Water markets as coupled infrastructure systems: comparing the development of water rights and water markets in Heihe, Shiyang and Yellow Rivers

A Coupled Infrastructure Systems perspective is applied to three cases in north-western China to explain how and why water rights systems and water markets have changed since 1949. The evolution of water rights systems has been shaped by periods of water-supply projects and periods that emphasized regulatory and institutional measures to manage water resources. We argue that water supply infrastructure and water markets have been developed not …