In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Yanjun (Penny) Liao, a fellow at Resources for the Future, about the effect of weather-related disasters on local government finances. Liao discusses how municipalities, states, and the federal government provide disaster aid; how these disasters can affect tax revenues and the ability of local governments to provide community services; and how the fiscal impacts of natural disasters differ between higher- and lower-income communities.

References and recommendations:

“The Fiscal Impacts of Wildfires on California Municipalities” by Yanjun (Penny) Liao and Carolyn Kousky; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/the-fiscal-impacts-of-wildfires-on-california-municipalities/

“Extreme Weather Events and Local Fiscal Responses: Evidence from U.S. Counties” by Qing Miao, Michael Abrigo, Yilin Hou, and Yanjun (Penny) Liao; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/extreme-weather-events-and-local-fiscal-responses-evidence-from-us-counties/

“The Economic Incidence of Wildfire Suppression in the United States” by Patrick Baylis and Judd Boomhower; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20200662

“Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards” by Susan L. Cutter, Bryan J. Boruff, and W. Lynn Shirley; https://www.jstor.org/stable/42955868

“Devotions” by Mary Oliver; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/536247/devotions-by-mary-oliver/

“Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening” by Douglas Brinkley; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/silent-spring-revolution-douglas-brinkley