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Disaster management

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  • Agnes Norris Keiller
  • John Van Reenen

Abstract

Climate change is making natural disasters more frequent, yet little is known about the capacity of firms to withstand such disasters and adapt to their increased frequency. We examine this issue using the latest wave of the World Management Survey (WMS) that includes new questions on firms' climate change perceptions and adaptation behaviour. Combining this with geocoded data on natural disasters and previous WMS waves, we create a panel spanning 8,000 firms across 33 countries and three decades that shows exposure to disasters decreases growth inputs, outputs and firm survival. More importantly, firms with structured management practices are more resilient, suffering much smaller drops in jobs and capital. To understand the mechanisms behind this resilience, we use the new WMS climate questions to show better managed firms have more accurate perceptions of climate-related risks to their businesses. Such firms are also more likely to have implemented measures to adapt to climate change both overall and in response to their perceived climate risk. Other aspects of firm organisation, such as decentralisation, also help protect against disasters, but their adaptation behaviour is not well-targeted. These results show that improving management is one way to help protect economies from climate change shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnes Norris Keiller & John Van Reenen, 2024. "Disaster management," CEP Discussion Papers dp2007, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martin, Ralf & Muûls, Mirabelle & de Preux, Laure B. & Wagner, Ulrich J., 2012. "Anatomy of a paradox: Management practices, organizational structure and energy efficiency," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 208-223.
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    6. Matthew E. Kahn, 2005. "The Death Toll from Natural Disasters: The Role of Income, Geography, and Institutions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 87(2), pages 271-284, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate; natural disasters; management practices; firm performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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