Luke M. Meacham
Project Description
The Disasters, Migration, and Violence (DMV) Lab (Mitchell & Pizzi) is creating a new dataset on government responses to disasters for all geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, and climatological disasters registered in the EM-DAT International Disasters Dataset for each country (1900-present). We examine government policy responses to natural disasters to better understand which types of policies increase political violence risks including 1) relocation of affected individuals, 2) restrictions on movement, 3) reconstruction of damaged areas, and 4) regulations of third-party disaster relief. We expect that political violence is more likely when governments restrict movements of disaster affected populations, restrict third party actor aid efforts, give aid unequally to politically favored areas, and rely on decentralized disaster management strategies. To date, the project has produced research papers on disaster response patterns in Peru (1900-2020), on the relationship between disaster responses and armed conflicts in Peru at the administrative 2 level (1989-2020), and text analysis of 12,268 disaster-related newspaper articles in Turkey between the earthquake and presidential election in 2024. Members of the lab are currently working on a new project on how disaster response differs near contested interstate borders vs. uncontested interstate borders.
Student Statement
As a political science major and history minor at the University of Iowa, I have long had an interest in studying how both these subjects interconnect on a global stage. Learning about cases of disasters and how governments and NGOs respond to them will help further my understanding of both the history and politics of environmental disasters. My studies in Political Science will help me understand the implications of government responses on the potential onset of violence or other negative consequences. Being able to collect data on Iran and Iraq, two rival states that are threatened by environmental changes, will expand my knowledge about conflicts in the Middle East.
In the spring 2023 semester, I was able to take Professor Mitchell's Civil Wars class. This course has given me a broader understanding of not only the history of civil conflicts around the globe, but also data collection related to these conflicts and how to apply it in a scholarly manner. Throughout my time in the course, I am grateful to have learned from Professor Mitchell's expertise on the course material. I am excited to work alongside her in the DMV Lab, as this opportunity will allow me to further expand my horizons concerning governmental responses to disasters and other issues.
