Risks, ex-ante actions, and public assistance: impacts of natural disasters on child schooling in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Malawi

IFPRI discussion paper 00880:

This paper uses panel data from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Malawi to examine the impacts of natural disasters on schooling investments, with a particular focus on the roles of ex-ante actions and ex-post responses. It shows that the importance of ex-ante actions depends on disaster risks and the likelihood of public assistance, potentially creating substitution between the two actions.

The results support the roles of both ex-ante and ex-post (public assistance) responses in coping with disasters, but shows interesting variations across countries. The results also show that among ex-ante actions, human capital accumulated in the household prior to disasters helps mitigate the negative effects of a disaster in both the short and long runs.