The mathematical and statistical complexity of economic research increased remarkably over the past century. While criticisms of the trend abound, the "wisdom of crowds" argument creates a presumption that the profession's acceptance of increasing mathematical sophistication is a net...

Several recent powerful tornadoes have raised interest among the public and policymakers in tornado shelters. We estimate casualty functions (fatalities, injuries) based on factors like storm intensity, county population density, and time of day, using historical data from Oklahoma and then...

We review the literature on business activity and disasters, and specifically hurricanes. An overview of the papers in the special issue on Economic Loss and Hurricane Katrina is provided.

In 1978 Congress weakened several key provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which had been enacted only five years earlier. The objective is to compare alternative explanations for this policy reversal. Copyright (c) 2004 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.