Climate Risk and Preferences over the Size of Government: Evidence from California Wildfires

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Coury, Michael
• 署名单位: State University of New York (SUNY) System; University at Buffalo, SUNY
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01286
• 发表日期: 2025-05
• 页码: 697-710
• 关键词: extreme weather events; natural disasters; SALIENCE; demand; belief; views

摘要

How does exposure to risk shape individual preferences foran expanded state? I examine this question in the context of climatechange-related risk. Using variation in California wildfire activity, I showneighborhoods experiencing large fires increase support by 0.8 percentagepoints for ballot initiatives which expand the size of government and by2.4 percentage points for ballot initiatives endorsed by pro-environmentinterest groups. The effect is stronger in Republican areas and is notdriven by shifts in voter registration or turnout, suggesting the mechanismacts through changes in individual preferences rather than compositionalchanges in the electorate