Skip to main content

Social capital and social learning after Hurricane Sandy

The Review of Austrian Economics volume 30, pages 447–467 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The post-disaster context is one characterized by profound uncertainty. Those affected by the storm, or earthquake, or flood, must determine what strategies to pursue in response to the disaster and must find ways to coordinate their recovery efforts with others in their community. Ex ante it is not clear what strategies will be most effective. If communities are to recover after a disaster, community members must engender and engage in a process of social learning involving experimentation, communication, and imitation. This paper explores the post-disaster social learning process. Specifically, we focus on the importance of social capital in facilitating social learning after a disaster, including facilitating community members’ ability to communicate their desire to return, to assess damage, to overcome barriers to rebuilding through collective yet voluntary action, and to learn from and imitate others’ successes. Focusing on how this process took place after Hurricane Sandy in Rockaway, New York, especially within the Orthodox Jewish community, we examine how community groups (a) adapted existing organization structures and (b) created new procedures and imitated the successful actions of others in order to spur recovery.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Notes

  1. Information on damage from report “Sandy and Its Impact” through NYC.gov, available at http://www.nyc.gov/html/sirr/downloads/pdf/final_report/Ch_1_SandyImpacts_FINAL_singles.pdf

  2. In section 5 we discuss (briefly) how government assistance fits into the discussion of social learning. Otherwise, we do not focus on the role of various government entities in post-disaster response and recovery (e.g. the National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Flood Insurance Program).

  3. Putnam popularized the term social capital in his 2000 book, Bowling Alone. Putnam, however, has sometimes used social capital to refer to the level of trust in society, or levels of civic engagement. In his 1995 article with Helliwell on economic growth in Italy, for example, the authors adopt an index of social capital that includes newspaper readership, sports and cultural associations, and voter turnout. For our purposes, we stay closer to the definitions offered by Bourdieu (and Coleman 1988). An interested reader may want to consult Portes (2000) on the two meanings of social capital (article has the same title).

  4. The market order is perhaps the quintessential social learning process; however, in the market, prices facilitate exchange. As Chamlee-Wright and Myers (2008: 152) explain, “Social learning is the phenomenon in which society achieves a level of coordination and cooperation that far exceeds the coordinating capacity of any individual or group of individuals within society.”

  5. Another reason that post-disaster research might not have explicitly addressed the connection between social capital and social learning is that research has explored this relationship in mundane times. Burt (2001), for instance, has argued that social entrepreneurs can improve upon existing social networks by finding and exploiting informational opportunities within and across social networks. As Burt (ibid.) explains, in environments where transactions are complex and information is imperfect, individuals may decide to imitate others in their social network. They may imitate those who have a history of success (i.e. reputation) or those who have received positive feedback. Through these innovations and imitations, social learning can take place throughout the community, signaling which procedures and actions are likely to be successful and which are not.

  6. While Johannisson and Olaison (ibid.) conclude that bonding social capital is the only type that can be immediately “put to work,” our analysis shows that it can be used in conjunction with bridging and linking social capital to spur community recovery.

  7. An interested reader might go to Chamlee-Wright’s (2011) article, where she articulates the connection between the interpretive turn in economics (of which Chamlee-Wright’s teacher, Lavoie, was a key voice) and the use of qualitative methods in economics.

  8. From 2010 Census data for zip codes 11,691, 11,697, and 11,694. Available online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml

  9. For these statistics and more, see the profile of Queens Community District 14, http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/qn14_info.shtml.

  10. For more information, see http://www.hatzalahrl.org/ and http://achiezer.org/.

  11. For more information on the Rockaway Youth Task Force, see http://rytf.org/.

  12. For more information see this video on CAF: http://youtu.be/DuVIA6iJ3lQ.

  13. For more information, see https://www.achiezer.org/images/news_ad.pdf.

  14. The RCSP works closely with the 101st Precinct, the nearby police station. The RCSP can follow-up on reported suspicions before calling the police, and the RCSP can also monitor a situation while waiting for police to arrive.

  15. Admittedly, the concern over looted following disaster is perhaps overstated. For example, see Barsky et al. (2006).

  16. See notice from The Jewish Star, available online at http://thejewishstar.com/stories/Hurricane-aftermath-updates,3670

References

  • Aldrich, D. (2011). The power of people: social Capital’s role in recovery from the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Natural Hazards, 56(3), 595–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, D. (2012). Building resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, D. P., & Meyer, M. A. (2015). Social capital and community resilience. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(2), 254–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barsky, L., J. Trainor, and M. Torres. (2006). Disaster Realities in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Revisiting the Looting Myth. Disaster Research Center. Available online at: http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/2367#files-area

  • Beggs, J., Haines, V., & Hurlbert, J. (1996). Situational contingencies surrounding the receipt of informal support. Social Forces, 75(1), 201–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bensoussan, B. (2012). Mold, rot & truckloads of goodwill. Mishpacha Jewish Family Weekly, 437, 54–62.

  • BIA (2006). Meeting Minutes: January 18, 2006. New Orleans, LA: Broadmoor Improvement Association, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birch, E., & Wachter, S. (Eds.) (2006). Rebuilding urban places after disaster: lessons from Hurricane Katrina. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, E. S., T. B. Kimberlain, R. J. Berg, J. P. Cangialosi, and J. L. Beven II. (2013). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Sandy. National Hurricane Center. Available online: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL182012_Sandy.pdf.

  • Boettke, P., Chamlee-Wright, E., Gordon, P., Ikeda, S., Leeson, P. T., & Sobel., R. (2007). The political, economic, and social aspects of Katrina. Southern Economic Journal, 74(2), 363–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolin, R., & Stanford, L. (1998). The Northridge earthquake: community-based approaches to unmet recovery needs. Disasters, 22(1), 21–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1985). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, R. (2001). Structural Holes versus Network Closure as Social Capital. In N. Lin, K. Cook, & R. Burt (Eds.), Social Capital: Theory and Research. New York: Aldine De Grutyer..

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. (2007). The Long Road Back: Signal Noise in the Post-Katrina Context. The Independent Review, 12(2), 235–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. (2010). The cultural and political economy of recovery: social learning in a post-disaster environment. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. (2011). Operationalizing the Interpretive Turn: deploying qualitative methods toward an economics of meaning. Review of Austrian Economics, 24(2), 157–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. (2015). Pastor’s Response in Post-Katrina New Orleans: Navigating the cultural economic landscape. In L. Grube & V. H. Storr (Eds.), Culture and Economic Action. London: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E., & Myers, J. (2008). Discovery and social learning in non-priced environments: An Austrian view of social network theory. The Review of Austrian Economics, 21, 151–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E. and V. H. Storr. (2009a). “Filling the Civil Society Vacuum: Post-Disaster Policy and Community Response.” Mercatus Center Policy Series, Policy Comment No. 2. Arlington, VA: Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

  • Chamlee-Wright, E., & Storr, V. H. (2009b). Club Goods and Post-Disaster Community Return. Rationality and Society, 21(4), 429–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E., & Storr, V. H. (2010). The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Post-Katrina Community Recovery. International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 2(1/2), 149–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamlee-Wright, E., & Storr, V. H. (2011). Social capital, lobbying, and Community-Based Interest Groups. Public Choice, 149(1–2), 167–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cigler, B. (2009). Post-Katrina hazard mitigation on the Gulf coast. Public Organization Review, 9(4), 325–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social Capital in the Creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94(supplement), S95–S120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coyne, C., & Lemke, J. (2012). Lessons from the Cultural and Political Economy of Recovery. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 71(1), 215–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, J., & Pais, J. (2006). Race, class, and Hurricane Katrina: social differences in human responses to disaster. Social Science Research 35, 295–321.

  • Grube, L., & Storr, V. H. (2014). The capacity for self-governance and post-disaster resiliency. The Review of Austrian Economics, 27(3), 301–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, R. L., & Maurer, K. (2010). Bonding, bridging and linking: how social capital operated in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 1777–1793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helliwell, J., & Putnam., R. (1995). Economic growth and Social Capital in Italy. Eastern Economic Journal, 21(3), 295–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert, J., Haines, V., & Beggs, J. (2000). Core networks and tie activation: what kinds of routine networks allocate resources in Nonroutine situations? American Sociological Review, 65(4), 598–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert, J., Beggs, J., & Haines, V. (2001). Social Capital in Extreme Environments. In N. Lin, K. Cook, & R. Burt (Eds.), Social Capital: Theory and Research. New York: Aldine De Gruyter..

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannisson, B., & Olaison, L. (2007). The moment of truth—reconstructing entrepreneurship and social capital in the eye of the storm. Review of Social Economy, 65(1), 55–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lightman, H. (2013). Hurricane Sandy a spiritual response: voices from the storm. Jewish Action, 73(3), 28–30.

  • Miller, M. 2012. “Youth help guide Sandy relief effort in Queens.” CBS News. Available online: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/youth-help-guide-sandy-relief-effort-in-queens/.

  • Nakagawa, Y., & Shaw, R. (2004). Social capital: a missing link to disaster recovery. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 22(1), 5–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, O., Weil, F., & Patel, K. (2010). The role of community in disaster response: conceptual models. Population Research and Policy Review, 29(2), 127–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A. (2000). The two meanings of social capital. Sociological Forum, 15(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, S. (2013). Hurricane Sandy a spiritual response: voices from the storm. Jewish Action, 73(3), 35–36.

  • Schneider, S. (2008). Who’s to blame? (Mis)perceptions of the intergovernmental response to disasters. Plubius. The Journal of Federalism, 38(4), 715–738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D., & Sutter, D. (2013). Response and recovery after the Joplin tornado: lessons applied and lessons learned.” The. Independent Review, 18(2), 165–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Springer, C. G. (2011). Achieving community preparedness post-Katrina. Available at: http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/sea_fac_articles/318.

  • Storr, V. H., & Haeffele-Balch, S. (2012). Post-disaster community recovery in heterogeneous, loosely connected communities. Review of Social Economy, 70(3), 295–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storr, V. H., Haeffele-Balch, S., & Grube, L. (2015). Community revival in the wake of disaster lessons in local entrepreneurship. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • The Wave. 2013. “Rockaway Citizens Safety Patrol Report.” The Wave, November 29, 2013. Available online: http://www.rockawave.com/news/2013-11-29/Community/Rockaway_Citizens_Safety_Patrol_Reports.html.

  • Webler, T., Kastenholz, H., & Renn, O. (1995). Public Participation in Impact Assessment: A Social Learning Perspective. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 15, 443–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woolcock, M. (2001). The place of Social Capital in Understanding Social and Economic Outcomes. Canadian Journal of Policy Research, 2(1), 11–17.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Virgil Henry Storr & Stefanie Haeffele-Balch

  2. Beloit College, Beloit, WI, 53511, USA

    Laura E. Grube

Authors
  1. Virgil Henry Storr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefanie Haeffele-Balch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laura E. Grube
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura E. Grube.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Storr, V.H., Haeffele-Balch, S. & Grube, L.E. Social capital and social learning after Hurricane Sandy. Rev Austrian Econ 30, 447–467 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11138-016-0362-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11138-016-0362-z

Keywords

  • Disaster recovery
  • Social learning
  • Social capital
  • Hurricane Sandy
  • Rockaway, NY

JEL classification

  • B53
  • D71
  • D83
  • Q54