To better understand and improve individual and collective decision-making in the presence of uncertainty, the Risk Communication and Decision-Making Lab investigates different approaches for framing and providing information to households, businesses, and public sector decision-makers to ensure that they are aware of the risks they face and able to improve their preparedness and response to future adverse events.
Risk Communication for Disaster Preparedness
Ongoing projects at the Risk Center study how disaster risk communications can address potential biases and help people navigate consequential risk management decisions.
Choice Architecture and Insurance
Learn how choice architecture can be applied to the context of insurance as well as how Risk Center researchers are investigating underlying decision processes.
Understanding and Managing 21st Century Risks
Research on how individuals perceive risk and make decisions with respect to risk preparedness.
Increasing Mitigation Through Persuasive Messaging
With support from the Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research (ACIIR) at the University of Alabama, the Wharton Risk Center is developing audiovisual messages that aim to increase mitigation activities (e.g., installing a high wind resistant roof) among homeowners in hurricane-prone regions of the U.S.
Kunreuther, H. and M.V. Pauly (2020). Do People Have a Bias for Low-Deductible Insurance? NBER working paper.
Wilson, M. T. and C. Kousky (2019). The Long Road to Adoption: How Long Does it Take to Adopt Updated County-Level Flood Insurance Rate Maps? Risk, Hazards, & Crisis in Public Policy, 10(4): 403-421
Haer, T., W.J.W. Botzen, and J.C. Aerts (2019). Advancing disaster policies by integrating dynamic adaptive behaviour in risk assessments using an agent-based modelling approach. Environmental Research Letters, 14(4), 044022.
Botzen, W. J,W., H. Kunreuther, J. Czajkowski, and H. de Moel (2019). Adoption of Individual Flood Damage Mitigation Measures in New York City: An Extension of Protection Motivation Theory. Risk Analysis.
Kousky, C. (2018). How America Fails at Communicating Flood Risks. City Lab. October 11.
Robinson, P. J., and W.J.W. Botzen (2018). The impact of regret and worry on the threshold level of concern for flood insurance demand: Evidence from Dutch homeowners. Judgment and Decision Making, 13(3), 237-245.
Meyer, R. and H. Kunreuther (2017) The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters. Philadelphia, PA: Wharton Digital Press.
For a full list of publications, see our main publications page: https://riskcenter.wharton.upenn.edu/publications/
Flood Resilience Research – Collaboration with Zurich Insurance
The Risk Center joined with Zurich and partners to develop key initiatives focused on broadening the scope of flood resilience research, in order to advance global understanding of flood impact, risk reduction, financial protection, and community resilience.
Risk communication and management is more important than ever. At the Wharton Risk Center, we engage with our partners to meaningfully support management of evolving threats and disasters, such as this one.
Risk Center resources and contributions from our scholars will be added to our site as made available. See more here.
Contact
For more information on the Risk Communication and Decision Making Lab, contact Zoë Linder-Baptie, Resilience Projects Manager, at zoelb@wharton.upenn.edu.