IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeborg/v234y2025ics016726812500109x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Extreme high temperatures and adaptation by social dynamics: Theory and evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Gong, Jiaowei
  • Shi, Xiangyu
  • Wang, Chang
  • Zhang, Xin

Abstract

Using a novel city-level high-frequency panel dataset of social and public events in Chinese cities, we document that extreme high temperatures significantly reshape social dynamics. Extreme high temperatures increase social cooperation, and the effects are more pronounced when labor productivity is lower and environmental awareness is higher. Our estimates, combined with a quantitative model, indicate that humanity adapts to climate change in part by reshaping social dynamics. Adaptation offsets nearly 10% of the negative economic impacts of extreme high temperatures. Our quantitative analysis suggests that directly subsidizing cooperation is the most effective strategy for mitigating the adverse effects of extreme high temperatures.

Suggested Citation

  • Gong, Jiaowei & Shi, Xiangyu & Wang, Chang & Zhang, Xin, 2025. "Extreme high temperatures and adaptation by social dynamics: Theory and evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:234:y:2025:i:c:s016726812500109x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2025.106989
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016726812500109X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jebo.2025.106989?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social dynamics; Public events; Cooperation; Extreme temperatures; Climate change; Adaptation; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:234:y:2025:i:c:s016726812500109x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.