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Friday, 12 September, 2025
Master´s Thesis Defense Presentations 2025
Defense Committee: Jan Zápal (CERGE, chair), Michal Bauer (CERGE), Filiáp Matějka (CERGE)
09:00 Emma Mikayelyan: Financial Literacy across the Commonwealth of Independent States: a Comprehensive Cross-Country Analysis with a Focus on Gender Disparities
Chair: Daniel Münich
Opponent: Jan Zápal
10:00 Mario Aquiles Guzmán Fredes: Water Scarcity: Its Present, Future, and Possible Mitigation Through Technology
Chair: Sebastian Ottinger
Opponent: Paolo Zacchia
11:00 Christopher Nyasha Mutama: Electricity Load Forecasting: Impact of COVID-19 on the Czech Republic’s Load Profile
Chair: Silvester van Koten
Opponent: Konuray Mutluer
Mario Aquiles Guzmán Fredes
Abstract:
This thesis examines the impact of water scarcity on GDP per capita using a panel dataset spanning more than 120 countries from 1995 to 2020. Employing a two-way fixed effects model, the study exploits within-country variation over time while controlling for unobserved heterogeneity and global shocks. This analysis incorporates mitigation mechanisms directly into the empirical strategy, specifically through interactions between water stress and desalination capacity. The results indicate that a one-point increase in the Water Stress Index (scaled 0–100) is associated with a 2% to 5.9% decline in real GDP per capita. However, these adverse effects are significantly mitigated in countries with advanced desalination infrastructure: those in the top decile of desalination capacity offset up to 83% of the expected losses. The effectiveness of this buffering mechanism depends on governance quality, energy affordability, and institutional capacity. These findings illustrate the importance of integrated adaptation strategies that combine technological investment with institutional resilience in water-scarce economies.
Full Text: “Water Scarcity: Its Present, Future, and Possible Mitigation Through Technology"
