The Economic Cost of A Hurricane: A Case Study of Puerto Rico and Hurricane Georges 1998 Using Synthetic Control Method

Daniel Albalate and Gabriel Padró-Rosario ()
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Gabriel Padró-Rosario: Departament de Econometria, Estadística y Economia Aplicada, Universitat de Barcelona, John Maynard Keynes 1-11, 08034, Barcelona.

No 201827, IREA Working Papers from University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics

Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long–term effect of a hurricane in the output of a country. The study estimates the effects of Hurricane Georges on Puerto Rico in 1998 using aggregated level data. To do so, this research uses a suitable method for comparative studies, the synthetic control method. Hurricane Georges caused an estimate of US$4.3 billion in direct damages. The results give validity to recent studies on natural disasters providing negative effects on growth. It was found that the Purchasing Power Parity over GDP could have been 9 percent higher by 2010 if the hurricane would have never affected Puerto Rico. Moreover, it shows that Puerto Rico’s economy has yet to recover after 12 years of the event. The case of Georges brings an insight into the long–term impacts of a natural disaster as a singular event. A difference in time and country is conducted as an alternative method with also negative effects on the dependable variable.

Keywords: Synthetic Control Method; Hurricane Georges; Puerto Rico; Growth JEL classification:C20; O04; Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2018-11, Revised 2018-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ira:wpaper:201827

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