Disparities in the U.S. Ecosocial Safety Net
Disparities in the U.S. Ecosocial Safety Net
This research stream examines how climate adaptation and disaster relief systems intersect with existing social inequalities in the United States. Through quantitative analysis of administrative data and qualitative case studies, I trace how federal and philanthropic disaster response creates a bifurcated "public-private" ecowelfare system that amplifies rather than reduces vulnerability.
Key Projects:
- Divided Ecowelfare State: Maps how corporate disaster philanthropy and federal relief form a highly centralized system across major U.S. disasters, with differential access based on race, class, and geography
- Adapting the Safety Net: Tests how disasters reshape enrollment in TANF, SNAP, UI, LIHEAP, and Medicaid—revealing whether climate-adapted programs absorb or amplify enrollment shocks
- Fueling Ecowelfare: Builds a global typology of energy and utility assistance as "regressive offsetting," showing how program designs shape energy poverty and just-transition feasibility
Methods:
Administrative data analysis, difference-in-differences estimation, event-history modeling, comparative policy analysis