From Disaster to Discovery: The Regional Scientific Response to Katrina Hurricane Season

In this Academic Research Seminar, Salvatore Viola will present his paper “From Disaster to Discovery: The Regional Scientific Response to Katrina Hurricane Season.” The paper is co-authored by Ernest Miguelez and Rosina Moreno.

Paper Abstract: This paper investigates how natural disasters shape the direction of science. Treating the 2005 U.S. hurricane season, and Hurricane Katrina in particular, as an exogenous shock, we estimate its effects on regional scientific output and on specialization in hurricane- and climate change-related research. We assign OpenAlex publication data to U.S. Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) and identify affected regions using housing damage reports. Difference-in-differences estimates show that affected regions were 14.9 percentage points more likely to specialize in hurricane-related research. This effect persisted for around six years post-disaster and occurred despite muted effects in climate change-related science and an overall decline in scientific output. Exploratory analyses suggest the effect was stronger in regions with higher pre-disaster relatedness density, and that collaborations between affected and unaffected regions helped support scientific activity in affected areas. Our findings offer new evidence on the directional response of science to climate-related natural disasters. They also suggest that building research capacity around specific regional vulnerabilities, supported by sustained funding, may strengthen regional scientific resilience.

Speaker: Salvatore Viola, PhD student in Economics at the University of Barcelona

Speaker Bio: Salvatore Viola is a PhD student in Economics at the University of Barcelona, where he is affiliated with the Regional Quantitative Analysis Group (AQR-IREA). He works under the supervision of Rosina Moreno and Ernest Miguélez. His research interests include the geography of innovation, the economics of science, and high-skilled migration. His current work examines how migrant inventors spur regional diversification into green technologies and how natural disasters influence the direction of scientific research. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MSc in Economics from the University of Barcelona.

Whether attending in person or virtually, please register in advance.

The Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development.