekopana e ka baka ditahlegelo tše kgolo ka ekonoming. Sa boraro, diabe tša melawana ya motšhelo wa meetse go ekonomi di nyakišišitšwe. Kudukudu, dinyakišišo tša kgonagalo ya go hlama motšhelo wo o kgonago go fokotša ditshenyagalelo tša taolo ya tikologo mola ka go le lengwe go fihlelelwa maikemišetšo a ekonomi a go tšweletša letseno di dirilwe. Ka ge di thegilwe ke haephothesese ya dikholego tše pedi, dipoelo di laetša gore go sa lebelelwe bogolo bja poelomorago ka lebaka la motšhelo, go a kgonagala go e hlama ka tsela ye e holago ekonomi. Dikutollo tša kakaretšo ka mo theseseng ye di hlametšwe go laetša mathata ao ekonomi e lebanego le ona nako le nako ge go na le diphetogo ka go hwetšagaleng ga meetse. E tšwela pele go laetša kgonagalo ya ditsenogare yeo e ka šomišwago go fokotša mathata a go amana le meetse ka seemong sa naga ye e hlabologago. Afrikaans: Hierdie proefskrif het die verband tussen waterbronne en die Ugandese ekonomie ontleed. Die motivering vir die studie was die feit dat Uganda se ekonomie grootliks op landbou berus. Daarby word landbouaktiwiteite waarin baie sosio-ekonomiese aktiwiteite geanker is, deur reën gevoed, met minder as 1% van die land se bewerkbare grond wat tans onder besproeiing is. Verder dui verslae daarop dat baie episodes van ekonomiese onstabiliteit toegeskryf word aan ontwrigtings in landbouaktiwiteite, wat in baie gevalle aan veranderinge in waterbeskikbaarheid te wyte was. Hierdie studie het eerstens die stelsel van ekonomiese en omgewingsrekeningkunde vir water (SEORW) gebruik om sowel die beskikbare volume as die gebruik van waterbronne oor die hoofsektore van die ekonomie te bepaal. Daar is vasgestel dat die huidige vlak van die watervoorraad voldoende is om aan die land se huidige vraag te voldoen. Daarbenewens is 'n raamwerk ontwikkel vir die ontleding van die verband tussen waterhulpbronbeleid en ander sosio-ekonomiese beleide in die ekonomie. Hierdie raamwerk is so opgestel dat dit vir navorsers en beleidspraktisyns leiding kan gee by die ontleding van omgewingsekonomiese beleidskwessies. Tweedens het die studie die ekonomie-wye impak van droogte op die Ugandese ekonomie ondersoek deur 'n berekenbare algemene-ewewigsmodel (UgAGE-Water) vir Uganda te gebruik. n Assessering van die gevolglike verliese met betrekking tot BBP, indiensneming, die handelsbalans en huishoudelike welsyn is onderneem. Die resultate het oorkoepelend getoon dat selfs 'n korttermyndroogte aansienlike verliese vir die ekonomie kan veroorsaak. Derdens is die gevolge van 'n waterbelastingbeleid op die ekonomie ondersoek. Daar is spesifiek ondersoek of dit moontlik sou wees om 'n belasting te ontwerp wat gelyktydig die koste van omgewingsregulering tot ’n minimum kan beperk én die ekonomiese doelwit van verhoging van die belastinginkomste kan bereik. Ondersteun deur die dubbeldividende-hipotese, toon die resultate dat, ongeag die mate van regressiwiteit wat uit die belasting voortspruit, dit moontlik is om die belasting te ontwerp op 'n manier wat die ekonomie bevoordeel. Die oorkoepelende bevindinge van hierdie proefskrif toon duidelik watter uitdagings die ekonomie telkens die hoof moet bied wanneer die beskikbaarheid van water verander. Voorts beskryf dit watter moontlike intervensies gebruik kan word om die gevolge van sulke waterverwante probleme in 'n ontwikkelende land te versag.
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