Tatyana Deryugina, leading expert on the economics of natural disasters, discusses the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their impact on our economy and daily lives. They explore the role of charitable giving in disaster relief, the challenges faced by insurers, and the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans residents. The conversation highlights the need to understand the economic and physical impacts of where we live amidst climate change.
Studying the economics of natural disasters through natural experiments provides valuable insights into their effects on different groups of people.
Contrary to expectations, individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina ultimately earned more money and experienced better public health outcomes by relocating to areas with higher wages.
Deep dives
The Importance of Natural Experiments in Economic Research
Economist Tatiana Durgana discusses the significance of natural experiments in economics research, particularly in studying the effects of natural disasters. She explains that natural disasters provide opportunities for economists to observe the impact of unpredictable events on different groups of people, yielding valuable insights.
The Economics of Natural Disasters and Disaster Relief
Tatiana Durgana delves into her research on the economics of natural disasters, focusing on the various ways society responds to them. She explores the role of insurance, government aid, and charitable donations in disaster relief efforts. Durgana's study on tornadoes reveals that charitable giving increases after a tornado, with some evidence of persistently elevated giving in subsequent years.
The Long-Term Economic and Health Consequences of Hurricane Katrina
Tatiana Durgana presents her surprising findings from studying the long-term economic and health consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Contrary to expectations, she discovered that individuals affected by the hurricane ultimately ended up earning more money than they would have without the disaster. Additionally, those who relocated to areas with higher wages and better public health outcomes experienced lower mortality rates. This research prompts questions about the choices individuals and communities make in the face of climate change and the role of government in addressing these challenges.
There seems to be headlines about floods, wildfires, or hurricanes every week. Scientists say this might be the new normal — that climate change is making natural disasters more and more common.
Tatyana Deryugina is a leading expert on the economics of natural disasters — how we respond to them, how they affect the economy, and how they change our lives. And back when Tatyana first started researching natural disasters she realized that there's a lot we don't know about their long-term economic consequences. Especially about how individuals and communities recover.
Trying to understand those questions of how we respond to natural disasters is a big part of Tatyana's research. And her research has some surprising implications for how we should be responding to natural disasters.
This episode was hosted and reported by Jeff Guo. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Josephine Nyounai. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.