Robin M. Leichenko

Double exposure: assessing the impacts of climate change within the context of economic globalization

This paper considers synergisms between the impacts of two global processes, climate change and economic globalization. Both processes entail long-term changes that will have di!erential impacts throughout the world. Despite widespread recognition that there will be ‘winnersa and ‘losersa with both climate change and globalization, the two issues are rarely examined together. In this paper, we introduce the concept of double exposure as a framework for examining the simultaneous impacts of climate change and globalization. Double exposure refers to the fact that certain regions, sectors, ecosystems and social groups will be confronted both by the impacts of climate change, and by the consequences of globalization. By considering the joint impacts of the two processes, new sets of winners and losers emerge. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Dynamics of Rural Vulnerability to Global Change: The Case of southern Africa

Research on the agricultural impacts of global change frequently emphasizesthe physical and socioeconomic impacts of climate change, yet globalchanges associated with the internationalization of economic activity mayalso have significant impacts on food systems. Together, climate change andglobalization are exposing farmers to new and unfamiliar conditions.Although some farmers may be in a position to take advantage of thesechanges, many more are facing increased vulnerability, particularly in thedeveloping world. This paper considers the dynamics of agriculturalvulnerability to global change through the example of southern Africa. Wedemonstrate that the combination of global and national economic changesis altering the context under which southern African farmers cope withclimate variability and adapt to long-term change. We find that farmers whoformerly had difficulty adapting to climatic variability may become lessvulnerable to drought-related food shortages as the result of tradeliberalization. At the same time, however, removal of national credit andsubsidies may constrain or limit adaptation strategies of other farmers,leaving them more vulnerable to climate variability and change.

Winners and Losers in the Context of Global Change

Abstract The idea that global change produces winners and losers is widely accepted. Yet there have been few systematic discussions of what is meant by “winner” or “loser,” and little attention has been given to the theoretical underpinnings behind identification of winners and losers. This is particularly true within global-change literature, where the phrase “winners and losers” is widely and rather loosely used. In this article, we explore the concept of winners and losers in the context of two aspects of global change: economic globalization and climate change. We first identify two major underlying theoretical perspectives on winners and losers: one suggests that winners and losers are natural and inevitable; the other suggests that winners and losers are socially and politically generated. We then apply these perspectives to current research on global change and demonstrate that they play a decisive role, influencing opinions on what winning and losing entails, who winners and losers are, and how winners and losers should be addressed.

Historic Preservation and Residential Property Values: An Analysis of Texas Cities

Designation of historic districts is increasingly used as a tool to revive or halt the deterioration of central-city neighbourhoods. While historic designation is generally thought to have a positive impact on property values, evidence on this issue is mixed. One limitation of previous research is that it typically focuses on historic neighbourhoods in one city and thus bases its conclusions on a very limited sample. This study expands upon previous work by examining the effects of designation on property values across a larger set of cities. The study employs hedonic regression models to estimate housing prices in historic districts and comparable neighbourhoods in nine Texas cities. Results suggest that, in most cases, historic designation is associated with higher property values.

The Internal and External Impact of Historical Designation on Property Values

Designation of historic properties and historic districts is increasingly used as a means to revive central-city neighborhoods and to promote urban economic development. While preservation activities are thought to generate positive externalities for surrounding neighborhoods, these external effects have been difficult to quantify. Using a database of tax-appraisal records for residential properties in Abilene, Texas, this study demonstrates that there are significant, positive externalities associated with historic designation. We perform simple cost-benefit calculations and find that the internal and external benefits more than outweigh the (nonzero) costs associated with historical designation. Moreover, from the city of Abilenes perspective the property-tax incentives provided to historic reinvestment are outweighed by the added property-tax revenue created by the increased value.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND STATE EXPORT PERFORMANCE

Since the early 1980s, there has been widespread debate over the impacts of rising levels of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on the U.S. economy. A frequently noted, but little studied, issue within the debate is the impact of FDI on U.S. foreign trade, and particularly, on the foreign trade of US. regions. This study assesses the effects of FDI on the manufacturing export performance of U.S. states during the period from 1980 to 1991. Results indicate that increased levels of FDI are positively related to future improvements in state manufacturing export performance.

Climate Change and the Global Financial Crisis: A Case of Double Exposure

Despite widespread and growing public recognition of the linkages between environmental change and economic activities, geographic research efforts to date have paid only limited attention to the connections and interactions between climate change and globalization. As a consequence, critical linkages, feedbacks, and synergies between these two processes often go unnoticed. In this article, we draw on the framework of double exposure to motivate new research on the connections between climate change and globalization. The double exposure framework provides a generalized approach for analysis of the interactions between global environmental and economic changes, paying particular attention to the ways that the two interacting processes spread risk and vulnerability over both space and time. Focusing on the linkages between climate change and the ongoing financial crisis and using the case example of Californias Central Valley, this article shows how application of the double exposure framework can provide new insights into social vulnerabilities and can inform efforts to respond and adapt to both processes. The article also illustrates how the double exposure framework can be used to inform and promote place-specific, geographic analyses of the complex interactions between large-scale environmental and economic shifts.

Critical Surveys Edited by STEPHEN ROPER

Leichenko, R. M. and Solecki, W. D. (2005) Exporting the American dream: the globalization of suburban consumption landscapes, Regional Studies 39 , 241–253. This paper examines how cultural, economic and political aspects of globalization interact with processes of urbanization in less developed country (LDC) cities to create new landscapes of housing consumption. Drawing evidence from the current literature, the paper demonstrates that globalization processes influence the housing preferences and housing consumption decisions of a small yet growing, middle‐income segment of LDC urban residents. These changes lead to patterns of urban resource use akin to those associated with suburbanization and suburban sprawl in more developed countries (MDC), particularly the USA. In effect, these changes amount to the manifest export of the American Dream – the ideal of homeownership of a single‐family house in a suburban area – to LDC cities. A critical element of this process explored in the paper is how this suburban ideal is set down within each city context. This placement is presented as the result of global‐, national‐ and local‐level drivers. The emergence of consumption landscapes raises critical questions about the environmental and social sustainability of globalization, as LDC residents increasingly emulate the highly resource‐consumptive, energy‐intensive and exclusionary lifestyles currently practised by MDC suburbanites.

Chapter 2: Adopting a risk-based approach

A significant message accompanying the call forgreenhouse gas mitigation actions from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)2007 Fourth Assessment Report is the increasingneed to identify a decision framework for climatechangethatencompassesbothmitigationandadap-tation. Through the IPCC, governments have be-gun to acknowledge risk management as a unify-ing theme for both climate change mitigation andadaptation. Their unanimous approval of this mes-sageunderscorestheimportanceofprovidingmoreinformationaboutclimaterisks(inadditiontopro-viding information about impacts and associatedvulnerabilities) and suggests that consideration ofriskplaysacriticalroleinallfacetsofclimatechangedecision making:“Responding to climate change involves an

Regional Income Inequality and International Trade

Abstract This study investigates the effects of trade on income inequality across regions in the United States. Using both structural and price-based measures of regional trade involvement, we evaluate the effects of trade on inequality within and across states, the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan portions of the states, and the major census regions. Across all states and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, we found that trade affects inequality primarily via import and export prices. In contrast to our expectations, however, a weaker dollar—more expensive imports and cheaper exports—is associated with the worsening of a state’s position relative to other states and greater inequality within the state. Across the census regions, both our price and orientation measures had significant effects, but the direction of these effects varied by region. Whereas many regions benefited from cheaper imports, states in regions that are traditionally home to low-wage sectors, including the Southeast and South Central regions, were made relatively worse off by lower import prices and by greater orientation toward import-competing goods. Our findings reinforce notions about the uneven impacts of globalization and suggest that policy measures are needed to ensure that both the benefits and costs of involvement in international trade are shared across regions.