Damming the Commons : An Empirical Analysis of International Cooperation and Conflict in Dam Location

This paper examines whether countries
consider the welfare of other nations when they make water
development decisions. The paper estimates econometric
models of the location of major dams around the world as a
function of the degree of international sharing of rivers.
The analysis finds that dams are more prevalent in areas of
river basins upstream of foreign countries, supporting the
view that countries free ride in exploiting water resources.
There is weak evidence that international water management
institutions reduce the extent of such free-riding.