Politics in the Rearview Mirror

Disaster Politics: The Impact of Helene and Milton on the US Presidential Election

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In less than two weeks, the southeast of the USA was hit by two hurricanes Helene and Milton, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee and causing millions of dollars in private and public property damages. Joining the podcast to discuss the academic literature on the consequences of natural disasters on elections and how Helene and Milton might affect the final weeks of the US Presidential election is Dr. David Andersen, an Associate Professor of US Politics at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs.


To learn more about David and his research visit his website: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/david-j-andersen/


References and literature discussed during this episode:

  • Achen, C. H., & Bartels, L. M. (2012). Blind retrospection: Why shark attacks are bad for democracy.Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Vanderbilt University. Working Paper, 10.
  • Achen, C. H., & Bartels, L. M. (2017). Democracy for realists: Why elections do not produce responsive government. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
  • Fair, C. C., P. M. Kuhn, N. Malhotra and J. N. Shapiro 2017. Natural Disasters and Political Engagement: Evidence from the 2010-11 Pakistani Floods. Quarterly Journal of Political Science 12(1), 99-141
  • Fowler, A., & Hall, A. B. (2018). Do shark attacks influence presidential elections? Reassessing a prominent finding on voter competence. The Journal of Politics, 80(4), 1423-1437.
  • Healy, A. J., Malhotra, N., & Mo, C. H. (2010). Irrelevant events affect voters' evaluations of government performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(29), 12804-12809.
  • Heersink, B., Jenkins, J. A., Olson, M. P., & Peterson, B. D. (2020). Natural disasters, ‘partisan retrospection,’ and US presidential elections. Political Behavior, 44(4), 1-22.
  • James, T. S., A. Clark, and E. Asplund (2023). Elections During Emergencies and Crisis: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Online: https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/elections-during-emergencies-and-crises-en.pdf [Last Accessed: 18/10/2024].
  • Rubin, O. (2020). The political dynamics of voter retrospection and disaster responses. Disasters, 44(2), 239-261.
  • Rudolph, L. and P. M. Kuhn 2018. Natural Disasters and Political Participation: Evidence from the 2002 and 2013 Floods in Germany. German Politics 26(1), 1-24.
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    Politics in the Rearview MirrorBy School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA), Durham University