Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model

Li Peng; Jing Tan

doi:10.1007/s13753-023-00523-9

Volume 14 Issue 6

Dec. 2023

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Li Peng, Jing Tan. Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2023, 14(6): 919-931. doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00523-9

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Li Peng, Jing Tan. Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2023, 14(6): 919-931. doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00523-9

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Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model

doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00523-9

Li Peng¹,
Jing Tan^{2,3
,
,}

1. College of Geography and Resources, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610101, China;
2. School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China;
3. Center for Public Economics & Public Policy, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

Funds:

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42071222), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (No. 2022JDJQ0015), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2023CDSKXYGG006), and the Tianfu Qingcheng Program (No. ZX20220027). The authors are grateful for the receipt of these funds.

Accepted Date: 2023-12-08
Publish Date: 2023-12-18

Abstract

Abstract

In mountainous rural settlements facing the threat of geohazards, local adaptation is a self-organizing process influenced by individual and group behaviors. Encouraging a wide range of local populations to embrace geohazard adaptation strategies emerges as a potent means of mitigating disaster risks. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neighbors influence individuals’ adaptation decisions, as well as to unravel the mechanisms through which neighborhood effects exert their influence. We employed a spatial Durbin model and a series of robustness checks to confirm the results. The dataset used in this research came from a face-to-face survey involving 516 respondents residing in 32 rural settlements highly susceptible to geohazards. Our empirical results reveal that neighborhood effects are an important determinant of adaptation to geohazards. That is, a farmer’s adaptation decision is influenced by the adaptation choices of his/her neighbors. Furthermore, when neighbors adopt adaptation strategies, the focal individuals may also want to adapt, both because they learn from their neighbors’ choices (social learning) and because they tend to abide by the majority’s choice (social norms). Incorporating neighborhood effects into geohazard adaptation studies offers a new perspective for promoting disaster risk reduction decision making.
- Disaster risk reduction,
- Geohazard adaptation,
- Neighborhood effects,
- Rural China,
- Spatial Durbin model (SDM)

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References(45)

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