Catastrophic Incentives

Examining twenty years of disasters from 9/11 to COVID-19, Jeff Schlegelmilch and Ellen Carlin show how flawed incentive structures make the world more vulnerable when catastrophe strikes.

Jeff Schlegelmilch is a research scholar and the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. He serves in advisory roles for public, private, and nonprofit organizations on issues related to disaster resilience. He is also the author of Rethinking Readiness: A Brief Guide to Twenty-First-Century Megadisasters (Columbia, 2020).

Ellen Carlin is a veterinarian and policy expert specializing in biological threats. She undertakes scientific study and policy development to address infectious pathogens, especially those that move between animals and people. She has worked on national security challenges and disaster preparedness across sectors, including as senior professional staff with the U.S. House of Representatives, founding staff member of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, and faculty at Georgetown University.

Les Stroud, survival expert and award-winning filmmaker and producer:
This book is an essential read to better understand why different sectors respond the way they do, and how that sets the stage for our own preparedness planning for surviving disasters.

Irwin Redlener, MD, founding director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University:
This is a true ‘must read’ for anyone interested in how we’ve managed large-scale disasters since the 9/11 attacks. Chronicling the evolution of key policies and protocols while still being an accessible and compelling story, it is an essential guide for professionals, students, and anyone interested in the safety and security of our world in the years to come.

Nicolette Louissaint, senior vice president of policy, Healthcare Distribution Alliance:
A critical examination of recent events and our capacity to prepare and respond to them. With this work, the authors review the key drivers of disaster infrastructure, and the incentives that sustain them. As we reflect on the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and observe the landscape ahead, this book is a valuable resource.

Tom Daschle, commissioner, Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and former Senate majority leader:
This critical analysis offers fresh insight into the ways that the very structures we rely on to keep us safe from disasters are falling short. In exploring disincentives for readiness within and among sectors and the vulnerabilities they enable, the authors also provide a path forward and a reason to believe that a more resilient future is possible.

Shay Bahramirad, senior vice president of Engineering, Asset Management, and Capital Program, LUMA Energy, and president-elect of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power and Energy Society:
At this critical crossroads in human history, Schlegelmilch and Carlin expose the cracks in how we prepare and respond to disasters and call on us to develop and execute strategies for achieving a more sustainable and resilient future.