The economics of natural hazards

For social scientists and those affected directly or indirectly by natural disasters, 52 articles reproduced from their publication in professional journals and other publications during the second half of the 20th century consider hazards and risk from an economic perspective. They cover foundations, risk perception and its economic impact, direct losses and the distribution of impacts, regional and economy-wide impacts, the role of forecasting in reducing disaster impacts, reducing risks through self-protection, structural mitigation measures, the role of disaster insurance, financial coverage against catastrophic losses, developing private-public partnerships for managing disasters, recovery and reconstruction, the integrated assessment of hazards, sustainability and disaster-resistant communities, and the economics of disasters in developing countries.