This One Day program’s set of lessons looks at a variety of natural disasters – from the Black Death of the Middle Ages, to Hurricane Katrina, as well as the recent SARS and COVID-19 pandemics – through the lens of economic analysis. The contexts were chosen to facilitate the teaching of economic reasoning principles not only in economics courses, but also in history and the other social studies disciplines.

Economic concepts discussed during the course of this program can be found here.

No prior background in economics is required.

One Day Seminars qualify for one graduate hour credit in economics from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs for an additional fee. Please see the UCCS Optional Graduate Credit page for further information.

Economics of Disasters Topics

Activity 1:  Are Disasters Good for the Economy? (Lesson 1)

Lecture 1: When Disaster Strikes, What Can Markets Do? (Lesson 2)

Activity 2:  Nobody Knows Everything

Activity 3: The Market for Thingamajigs

Lecture 3: When Disaster Strikes, What Can Government Do? (Lesson 3)

Lecture 4: When Disaster Strikes, What Can We Do? (Lesson 4)

Lesson 5 Overview: Are Disasters a Disaster for Lesson Planning?

Conclusion