School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
Risk Anal. 2018 Mar;38(3):489-503. doi: 10.1111/risa.12853. Epub 2017 Jun 27.
Flooding remains a major problem for the United States, causing numerous deaths and damaging countless properties. To reduce the impact of flooding on communities, the U.S. government established the Community Rating System (CRS) in 1990 to reduce flood damages by incentivizing communities to engage in flood risk management initiatives that surpass those required by the National Flood Insurance Program. In return, communities enjoy discounted flood insurance premiums. Despite the fact that the CRS raises concerns about the potential for unevenly distributed impacts across different income groups, no study has examined the equity implications of the CRS. This study thus investigates the possibility of unintended consequences of the CRS by answering the question: What is the effect of the CRS on poverty and income inequality? Understanding the impacts of the CRS on poverty and income inequality is useful in fully assessing the unintended consequences of the CRS. The study estimates four fixed-effects regression models using a panel data set of neighborhood-level observations from 1970 to 2010. The results indicate that median incomes are lower in CRS communities, but rise in floodplains. Also, the CRS attracts poor residents, but relocates them away from floodplains. Additionally, the CRS attracts top earners, including in floodplains. Finally, the CRS encourages income inequality, but discourages income inequality in floodplains. A better understanding of these unintended consequences of the CRS on poverty and income inequality can help to improve the design and performance of the CRS and, ultimately, increase community resilience to flood disasters.
洪水仍然是美国的一个主要问题，造成了许多人员死亡和无数财产损失。为了减少洪水对社区的影响，美国政府于 1990 年建立了社区评级系统（CRS），通过激励社区采取国家洪水保险计划要求之外的洪水风险管理措施来减少洪水破坏，从而享受打折的洪水保险费。尽管 CRS 引起了人们对不同收入群体之间可能存在不平等影响的担忧，但没有研究考察过 CRS 的公平性影响。因此，本研究通过回答以下问题来调查 CRS 可能带来的意外后果：CRS 对贫困和收入不平等有什么影响？了解 CRS 对贫困和收入不平等的影响对于全面评估 CRS 的意外后果很有用。该研究使用 1970 年至 2010 年邻里层面观察的面板数据集，估计了四个固定效应回归模型。结果表明，CRS 社区的中位数收入较低，但洪泛区的收入上升。此外，CRS 吸引了贫困居民，但将他们从洪泛区迁移出去。此外，CRS 吸引了高收入者，包括在洪泛区。最后，CRS 鼓励收入不平等，但在洪泛区却抑制了收入不平等。更好地了解 CRS 对贫困和收入不平等的这些意外后果，可以帮助改进 CRS 的设计和绩效，并最终提高社区对洪水灾害的抵御能力。
