Do natural disasters change savings and employment choices? : evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan
Date
2016-12
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Publisher
Asian Development Bank
Abstract
The paper investigates the economic response of households to natural disasters in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and in particular, to what extent households adjust their income, employment strategies and savings in response to floods and storms. It discusses policy implications in terms of developing non-farm employment opportunities to reduce future harm, and financing economic migration to reduce income vulnerability. In Bangladesh, farmers move away from farm to nonfarm employment as a coping strategy, whereas nonfarmers increase their off-farm labor supply. Although farmers in Pakistan move away from agriculture as an immediate response to disasters, within a year they return to farming.
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Working Paper
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Keywords
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, DISASTER MANAGEMENT, FLOODING, EXTREME WEATHER, MIGRATION, EMPLOYMENT, FARMERS, PUBLIC FINANCE, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, LABOUR MOBILITY, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, SOUTH ASIA