Understanding the economic and financial impacts of natural disasters / Charlotte Benson, Edward J. Clay.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Benson, Charlotte, 1963-

Contributor:

Clay, Edward J.

Series:

Disaster risk management series ; no. 4.

Disaster risk management series ; no. 4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural disasters--Economic aspects.

Natural disasters.

Natural disasters--Planning.

Emergency management.

Disaster relief.

Physical Description:

x, 119 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : World Bank, [2004]

Contents:

Selection of Countries and Issues for Investigation 4

2. Disasters and the Macroeconomy 9

The Dynamic Nature of Vulnerability 9

Overview of the Factors Determining Vulnerability 15

Natural Hazards 16

Economic Structure 17

Stage of Development 18

Prevailing Socioeconomic Conditions 19

The Macroeconomic Impact of Disasters 19

Lessons Learned 26

3. Public Finance and Disasters 29

The Broad Fiscal Impact of Disasters 30

Disaggregated Reexamination of Public Finances 31

External Aid 34

Is Reallocation an Appropriate Solution? 35

Risk Reduction Activities 38

Long-Term Policy Consequences of Disasters 39

4. Information on Natural Hazards and Disaster Reduction 43

Information and Public Action 43

Hazard Information as a Public Good 43

Climatic Forecasting in Southern Africa 44

Tropical Storms 46

Failures in the Provision of Information as a Public Good 47

5. Financing the Cost of Future Disasters 53

Risk Transfer Tools 53

Potential Obstacles 54

Creative Solutions 57

Promoting Mitigation 58

6. Findings of the Study and Implications for Policy and Research 61

Findings 61

Policy Implications 63

Directions for Future Research 66

Appendix A. Dominica: Natural Disasters and Economic Development in a Small Island State 69

Appendix B. Bangladesh: Disasters and Public Finance 79

Appendix C. Malawi and Southern Africa: Climatic Variability and Economic Performance 91

2.1 Measuring vulnerability 20

2.2 Saying so does not make it so: poverty reduction strategies 21

2.3 Funding rehabilitation: the implications for long-term growth 24

3.1 Fiscal impacts of drought in Sub-Saharan Africa 31

4.1 Evidence-based volcanology: application of Bayes' rule to the situation in Dominica in 1998 49

5.1 Insuring banana growers against disaster: the WINCROP scheme 56

B.1 Uncertainties in postdisaster economic forecasting in Bangladesh 85

2.1 Dominica: real annual fluctuations in agricultural, nonagricultural, and total GDP, 1978-99 10

2.2 Bangladesh: real annual fluctuations in agricultural, nonagricultural, and total GDP, financial years 1965-2000 12

2.3 Malawi: real annual fluctuations in agricultural, nonagricultural, and total GDP, 1980-2001 13

2.4 Southern Africa: cereal production and El Nino events, 1972-99 15.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [107]-111) and index.

ISBN:

0821356852

OCLC:

53331733