Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd...
-
Upload
gloria-dennis -
Category
Documents
-
view
221 -
download
0
Transcript of Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd...
![Page 1: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Assessing the Benefits of Levees:An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees
Ezra BoydGeography Graduate Student
Louisiana State University
Research sponsored by
![Page 2: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Outline
• Data, hypothesis, and theory• Analysis and results• A look at Louisiana County with Levees• Conclusions
![Page 3: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
FEMA’s List of US Counties With Levees
• Based on the National Flood Insurance Database• Sept 2009: Levees.org obtains data from FEMA
through FOIA– Data requested in March 2009
• Oct 2009: Entered data in GIS and mapped– First map supported by La. State Medical Society
• Dec 2009: Used Census 2000 SF 3 data to examine the economic and social conditions associated with populations near levees
![Page 4: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Basic Statistics from FEMA
55% of population lives in 28% of counties
Suggests “Pull Factor”A social or economic benefit that encourages
population settlement and growth
![Page 5: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
![Page 6: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
‘County with Levee’Proxy For
‘Population settled in and near a floodplain’
• Geography: The study of the Earth as the home of humans
• Geographers are interested in population trends and patterns
• Hazard geographers are interested in how environmental hazards influence population trends
• Example: Human settlement and modification of floodplains
![Page 7: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Real and Perceived
Economic and Social BenefitsOf Floodplains
Human Settlement and
Expansionin Floodplains
Structural Modifications of Floodplain’s
Landscape
Hypothesized Correlation betweenLevees and Social & Economic
Wellbeing
![Page 8: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
The ContextConstanza, et al: Summary of Average Global Value of Annual Ecosystem
Services– Coastal: $4,000 (per hectacre per year)– Wetlands: $14,800– Forest: $970
Braumann, et al: “What is the spatial relationship between ecosystem services supply and consumption?”
United Nations:
“Recent studies have shown that the overwhelming bulk of humanity isconcentrated along or near coasts on just 10% of the earth’s land surface. As of 1998, over half the population of the planet — about 3.2 billion people — lives and works in a coastal strip just 200 kilometers wide (120 miles), while a full two-thirds, 4 billion, are found within 400 kilometers of a coast.”
![Page 9: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
![Page 10: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
The Theoretical Arguments
Miletti: flood losses are “primarily the consequence of narrow and shortsighted development patterns, cultural premises, and attitudes.”
Burby: government investment in flood preventions levees forms a “safe development paradox”
Bahr: “What I think was irrational was the manner in which the formerly booming port city built above sea level sprawled into and destroyed a protective coastal swampforest basin.”
![Page 11: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Data Analysis
Used FIPs Code to join the Counties with Levees list to 2000 Census SF 3 dataset– Dataset included county population, per capita income, and %
income below poverty rate– Total income = population x per capita income
= proxy for county GDP
Exploratory mapping to assess the prevailing trends
Statistical analysis to compare the US counties with and without levees – T-test compares average value of population, per capita income,
total income, poverty rate
![Page 12: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Three Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1 – Total productivity is greater in counties with levees.
Hypothesis 2 – Personal income is greater in counties with levees.
Hypothesis 3 – Poverty rates are less in counties with levees.
![Page 13: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
The Maps
![Page 14: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
US Counties with Levees
![Page 15: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Population andCounties with Levees
![Page 16: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Total Income andCounties with Levees
![Page 17: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Per Capita Income andCounties with Levees
![Page 18: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Poverty Rate andCounties with Levees
![Page 19: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Statistical Results
Indicator t-statistic p-value Mean, Levees Mean, No Levees Interpretation
Total Productivity -7.3559 3.98E-13 $3,840,812,166 $1,168,502,109
Total productivity is nearly 3.3 times greater in counties with levees
Per Capita Income
-8.7017 < 2.2e-16 $18,341 $16,846Persons in counties with levees earned an average of nearing $1,500 more in
2000
Poverty Rate 7.0739 2.00E-12 13.59% 15.69% Poverty rate was 2% less in
counties with levees
![Page 20: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Statistical Results
The results support all three of the hypotheses; the difference in the means is statistically significant with substantive implications:
• Hypothesis 1 – Is productivity greater in counties with levees?=> Yes. The average county with levees produces nearly 3.3 times (or $2.6 billion) more in annual goods and services.
• Hypothesis 2 – Is personal income greater in counties with levees?=> Yes, the average resident in a county with levees earns $1,500 more per year.
• Hypothesis 3 – Is poverty less prevalent in counties with levees?=> Yes, the poverty rate averages 2% less in counties with levees.
![Page 21: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Louisiana Case Study
Levees % Levees No Levees % No Levees
Number of Parishes
37 57.81% 27 42.19%
Total Population
3,228,050 73.58% 1,180,926 26.42%
Total Workers
1,361,548 74.36% 469,509 25.64%
Sum of Total Income
$57,219,654,011 75.71% $18,361,632,279 24.29%
Average of Total Income
$1,546,477,135 $680,060,455
Average of Per Capita Income
$15,055 $14,228
Average of Poverty Rate
22.38% 21.41%
![Page 22: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Louisiana Parisheswith Levees
![Page 23: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Louisiana Urban Areas and Parishes with Levees
![Page 24: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Population Z-score andParishes with Levees
![Page 25: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Total Income Z-score andParishes with Levees
![Page 26: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Per Capita Income Z-Score andParishes with Levees
![Page 27: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Poverty Rate Z-score andParishes with Levees
![Page 28: Assessing the Benefits of Levees: An Economic Assessment of U.S. Counties with Levees Ezra Boyd Geography Graduate Student Louisiana State University Research.](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e855503460f94b88529/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Conclusions
Human settlement and modification in floodplains:– 55% of American’s live in county with levees– They earn more, produce more, and require less expenditures on poverty
programs– In Louisiana, nearly 75% of personal income is earned in counties with levees.
Is it really a “paradox” that government’s pursue policies that encourage economic growth and increased tax base?– In 1999, government collected an additional $70 billion in taxes from
floodprone counties.– $5.3 billion in total flood loses for that year
Is it really “narrow and shortsighted” or “irrational” to want to earn more?