Governing desalination in Spain and Israel (1990–2020): lessons on institutional coherence and infrastructure performance

Mozo Moreno, Sebastian (2025) Governing desalination in Spain and Israel (1990–2020): lessons on institutional coherence and infrastructure performance. International Journal of Water Resources Development. ISSN 0790-0627

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Abstract

This article compares Spain and Israel (1990–2020) to explain why similar legal reforms and investments in seawater desalination yielded divergent outcomes. Israel consolidated a centrally coordinated model with near cost-recovery and broad uptake, whereas Spain’s installed capacity has experienced lower and more uneven utilization alongside recurrent debate. Using a most-similar systems design, the analysis explores four policy dimensions: tariff design, social acceptance, governance arrangements and legal coordination. Findings show that durable performance depends less on structural pressures than on coherent tariffs, availability-based contracts, integrated network operations and sustained outreach, with post-2020 developments discussed qualitatively to assess external validity.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2025 14:45
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2025 15:21
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/130049

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