Anne Gielen, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Multigenerational Effects of a Natural Disaster

Abstract

Can a one-time shock permanently alter the socioeconomic trajectory of families across generations? We answer this question in the context of one of the worst natural disasters in the Netherlands, the North Sea Flood of 1953. Using a border design, we compare individuals living in villages on each side of the flood line. We find that experiencing the flood during childhood leads to declines in an individual’s adult mental health and human capital accumulation. In turn, this initial shock causes substantial long-term economic and health disadvantages for their children and grandchildren up to 70 years later
Anne C. Gielen is a professor of Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She is also a Research Fellow at CESifo, IZA and Tinbergen Institute. She has previously worked  at IZA in Bonn and Maastricht University, and has held visiting positions at the University of Sydney,  The Melbourne Institute, and ISER - Essex University. She obtained her Ph.D. from Tilburg University.
 
Gielen's research focuses on intergenerational mobility, social security, and health. She has been awarded various grants, including an NWO Vidi grant. Her work has appeared in the American Economic Journal - Economic Policy, the American Economic Journal - Applied Economics, the Journal of Human Resources and various other international journals.
 
Through her diverse other professional roles, for example as Board member of the prof. F. de Vries foundation and Academic Partner of CPB, Gielen seeks to transform her scientific expertise into meaningsful societal impact.

CEBI contact: Miriam Wüst