<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The paper focuses on the socioeconomic impacts of drought events. Its objective is in particular to explore and study the distributive effects of drought events in the agricultural sector, taking the Po river basin, the most important agricultural area in Italy, as case study area. Its theoretical and methodological approach makes basis on the consumer surplus theory. One of the most remarkable outcomes of this analysis is that the effects of the drought events change considerably according to the social group. As far as agriculture is concerned, it shows that farmers and consumers are affected differently. Farmers can even earn from drought, because of the “price effect” caused by the scarcity of agricultural products; consumers always loses, because of the “quantity effect” and the “price effect”. Very different impacts, in terms of sign and magnitude, were also observed among the farmers themselves, in particular when they are distinguished by crop category, and by geographical area.</p></abstract>

The paper focuses on the socioeconomic impacts of drought events. Its objective is in particular to explore and study the distributive effects of drought events in the agricultural sector, taking the Po river basin, the most important agricultural area in Italy, as case study area. Its theoretical and methodological approach makes basis on the consumer surplus theory. One of the most remarkable outcomes of this analysis is that the effects of the drought events change considerably according to the social group. As far as agriculture is concerned, it shows that farmers and consumers are affected differently. Farmers can even earn from drought, because of the “price effect” caused by the scarcity of agricultural products; consumers always loses, because of the “quantity effect” and the “price effect”. Very different impacts, in terms of sign and magnitude, were also observed among the farmers themselves, in particular when they are distinguished by crop category, and by geographical area.

Evaluation of socio-economic impact of drought events: the case of Po river basin

MSc., senior researcher, Centre for Research on Regional Economics, Transport and Tourism (CERTeT), Bocconi University, Via G. Roentgen 1, 20136 Milano,

Senior researcher, Centre for Research on Regional Economics, Transport and Tourism (CERTeT), Bocconi University, Via G. Roentgen 1, 20136 Milano,

Associate Professor, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Statistiche (DIES), University of Udine, Via Palladio 8, 33100 Udine,

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The paper focuses on the socioeconomic impacts of drought events. Its objective is in particular to explore and study the distributive effects of drought...

Evaluation of socio-economic impact of drought events: the case of Po river basin

Article Category: Research articles

Published Online: Apr 06, 2017

Page range: 163 - 176

Received: Jul 07, 2016

Accepted: Nov 21, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0010

Keywords
drought event, socioeconomic impacts, distributive effects, Po river basin

© by Dario Musolino

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Evaluation of socio-economic impact of drought events: the case of Po river basin

Article Category: Research articles

Published Online: Apr 06, 2017

Page range: 163 - 176

Received: Jul 07, 2016

Accepted: Nov 21, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0010

Keywordsdrought event, socioeconomic impacts, distributive effects, Po river basin

© by Dario Musolino

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
drought event, socioeconomic impacts, distributive effects, Po river basin