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  5. Sea Level Rise and Urban Inequality

AEA Papers and Proceedings

ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)

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Sea Level Rise and Urban Inequality

  • Allan Hsiao
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 114, May 2024
(pp. 47–51)
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Abstract

Sea level rise threatens coastal cities around the world. Will it exacerbate inequality in these already unequal places? The rich may adapt by moving to higher ground, bidding up prices and pushing the poor elsewhere. I study the distributional consequences of this spatial sorting with a simple quantitative model and granular data from Jakarta, a flood-prone megacity of 32 million. I find that sea level rise will double inequality in flood exposure.

Citation

Hsiao, Allan. 2024. "Sea Level Rise and Urban Inequality." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 114: 47–51. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20241011

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
  • O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
  • O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
  • Q25 Renewable Resources and Conservation: Water
  • Q54 Climate; Natural Disasters and Their Management; Global Warming