Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics (WEARE)

Associate Professor

Biography

Professor (Associate) of the Department of Applied Economics (Economic Structure) at University of Malaga and member of the Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics (WEARE) research group. He has extensive research experience in microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis, with special emphasis in the field of water and environmental economics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (University of Seville, Spain) and a Master’s degree in International Business (University College Dublin, Ireland). He has extensive international professional experience of more than 10 years in the industrial sector. He has worked as lecturer and researcher at the University of Seville, San Pablo-CEU University, University of Cordoba, Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas de la UNAM (Ciudad de México, Mexico) and the UFZ-Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (Leipzig, Germany). Mentor of start-ups related to water services at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the University of Malaga. His research has been published in numerous high-impact international journals and participates in various international and national projects related to his research fields.

Research Interests

• Water economics and policy, focusing in economic instruments for water management and sustainable governance, water use valuation, water use efficiency assessment, etc.
• Resource economics: natural resources management, waste management, recycling and reuse, sustainability implications, policy and governance.
• Other research interests: International economics and entrepreneurship

Alfonso’s current research projects include:

• Circular City – Implementing nature based-solutions for creating a resourceful circular city. COST Action (CA17133), European Commission.
• BHYEM National Project PID2019-107127RB-I00) “Análisis de políticas de agua en un contexto de escasez hídrica y cambio climático: un modelo hidro-económico a escala cuenca integrando efectos micro y macroeconómicos”. Period: 2020-2024
• GOTHAM “Governance tool for sustainable water resources allocation in the Mediterranean through stakeholder’s collaboration. Towards a paradigm shift in groundwater management by end-users”, PRIMA-S1-2019-WATER MANAGEMENT RIA, European Commission, Period: 2020-2024
• AQUAEBANK «Percepción y gestión de los bancos de agua como instrumento de mejora en la eficiencia del uso de los recursos hídricos en Andalucía” (P20-00837). Programa Plan Andaluz de Investigación. Period: 2021-2023

Research stays

• Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Kiel (Germany). Period: 03/2001 – 05/2001.
• Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas, UNAM, Ciudad de México (México). Period: 06/2015 – 12/2015.
• Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) Leipzig (Germany). Period: 04/2018 – 07/2018.

Most relevant Peer-reviewed publications

2024

Expósito, A., Berbel, J. (2024). Water and the Water Framework Directive. In Koundouri, P.; Almanos, A. Elgar Encyclopedia of Water Policy, Economics and Management, Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781802202946.00078

Expósito, A., Díaz-Cano, E. and Berbel, J. (2024). The potential use of reclaimed water for irrigation purposes: Is it overestimated?, Water Resources Management, doi: 10.1007/s11269-024-03878-w

2023

Expósito, A., Kahil, T. and Berbel, J. (2023). Editorial — Advances in Hydro-Economic Modeling for Sustainable Basin Management in a Context of Climate Change, Water Economics and Policy 9(1):2302001 doi: 10.1142/s2382624x23020010

Martínez-Dalmau, J., Gutiérrez-Martín, C., Expósito, A. and Berbel, J. (2023). Analysis of water pricing policy effects in a Mediterranean basin through a hydroeconomic model, Water Resources Management doi: 10.1007/s11269-023-03446-8

Tocados-Franco, E., Berbel, J. and Expósito, A. (2023). Water policy implications of perennial expansion in the Guadalquivir River Basin (southern Spain), Agricultural Water Management 282:108286 doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108286

2022

Berbel, J. and Expósito, A. (2022). A decision model for stochastic optimization of seasonal irrigation-water allocation, Agricultural Water Management 262:107419 doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107419

Carvalho, P.N., Finger, D.C., Masi, F., Cipolletta, G., Oral, H.V., Tóth, A., Regelsberger, M. and Expósito, A. (2022). Nature-based solutions addressing the water-energy-food nexus: Review of theoretical concepts and urban case studies, Journal of Cleaner Production 338:130652
doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130652

2021

Expósito, A., Espinosa, M. and Villa-Damas, A. (2021). Valuing visitor willingness to pay for urban green space conservation: Case of Maria Luisa park in Seville, Spain, Journal of Urban Planning and Development 147(3) doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000700

Nika, C.-E.; Expósito, A.; Kisser, J.; Bertino, G.; Oral, H.V.; Dehghanian, K.; Vasilaki, V.; Iacovidou, E.; Fatone, F.; Atanasova, N.; Katsou, E. Validating Circular Performance Indicators: The Interface between Circular Economy and Stakeholders. Water 2021, 13, 2198.
doi: 10.3390/w13162198

2020

Berbel, J. and Expósito, A. (2020). The theory and practice of water pricing and cost recovery in the Water Framework Directive, Water Alternatives 13(3):659-673

Borrego-Marín, M.M., Expósito, A. and Berbel, J. (2020). A simplified hydro-economic model of Guadalquivir river basin for analysis of water-pricing scenarios, Water 12(7):1879
doi: 10.3390/w12071879

Expósito, A., Beier, F. and Berbel, J. (2020). Hydro-economic modelling for water-policy assessment under climate change at river basin scale: A review, Water 12(6):1559
doi: 10.3390/w12061559

Expósito, A. and Berbel, J. (2020). The economics of irrigation in almond orchards. Application to southern Spain, Agronomy 10(6):796 doi: 10.3390/agronomy10060796

Expósito, A. and Velasco, F. (2020). Exploring environmental efficiency of the European agricultural sector in the use of mineral fertilizers, Journal of Cleaner Production 253
doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.119971

Nika, C.E., Vasilaki, V., Expósito, A. and Katsou, E. (2020). Water cycle and circular economy: developing a circularity assessment framework for complex water systems, Water Research 187:116423 doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116423

2019

Berbel, J., Borrego-Marín, M.M., Expósito, A., Giannoccaro G., Montilla-López N.M., Roseta-Palma C. (2019). Analysis of irrigation water tariffs and taxes in Europe, Water Policy 21(4):806-825 doi: 10.2166/wp.2019.197

Berbel, J., Expósito, A., Borrego-Marín , M.M. (2019). Conciliation of competing uses and stakeholder rights to groundwater: An evaluation of Fuencaliente aquifer (Spain). International Journal of Water Resources Development 35(5):830-846 doi: 10.1080/07900627.2018.1491392

Berbel, J., Expósito, A., Gutiérrez-Martín, C. and Mateos L. (2019). Effects of the Irrigation Modernization in Spain 2002–2015, Water Resources Management 33(5):1835-1849 doi: 10.1007/s11269-019-02215-w

Expósito, A. (2019). Valuing households’ willingness to pay for water transfers from the irrigation sector: a case study of the city of Seville (southern Spain), Sustainability 11(24):6982 doi: 10.3390/su11246982

Expósito, A., Berbel, J. (2019). Drivers of irrigation water productivity and basin closure process: Analysis of the Guadalquivir river basin (Spain). Water Resources Management, 33(4):1439-1450 doi: 10.1007/s11269-018-2170-7

Expósito, A., Pablo-Romero, M. P.; Sanchez-Braza, A. (2019). Testing EKC for Urban Water Use: Empirical Evidence at River Basin Scale from the Guadalquivir River, Spain. ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. 145(4): 04019005 doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)Wr.1943-5452.0001052

Pablo-Romero, M.P.; Sanchez-Braza, A.; Expósito, A..(2019). Industry level production functions and energy use in 12 EU countries. Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 212. Pag. 880-892 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.296

2018

Expósito, A.. (2018). Irrigated agriculture and the cost recovery principle of water services: Assessment and discussion of the case of the Guadalquivir River Basin (Spain), Water 10(10) doi: 10.3390/w10101338

Berbel, J., Gutiérrez-Martín, C., Expósito, A., (2018). Impacts of irrigation efficiency improvement on water use, water consumption and response to water price at field level. Agricultural Water Management 203:423-429 doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.02.026

Berbel, J., Expósito, A. (2018). Economic challenges in the EU Water Directive Framework reform and implementation. European Planning Studies 16(1):20-34 doi: 10.1080/09654313.2017.1364353

Expósito, A., Velasco F. (2018). Municipal solid-waste recycling market and the European 2020 Horizon Strategy: A regional efficiency analysis in Spain. Journal of Cleaner Production 72:938-948 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.221

Berbel, J., Expósito, A., Mateos, L. (2018). The importance of the groundwater governance in the global change context: a proposal for a Mediterranean aquifer (Llanos de la Puebla, Spain). In: Groundwater and Global Change in the Western Mediterranean Area, pp. 35-42. Springer International. ISBN: 978-3-319-69355-2

2017

Expósito, A., Berbel J. (2017). Why is water pricing ineffective for deficit irrigation schemes? A case study in southern Spain. Water Resources Management 31(3): 1047-1059 doi: 10.1007/s11269-016-1563-8

Expósito, A., Berbel J. (2017). Agricultural irrigation water use in a closed basin and the impacts on water productivity: The case of the Guadalquivir river basin (Southern Spain). Water 9(2):136 doi: 10.3390/w9020136

Expósito, A., Berbel J. (2017). Sustainability implications of deficit irrigation in a mature water economy: a case study in southern Spain. Sustainability 9(7):1144 doi: 10.3390/su9071144

Expósito, A., Berbel J. (2017). Evolución de la productividad del agua en el proceso de cierre de la cuenca del Guadalquivir. In: Análisis de los efectos de la modernización de regadíos. Vol. Serie Economía, pp. 309-328. Cajamar Caja Rural. ISBN 978-84-95531-83-4

2016

Expósito, A., Berbel J. (2016). Microeconomics of deficit irrigation and subjective water response function for intensive olive groves Water 8(6):254 doi: 10.3390/w8060254