Natural hazards and public choice : the state and local politics of hazard mitigation

Online version:

Front Cover; Natural Hazards and Public Choice: The State and Local Politics of Hazard Mitigation; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; PREFACE; LIST OF TABLES; Chapter 1. Policy, Politics, and Natural Hazards: An Overview of Themes and Findings; The Study; The Policy Options; The Salience of Natural Hazards; Support for Policy Alternatives; Popular Assessments of Hazards and Hazard Policies; Elite Appraisals of the NFIP; Patterns of Interest, Group Activity, and Power; Summary; Chapter 2. The Study Design; Defining the Universe; Sampling States; Sampling Local Communities Selecting Potential RespondentsInterviewing Elites; Who Are the Elite?; The California Resident Survey; Acknowledgments; Chapter 3. How Important Are Natural Hazards Problems to State and Community Elites?; Perceived Seriousness of Natural Hazards; Other Serious Problems Mentioned; Do Some Care More Than Others?; Why Some Care; Variation in Hazard Seriousness among States; Variation in Hazard Seriousness among Local Communities; Perceived Hazard Seriousness: Local versus State Elites; Determinants of Individual Seriousness Ratings: Local Elites Conclusions: On the Seriousness of Natural HazardsChapter 4. Elite Support Levels for Federal Disaster Policy Alternatives; Measuring Support for Global Policy Alternatives; The Mutability of Disaster Policy Preference; Policy Endorsements of Elite Positions; Determinants of Policy Approval by Individuals at the Local Level; Results by States and Local Communities; Assessments of Specific Hazard-Management Programs; Summary and Conclusions; Chapter 5. Popular Assessments of Hazards and Hazards Policies: The Case of California's Nine Communities; Californians' Ratings of Hazard Seriousness Levels of Disaster PreparednessAttitudes toward Federal Hazard-Management Policies; Conclusions; Chapter 6. Elite Appraisals of the NFIP; Background; Legislation Relevant to the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968; Community Participation; The Role of the Government; The Reactions of State Elites; State Floodplain Regulations and NFIP; State versus Local Elites: Mean Opinions, by State; The Reactions of Local Elites; The Problems, Controversies, and Future of the NFIP; Summary and Conclusions Chapter 7. Patterns of Interest and Power in Nonstructural Hazard-Mitigation Politics in Local CommunitiesLevels of Local Community Activity, by Group and Position; Patterns of Influence; Regular Contact with Groups; Elite Favorability toward Nonstructural Hazard-Mitigation Measures; Who Influences the Elites?; Who Influences City Hall?; Summary and Conclusions; Chapter 8. Patterns of Group Activity and Power in State Hazard-Mitigation Legislation; Activity Levels; Correlates of Cluster Activity Levels; Perceived Importance of Groups and Positions