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The possibility of community‐wide flood control benefits: Evidence from voting behavior in a bond referendum
Author(s) -
Shabman Leonard,
Stephenson Kurt
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/91wr03132
Subject(s) - referendum , voting , jurisdiction , legislation , business , control (management) , flood control , local government , public economics , flood myth , flood insurance , population , government (linguistics) , floodplain , argument (complex analysis) , economics , public administration , political science , geography , law , politics , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , demography , cartography , management , archaeology , chemistry
Voting behavior in a flood control referendum in Roanoke, Virginia, provides evidence that people living and working outside the flood prone area are willing to pay for flood control project construction. This voting behavior supports the argument that flood control benefits exist at the community level. In providing the cost sharing required under recent federal legislation, local government financing which distributes project costs over the whole population of a local jurisdiction, and not just those persons living or working in protected areas, may increase both economic efficiency and expand communities' financial capacity to pay for such projects.