Working paper:


       -- Jerry Ellig Award for Best Student Paper at Benefit-Cost Analysis Annual Conference, 2023

Revise and Resubmit at Regional Science and Urban Economics

Abstract: Assessing the flood risk belief associated with flood maps and flooding events is crucial for land-use regulations and flood preparation plans, particularly with the increasing prominence of extreme weather in recent years. Using Zillow’s ZTRAX property transaction data and FEMA’s floodplain maps, this paper looks at the effects of map changes and flooding events on Kentucky’s housing market. I show that housing values decrease by 6.5% when a property is mapped into a floodplain in an area that has experienced a large flood within a year and increase by 4% when a property is removed from a floodplain in an area without one recently. The findings provide evidence that individuals’ responses to change in flood risk based on both recent flooding and flood maps provided by FEMA and that the changes in flood zone status alone might not be a strong signal for increased risks.

Abstract: Environmental justice research has focused on the inequalities along the lines of racial and socioeconomic status with respect to application of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Although the intent of the Safe Drinking Water Act is to provide clean drinking water for everyone, some communities throughout the country have disproportionately experienced compromised water systems due to high-impact agriculture, industrial pollution, and failing infrastructure. This paper uses SDWA water system violations and county-level demographic data to investigate whether there exist socioeconomic disparities in the duration of exposure to contaminants in drinking water.