Disasters and Development

The course begins with a series of lectures that link natural extremes with disasters consequences in the development context. We explain the physical phenomenology of natural extreme events, how and why they originate, the limits to which they can be predicted and the extent to which measures can be taken to reduce their harm. The focus is on those extremes that have historically proven to have the greatest consequences - earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and droughts. We then describe the social phenomenology especially the macroeconomic consequences of disasters. Here we are in relatively new territory and we will call on analogies with well-established economic shocks such as currency slums and financial crises to explain how disaster shocks might differentially impact societies at varying development levels. We then discuss how the UN and other international agencies deal with disasters.