Graduation Year
Spring 2014
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Economics
Reader 1
Mary Evans
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2014 Alexander P. Kalish
Abstract
The power of natural disasters to significantly and drastically alter the lives of the people they touch is vast, and the response rate of the provided aid can be the difference between a successful recovery and not. This study examines the relationship between natural disasters and volunteerism. The analysis makes use of panel data measurements on volunteer rate and volunteer hours per resident as well as FEMA measurements of major natural disasters from 2005 – 2012. I find that states that experience a natural disaster in the current year experience a significant and positive increase in volunteer rate in the year following the disaster. The findings highlight the importance of policy focused on harnessing volunteer labor in the wake of natural disasters.
Recommended Citation
Kalish, Alexander P., "The Effect of Natural Disasters on Volunteerism" (2014). CMC Senior Theses. 916.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/916
