22. Socio-economic impacts of natural disasters in the climate transition

Sessione 22

Socio-economic impacts of natural disasters in the climate transition

Chairs: Valentina Peruzzi (Sapienza University of Rome)

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Description

This session focuses on the socio-economic effects of natural disasters within the broader context of the climate and ecological transition. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme events—such as floods, heatwaves, wildfires, and earthquakes—natural disasters are becoming a structural social risk rather than an exceptional emergency. Their impacts extend well beyond immediate damage, reshaping labour markets, welfare systems, territorial inequalities, and social cohesion.

The session aims to explore how natural disasters intersect with existing social and economic inequalities, often disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, disadvantaged territories, and fragile welfare systems. 

Contributions may examine the short- and long-term consequences of disasters on employment, income distribution, health, housing, and access to social services, as well as the role of public policies in prevention, adaptation, and post-disaster recovery.

In addition, the session explicitly addresses behavioral responses to natural disasters, including individual and collective reactions to risk, uncertainty, and loss. Papers may investigate how perceptions of risk, trust in institutions, social norms, and cognitive biases shape preparedness, adaptive strategies, mobility decisions, labour supply, and support for redistributive and climate-related policies. Attention is also given to behavioral change over time, learning processes following repeated exposure to extreme events, and differences across social groups and territories.

Particular attention is devoted to issues of climate justice and environmental inequality, including unequal exposure to risks, differentiated adaptive capacities, and the governance of disaster response at local, national, and supranational levels. The session also welcomes analyses of urban and rural contexts, migration and displacement induced by environmental shocks, and the involvement of third sector actors and local communities in resilience- building processes.

Contributi:

The Long Run Effects of Earthquakes on Individuals' Behaviour and Preferences. A Field Experiment in Italy
Giuseppe Attanasi (Università di Roma, La Sapienza)
Co-authors: Annamaria Nese, Luigi Senatore (University of Salerno);
Patrizia Sbriglia (Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania)

Evaluating the Impact of the 2016 Central Italy Earthquakes on Gambling Expenditures
Jeffrey Avedisian (Università di Roma, La Sapienza)

“Imagine that’s no border”: The case of transnational floods
Davide Di Marcoberardino (Università di Macerata)
Co-authors: Giulio Breglia, Marco Modica (Gran Sasso Science Institute)

Voting under pressure
Monica Anna Giovanniello (Università delle Isole Baleari)
Co-authors: Veronica Leoni (Università delle Isole Baleari)

Natural Disaster Exposure and Climate Change Beliefs
Salvatore Vergine (Università Politecnica delle Marche)
Co-authors: Valentina Peruzzi, Maria Luigia Signore (Università di Roma, La Sapienza)