Johansson (economics, emeritus, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden) and Kristrom (resource economics, Swedish U. of Agricultural Sciences and Umea U., Sweden) present nine papers examining the application of welfare economics to evaluating the costs and benefits of resource conflicts involving hydropower. Perspectives from Europe and the US have been included in order to provide a broad view of current knowledge and practice and key methodological issues are considered, from the intersection between cost-benefit analysis and behavioral economics to appropriate statistical methodology for willingness-to-pay interval with a particular form of censoring. Also discussed is the question of balancing services, as the interconnection of grids is making that issue of particular interest even to countries that lack hydropower. Annotation ⓒ2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Environmental cost-benefit analysis and water quality management Recreational benefits of removing dams and restoring free-flowing rivers : an example micro-meta-analysis of the contingent visitation benefits of removing dams A blueprint for a cost-benefit analysis of a water use conflict : hydroelectricity versus other uses Estimation of WTP with point and self-selected interval responses Energy in a bathtub : electricity trade between countries with different generation technologies Renewable energy expansion and the value of balance regulation power The political economy of hydropower and fish in the Western US Does behavioral economics have a role in cost-benefit analysis?