RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SEARCH OF FEDERAL FLOOD POLICY

Continuing increases in flood losses raise a variety of issues, and su ggest numerous important research opportunities, from: (1) evidence of persistently incorrect economic analysis of structural flood control; (2) lack of understanding of how subsidies (for navigation, structura l versus non-structural mitigation, and parts of agriculture) have def eated or subverted hood policies; and (3) lack of understanding of the distortions of urban form resulting from manipulation of hazard mitig ation, induced development and inappropriate incentives for municipali ties. Without adequate understanding of these topics, policy will fail to reduce flood losses and improve location of investments, and hood policy will continue to be effectively a legitimating rationale for ot her purposes. But policy-supportive research in re-analysis, historica l analysis, and empirical work awaits only recognition of its value. F ailure to do the useful work, however, bodes ill for responses to glob al change and other threats; the research proposed here would help est ablish methods badly needed for human dimensions research.