The Martin Beckmann RSAI Annual Award for the Best Paper in Papers in Regional Science

Winner 2023

RSAI has the great pleasure to announce that the jury consisting of Budy Resosudarmo (PRSCO), William Strange (NARSC), Isabelle Thomas (ERSA) and Rosella Nicolini, EiC of the journal chose the article:

Jhorland Ayala-García and Sandy Dall'Erba (2022) The Impact of preemptive investments on Natural disasters, published in Papers in Regional Science, Volume 101, Issue 5, Pages 1087-1103.

Motivation:

This study delivers a very original contribution to the current and relevant debate on the role of institutions and public policies aiming at contrasting the socioeconomic impact of natural disasters on citizens’ life. The authors implement a precise research strategy approaching physical geography to regional science. They exploit novel and original data combining satellite information with public finance data for Colombian municipality and propose different indicators for approximating the market and non-market losses of landslide-related events (associated with extreme rainfalls events due to climate change). The empirical analysis relies on a robust IV approach building on a very attentive selection of covariates fitting the proposed indicators. The conclusion is a direct message to institutions and policy-makers demanding effective measures to protect lives and assets of the most vulnerable population.

as the winner of the Martin Beckmann Prize as the best paper published in Papers in Regional Science in 2022.