TY - JOUR
T1 - US government natural disaster assistance
T2 - Historical analysis and a proposal for the future
AU - Barnett, Barry J.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1999/6
Y1 - 1999/6
N2 - Governments often provide grants or low-interest loans to disaster victims. Yet these programmes have proven to be quite costly. In addition, questions have been raised about associated behavioural incentives. Conceptually, government disaster insurance programmes should be more efficient, consistent and equitable than ex post facto disaster relief in the form of grants and loans. Yet the performance of government disaster insurance programmes has been mixed, at best. This article reviews the history of US federal natural disaster assistance to individuals and concludes with a recommendation for a new government role in the provision of disaster insurance.
AB - Governments often provide grants or low-interest loans to disaster victims. Yet these programmes have proven to be quite costly. In addition, questions have been raised about associated behavioural incentives. Conceptually, government disaster insurance programmes should be more efficient, consistent and equitable than ex post facto disaster relief in the form of grants and loans. Yet the performance of government disaster insurance programmes has been mixed, at best. This article reviews the history of US federal natural disaster assistance to individuals and concludes with a recommendation for a new government role in the provision of disaster insurance.
KW - Disaster relief
KW - Disaster theory
KW - Insurance
KW - USA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033150273&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033150273&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1467-7717.00110
DO - 10.1111/1467-7717.00110
M3 - Article
C2 - 10379097
AN - SCOPUS:0033150273
SN - 0361-3666
VL - 23
SP - 139
EP - 155
JO - Disasters
JF - Disasters
IS - 2
ER -