Disasters radically change people's lives and an area's economic environment. Some people lose their sources of income while simultaneously facing huge expenditures to make their homes habitable again. Others lose parts of their customer bases as people decide to leave the disaster-stricken...

I look at whether a founder of a successful startup or an employee of a successful startup is valued more as the founders of the next startup. I find that employees, despite taking a lesser risk, are valued better than founders when expressed as the perceived probability of success. We also find...