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After the Storm: Social Capital Regrouping in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina
August 23, 2006
Due to the policies of the journal to which this paper has been submitted, we are currently unable to offer electronic copies. To request a paper copy, please contact Daniel Rothschild.
This working paper examines the role social capital is playing in the post-Katrina recovery process, in particular, how social capital resources are being deployed to overcome the collective action problem associated with post-disaster recovery. The usual assumption is that large-scale government response offers the only viable path towards successful recovery. Qualitative analysis presented here suggests that the resources found within civil society represent an alternative paradigm for how communities can rebound. Dr. Chamlee-Wright identifies four patterns by which residents and business owners are creating and leveraging social capital assets in their interactions with each other and other elements within civil society. She concludes that government disaster response and redevelopment policy should be crafted and executed in such a way that it does not unduly inhibit civil society’s ability to respond.
Key Words: social capital, collective action problem, post-disaster recovery
JEL Codes: B52, B53, D83, Z13
The ideas presented in this research are the author's and do not represent official positions of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
