Hydraulic power project of U.S. federal government in the provinces \Case studies of four early Reclamation Projects \

Takuro Hidaka ()
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Takuro Hidaka: Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University

No 20-06, Discussion Papers in Economics and Business from Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics

Abstract: This paper examines the continuity between nineteenth and early twentieth century public policies of the U.S. federal government with respect to the West. The development of water resources in the West, embarked upon by the federal government in the early twentieth century, has been regarded as an extension of nineteenth century economic development stimulus measures. However, there has been insufficient consideration of hydropower projects, which may have played a different role from supporting economic development, through the suppression of electricity rate by private power companies. This paper looks at the decisions made by Reclamation Bureau in early four Reclamation Projects, in response to the consultation received from the people in each area, to identify their contribution to the control of electricity rates. The results did not confirm the contribution of the bureau to the control of electricity rates and did not observe any characteristics that differed from the measures to support economic development. The continuity of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century federal public policy with respect to the West is also supported by these four case studies. However, this paper also found that the bureau had taken decisions that facilitated the formation of regional monopolies and had prepared a situation in which high electricity rates were likely to be set. The hydroelectric projects of the bureau were a supportive measure for economic development that was an extension of 19th century policy, but they also brought adverse effects.

Keywords: Water resource development; Irrigation; Reclamation Project; Bureau of Reclamation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N41 N42 N51 N52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2020-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-his and nep-ppm
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