Fairness in water consumption experiments: understanding burden-sharing preferences and conservation beliefs

Ghoor, Imaan

Fairness in water consumption experiments: understanding burden-sharing preferences and conservation beliefs

Thesis / Dissertation

2026

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Economics

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

The increasing impacts of climate change have intensified water insecurity, posing significant challenges for major cities in developing countries. Cape Town, South Africa, experienced its most severe drought in four centuries, highlighting the vulnerability of urban water systems to prolonged shortages. Although the city has since recovered, concerns regarding long-term water security persist. Addressing these challenges necessitates a comprehensive approach that integrates both demand and supply management strategies. A critical component of effective policy design is an understanding of public preferences regarding the distribution of responsibility for water conservation, ensuring that burden-sharing mechanisms are both equitable and sustainable. This study is among the first to apply experimental methods to examine equity preferences for urban water conservation in a developing country, bridging a gap in the literature. Using a sample of 315 Cape Town residents, the study investigates how beliefs, policy preferences, and how cultural theory of risk shape fairness and burden-sharing preferences for water use. Key findings show that low-endowment players favoured principles that minimised individual contributions, such as the equal water use principle. High-endowment players demonstrated more complex patterns, with preferences influenced by education and policy attitudes. Burden-sharing principles did not significantly influence high- endowment players contributions in the first stage of the experiment. Similarly, the cultural theory of risk principles did not significantly impact contributions in the first stage of the experiment but emerged as important determinants of preferences in the second stage, with individualism and egalitarianism playing key roles. The study highlights the need for water conservation policies that reflect socioeconomic diversity and fairness norms to foster cooperation and equity.