Mr Joel Byrnes
Postgraduate Student, School of Economics
Contact
| Email: | jbyrnes3@une.edu.au |
| Room: | W40 802 |
| Phone: | 02 6773 3561 (or +61 2 6773 3561 overseas) |
| Fax: | 02 6773 3596 |
PhD Programme: PhD (Economics). Commenced Feb 2005
Supervisor (s): Prof. Brian Dollery, Dr. Rene Villano, Dr. Lin Crase
Topic title and description: Urban Water Provision in the Murray-Darling Basin: A Comparative Institution Approach. Approximately 75% of the water consumed in the Murray-Darling Basin goes toward irrigated agriculture. It's not surprising then that most of the attention regarding water use efficiency has focussed on this industry. Much of the debate has focused on the allocation and trade of so-called rural water. It seems timely then, particularly given the perilous state of many rural town water supplies during the recent drought, to turn our attention to water use in the towns within this catchment. The Murray-Darling basin presents a unique opportunity for a study of the various institutional mechanisms in place to deliver water to urban centres within the basin. In New South Wales, non-metropolitan urban water provision is almost entirely the responsibility of local government, while in Victoria non-metropolitan urban water provision is a function carried out by 17 government-appointed regional water authorities. Each setting is characterised by a myriad of regulatory instruments and agencies, each having differing degrees of influence over the use of water resources. This study seeks to assess the appropriateness of each institutional setting along the following lines:
- which structure is the most efficient from a strictly economic perspective?
- which structure best meets the nationally mandated goal of environmental conservation?
- given the differing extent to which each structure is accountable to the community, which is the most effective in reflecting the desires of the area it serves?
Grant/Scholarship: Australian Postgraduate Award
Affiliations
Centre for Local GovernmentDeputy Director
Areas of Teaching
Econ203/303 Banking and FinanceResearch interests
Young researcher recognised for commitment to regional development
A young academic from The University of New England has won Australian Government sponsorship to attend an international conference that will broaden his perspective on a subject – regional development – on which he is already an authority. Joel Byrnes,... Posted by Jim Scanlan on June 26, 2006 04:18 PM
Publications
Refereed Journal Articles
Crase, L., Dollery, B. E. and Byrnes, J. D. An Inter-sectoral Comparison of Australian Water Reforms, Water Policy, 2006 (forthcoming).
Dollery, B. E. and Byrnes, J. D. 'Alternatives to Amalgamation in Australian Local Government: The Case of Walkerville', Journal of Economic and Social Policy, 11(1), 2006 (forthcoming).
Byrnes, J. D., Crase, L. and Dollery, B. E. 'Regulation Versus Pricing in Urban Water Policy: The Case of the Australian National Water Initiative', Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 50, 437-449, 2006.
Dollery, B. E., Crase, L. and Byrnes, J. L. 'Local Government Failure: Why Does Australian Local Government Experience Permanent Financial Austerity?', Australian Journal of Political Science,41(3), 1-15, 2006.
Byrnes, J. L. and Dollery, B. E. 'Local Government Failure in Australia: An Empirical Analysis of New South Wales', Australian Journal of Public Administration, 61(3), 54-64, 2002.
Byrnes, J. D. and Dollery, B. E. 'Do Economies of Scale Exist in Australian Local Government?: A Review of the Research Evidence', Urban Policy and Research, 20(4), 391-414, 2002.
Byrnes, J. D., Dollery, B. E. and Webber, A. 'Measuring Economies of Scale in Australian Local Government: The Case of NSW', Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 8(2), 201-218, 2003.
Working Papers
Dollery, B. E., Byrnes, J. and Allan, P. 'Optimal Structural Reform in Australian Local Government: An Empirical Analysis of Economies of Scale by Council Function in New South Wales', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2006-4, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2006 (ISSN 1442 2980).
Dollery, B. E., Crase, L. and Byrnes, J. 'Local Government Amalgamation and the South Australian Rising to the Challenge Inquiry', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2006-1, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2006 (ISSN 1442 2980).
Dollery, B. E., Crase, L. and Byrnes J. 'Why Does Australian Local Government Endure Chronic Financial Stress?', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2005-19, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2005 (ISSN 1442 2980).
Dollery, B. E. and Byrnes, J. 'Alternatives to Amalgamation in Australian Local Government: The Case of Walkerville', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2005-4, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2005 (ISSN 1442 2980).
Byrnes, J. and Dollery, B. E. 'Do Economies of Scale Exist in Australian Local Government? A Review of the Empirical Evidence', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2002-2, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2002 (ISSN 1442 2980).
Byrnes, J., Dollery, B. E. and Wallis, J. 'Local Government Failure in Australia: An Empirical Analysis of New South Wales', UNE Working Paper Series in Economics, Working Paper 2001-12, School of Economic Studies, University of New England, 2001 (ISSN 1442 2980).