Risk nexus: flood resilience cost and benefit analysis - the role of cost-benefit analysis and other decision-support tools

Making the case for pre-event disaster risk reduction:

This study looks at ways to weigh the benefits of protecting against floods relative to the costs. Along with real-life examples, it explains why ‘intangibles’ like culture and social bonds must be included in any equation if protection efforts are to succeed.

The issue brief outlines three key findings that provide information for research, policy, and implementing decisions on reducing flood risk. The analysis provides a foundation for work under the Zurich flood resilience alliance, allowing it to integrate a decision-support toolbox for community activities focused on implementing flood risk reduction in different parts of the world. This publication is based on a white paper developed by two members of the alliance, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).