Floods, Droughts, and Markets

Course Description

This seminar course examines the economic dimensions of hydrological extremes—floods and droughts—and the market-based mechanisms designed to mitigate their impacts. Students will read and discuss academic articles related to these topics, including flood and agricultural insurance programs, water pricing and allocation, water markets, governmental disaster relief programs, and methods to measure the economic consequences of hydrological extremes. Both U.S. and international settings will be discussed.