Do Natural Disasters Enhance Societal Trust?

Summary In this article we investigate the relationship between disasters and societal trust. A growing body research suggests that factors such as income inequality, ethnic fractionalization and religious heritage are important determinants of social capital in general and trust in particular. We p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Kyklos (Basel) 2014-05, Vol.67 (2), p.255-279
Main Authors:	Toya, Hideki, Skidmore, Mark
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Disasters Economic impact Economic impact analysis Economic potential Income inequality Natural disasters Social capital Social sciences Spillovers Studies Trust
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Summary In this article we investigate the relationship between disasters and societal trust. A growing body research suggests that factors such as income inequality, ethnic fractionalization and religious heritage are important determinants of social capital in general and trust in particular. We present new panel data evidence of another important determinant of trust – the frequency of natural disasters. Frequent naturally occurring events such as storms require (and provide opportunity for) societies to work closely together to meet their challenges. While natural disasters can have devastating human and economic impacts, a potential spillover benefit of greater disaster exposure may be a more tightly knit society.
ISSN:	0023-5962 1467-6435