Extreme weather events, home damage, and the eroding locus of control

IF 6.6 2区经济学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Ecological Economics Pub Date : 2025-05-02 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108659

Ha Trong Nguyen, Francis Mitrou

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The catastrophic consequences of natural disasters on social and economic systems are extensively documented, yet their influence on individuals' sense of control over their life outcomes remains unexplored. This study pioneers an investigation into the causal effects of natural disaster-related home damage on the locus of control. Utilizing Australian longitudinal data, we implement an individual fixed effects instrumental variables approach leveraging time-varying, exogenous exposure to local cyclones to address confounding factors. Our findings provide robust evidence that natural disaster-induced home damage statistically significantly and substantially diminishes individuals' perception of control, particularly for those at the lower end of the internal locus of control distribution, who are more vulnerable. This effect is disproportionately pronounced among older individuals, renters, and those from lower-income households. This newfound understanding offers opportunities for developing targeted interventions and support mechanisms to enhance resilience and assist these vulnerable populations following natural disasters.

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极端天气事件，房屋损坏，以及失控

自然灾害对社会和经济制度造成的灾难性后果已得到广泛记载，但其对个人对其生活结果的控制感的影响仍未得到探讨。本研究开创了自然灾害相关的家庭损害对控制点的因果影响的调查。利用澳大利亚的纵向数据，我们实施了个体固定效应工具变量方法，利用时变的外源性暴露于当地气旋来解决混淆因素。我们的研究结果提供了强有力的证据，表明自然灾害导致的房屋损坏在统计上显著地降低了个人的控制感，特别是对于那些处于内部控制点分布低端的人来说，他们更容易受到伤害。这种影响在老年人、租房者和低收入家庭中尤为明显。这一新发现为制定有针对性的干预措施和支持机制提供了机会，以增强自然灾害后的复原力并帮助这些弱势群体。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ecological Economics 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

12.00

自引率

5.70%

发文量

313

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Ecological Economics is concerned with extending and integrating the understanding of the interfaces and interplay between "nature''s household" (ecosystems) and "humanity''s household" (the economy). Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field defined by a set of concrete problems or challenges related to governing economic activity in a way that promotes human well-being, sustainability, and justice. The journal thus emphasizes critical work that draws on and integrates elements of ecological science, economics, and the analysis of values, behaviors, cultural practices, institutional structures, and societal dynamics. The journal is transdisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, drawing on the insights offered by a variety of intellectual traditions, and appealing to a diverse readership. Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales from local to regional to global, implications of thermodynamics for economics and ecology, renewable resource management and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the implications of alternative assumptions, economic and ecological consequences of genetically engineered organisms, and gene pool inventory and management, alternative principles for valuing natural wealth, integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony, etc. New issues in this area are rapidly emerging and will find a ready forum in Ecological Economics.