Disaster aid is an increasingly costly form of social spending and an often-overlooked way that welfare states manage new forms of risk related to climate change. In this article, I argue that disaster aid programs engender racial and socioeconomic inequalities through a process of assistance access constituted by distinct state logics, administrative burdens, and bureaucratic actors. I test this claim empirically by analyzing 5.37 million applicant records from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) from 2005 to 2016. Results demonstrate that key institutional features—the conditions of eligibility and sufficiency, burdens of proof, and assessments by contracted inspectors—combine in a stepwise process to funnel permanent repair resources to homeowners in whiter communities, while temporary rental aid is granted disproportionately to households in communities of color. Analyses of denial codes suggest racial disparities in appraisals of disaster damage. Among those approved for aid, more benefits accrue to those from comparatively higher income communities, and a decoupling of permanent and temporary housing aid further stratifies socioeconomic growth during recovery. Theoretically, this research advances an account of institutional processes transferable to other analyses of social programs, and it introduces climate risk as a new form of social risk against which welfare states insure citizens.

中文翻译：

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灾难分层：美国社区的国家援助、制度进程和不平等

灾难援助是一种成本越来越高的社会支出形式，也是福利国家管理与气候变化相关的新形式风险的一种经常被忽视的方式。在这篇文章中，我认为灾难援助计划通过由不同的国家逻辑、行政负担和官僚行为者构成的援助获取过程导致种族和社会经济不平等。我通过分析 2005 年至 2016 年 FEMA 个人和家庭计划 (IHP) 的 537 万申请人记录，从经验上检验了这一说法。结果表明，关键的制度特征——资格和充分性条件、举证责任以及签约检查员的评估——结合在一起在逐步向白人社区的房主提供永久维修资源的过程中，而临时租金援助不成比例地提供给有色人种社区的家庭。对拒绝代码的分析表明，在评估灾难损失时存在种族差异。在获批援助的人群中，来自收入相对较高社区的人群受益更多，而永久和临时住房援助的脱钩进一步加剧了经济复苏期间的社会经济增长。从理论上讲，这项研究推进了对可转移到其他社会计划分析的制度过程的说明，并将气候风险引入为福利国家为公民提供保险的一种新形式的社会风险。永久和临时住房援助的脱钩进一步加剧了经济复苏期间的社会经济增长。从理论上讲，这项研究推进了对可转移到其他社会计划分析的制度过程的说明，并将气候风险引入为福利国家为公民提供保险的一种新形式的社会风险。永久和临时住房援助的脱钩进一步加剧了经济复苏期间的社会经济增长。从理论上讲，这项研究推进了对可转移到其他社会计划分析的制度过程的说明，并将气候风险引入为福利国家为公民提供保险的一种新形式的社会风险。