Bridges to Nowhere? An Investigation of Physical vs. Social Infrastructure

• In Event: The Politics of Disaster Response: COVID-19 and Beyond

Abstract

Societies around the world seek to mitigate and adapt to shocks like climate change induced flooding and extreme weather. The vast majority of investment, though, focuses on gray infrastructure, such as berms, dams, seawalls, and armored coasts, rather than on social infrastructure, such as parks, public schools, community centers, libraries, citizen science, radio programming, and other social capital building spaces. Using a new quantitative dataset of 130 Japanese cities, towns, and villages over 10 years - including the period of 3/11 triple disasters - this paper illuminates the consequences from investing in physical rather than social infrastructure. Using several different analytical techniques, including difference in difference and coarsened exact matching, this paper tracks the relationship between outcomes like suicide, in/out migration, divorce, and crime and government sponsored physical and social infrastructure investment. Given the rising damage from global warming, this research brings clear ways forward for policy makers seeking to build resilience.

Author

• Daniel P. Aldrich, Northeastern University