How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth

Assuming that capital productivity is higher in areas at risk from natural hazards (such as coastal zones or flood plains), this paper shows that rapid development in these areas -- and the resulting increase in disaster losses -- may be the conseq...

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Main Author: Hallegatte, Stephane
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110329162349
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3384
id okr-10986-3384
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-33842021-04-23T14:02:09Z How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth Hallegatte, Stephane ACCOUNTING AGENTS AGRICULTURE BANKRUPTCY CAPITAL INVESTMENT CASUALTIES CATASTROPHIC EVENTS CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CONDITIONS DAMAGES DATA QUALITY DECISION MAKING DEVELOPMENT NETWORK DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIMINISHING RETURNS DISASTER DISASTER INSURANCE DISASTER RISK DISASTER RISK REDUCTION DISASTER RISKS DISASTER SITUATION DISASTERS DRIVERS EARLY WARNING EARTHQUAKE EARTHQUAKES ECONOMETRIC ANALYSES ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC LOSS ECONOMICS EVACUATION EXPECTED UTILITY EXPORTS EXTERNALITIES FATALITIES FLOOD FLOOD INSURANCE FLOOD PROTECTIONS FLOODS FORECASTS GDP HURRICANE HURRICANES IMPERFECT INFORMATION INCOME INSURANCE INSURANCE COVERAGE INVENTORIES INVESTIGATIONS MARKET FAILURES MORAL HAZARD MORAL HAZARDS NATURAL DISASTERS NATURAL HAZARDS OPTIMIZATION PERFECT INFORMATION POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES RECONSTRUCTION RELIEF RISK ANALYSES RISK ANALYSIS RISK ASSESSMENTS RISK AVERSION RISK MANAGEMENT RISK MANAGEMENT POLICIES RISK MITIGATION RISK REDUCTION SAFETY SLUMS SOCIAL COSTS STORM SUPPLIERS TOTAL OUTPUT VALUE ADDED WEALTH Assuming that capital productivity is higher in areas at risk from natural hazards (such as coastal zones or flood plains), this paper shows that rapid development in these areas -- and the resulting increase in disaster losses -- may be the consequence of a rational and well-informed trade-off between lower disaster losses and higher productivity. With disasters possibly becoming less frequent but increasingly destructive in the future, average disaster losses may grow faster than wealth. Myopic expectations, lack of information, moral hazard, and externalities reinforce the likelihood of this scenario. These results have consequences on how to design risk management and climate change policies. 2012-03-19T18:01:30Z 2012-03-19T18:01:30Z 2011-03-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110329162349 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3384 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5617 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper The World Region The World Region
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic ACCOUNTING
AGENTS
AGRICULTURE
BANKRUPTCY
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
CASUALTIES
CATASTROPHIC EVENTS
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE CONDITIONS
DAMAGES
DATA QUALITY
DECISION MAKING
DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DIMINISHING RETURNS
DISASTER
DISASTER INSURANCE
DISASTER RISK
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
DISASTER RISKS
DISASTER SITUATION
DISASTERS
DRIVERS
EARLY WARNING
EARTHQUAKE
EARTHQUAKES
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSES
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC LOSS
ECONOMICS
EVACUATION
EXPECTED UTILITY
EXPORTS
EXTERNALITIES
FATALITIES
FLOOD
FLOOD INSURANCE
FLOOD PROTECTIONS
FLOODS
FORECASTS
GDP
HURRICANE
HURRICANES
IMPERFECT INFORMATION
INCOME
INSURANCE
INSURANCE COVERAGE
INVENTORIES
INVESTIGATIONS
MARKET FAILURES
MORAL HAZARD
MORAL HAZARDS
NATURAL DISASTERS
NATURAL HAZARDS
OPTIMIZATION
PERFECT INFORMATION
POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES
PRODUCTIVITY
PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES
RECONSTRUCTION
RELIEF
RISK ANALYSES
RISK ANALYSIS
RISK ASSESSMENTS
RISK AVERSION
RISK MANAGEMENT
RISK MANAGEMENT POLICIES
RISK MITIGATION
RISK REDUCTION
SAFETY
SLUMS
SOCIAL COSTS
STORM
SUPPLIERS
TOTAL OUTPUT
VALUE ADDED
WEALTH
spellingShingle ACCOUNTING
AGENTS
AGRICULTURE
BANKRUPTCY
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
CASUALTIES
CATASTROPHIC EVENTS
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE CONDITIONS
DAMAGES
DATA QUALITY
DECISION MAKING
DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DIMINISHING RETURNS
DISASTER
DISASTER INSURANCE
DISASTER RISK
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
DISASTER RISKS
DISASTER SITUATION
DISASTERS
DRIVERS
EARLY WARNING
EARTHQUAKE
EARTHQUAKES
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSES
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC LOSS
ECONOMICS
EVACUATION
EXPECTED UTILITY
EXPORTS
EXTERNALITIES
FATALITIES
FLOOD
FLOOD INSURANCE
FLOOD PROTECTIONS
FLOODS
FORECASTS
GDP
HURRICANE
HURRICANES
IMPERFECT INFORMATION
INCOME
INSURANCE
INSURANCE COVERAGE
INVENTORIES
INVESTIGATIONS
MARKET FAILURES
MORAL HAZARD
MORAL HAZARDS
NATURAL DISASTERS
NATURAL HAZARDS
OPTIMIZATION
PERFECT INFORMATION
POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES
PRODUCTIVITY
PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES
RECONSTRUCTION
RELIEF
RISK ANALYSES
RISK ANALYSIS
RISK ASSESSMENTS
RISK AVERSION
RISK MANAGEMENT
RISK MANAGEMENT POLICIES
RISK MITIGATION
RISK REDUCTION
SAFETY
SLUMS
SOCIAL COSTS
STORM
SUPPLIERS
TOTAL OUTPUT
VALUE ADDED
WEALTH
Hallegatte, Stephane
How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
geographic_facet The World Region
The World Region
relation Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5617
description Assuming that capital productivity is higher in areas at risk from natural hazards (such as coastal zones or flood plains), this paper shows that rapid development in these areas -- and the resulting increase in disaster losses -- may be the consequence of a rational and well-informed trade-off between lower disaster losses and higher productivity. With disasters possibly becoming less frequent but increasingly destructive in the future, average disaster losses may grow faster than wealth. Myopic expectations, lack of information, moral hazard, and externalities reinforce the likelihood of this scenario. These results have consequences on how to design risk management and climate change policies.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Hallegatte, Stephane
author_facet Hallegatte, Stephane
author_sort Hallegatte, Stephane
title How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
title_short How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
title_full How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
title_fullStr How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
title_full_unstemmed How Economic Growth and Rational Decisions Can Make Disaster Losses Grow Faster Than Wealth
title_sort how economic growth and rational decisions can make disaster losses grow faster than wealth
publishDate 2012
url http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110329162349
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3384
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