eBook

Understanding the economic and financial impacts of natural disasters

Benson, Charlotte, Clay, Edward J.

2004

Overview

This report explores the macro-economic and public finance implications of natural disasters, including the role of information and mechanisms for risk spreading, and drawing in particular on evidence from Bangladesh, Dominica and Malawi.Major natural disasters can have severe negative short-run economic and budgetary impacts. Disasters also appear to have adverse longer-term consequences for economic growth, development and poverty reduction. However, negative impacts are not inevitable: sensitivity to natural hazards is determined by a complex, dynamic set of influences. Vulnerability can shift rapidly, especially in countries experiencing economic transformation - rapid growth, urbanization, and related technical and social changes. The report concludes that in order to stem the rising cost of natural disasters globally, hazard risk management concerns need to be integrated into longer-term national investment policies and development strategies and appropriately reflected in the allocation of financial resources, including medium-term financial planning. The generation and dissemination of quality, reliable scientific information should be supported as part of this process. In addition, assessment of the economic and financial impacts of disasters should be extended to include a full reassessment 18 to 24 months after an event, generating vital information on the nature of impacts and underlying causal factors.

• Publisher: World Bank,The World Bank,Washington, DC: World Bank
• Subject: ADAPTATION / AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT / BALANCE OF PAYMENTS / CASE STUDIES / CASUALTIES / CATASTROPHES / CLIMATE / CLIMATE IMPACT ASSESSMENTS / CLIMATIC CHANGE / CLIMATIC HAZARDS / COMMUNITY INSURANCE / COVERS / CROP INSURANCE / CROP INSURANCE SCHEME / DISASTER MANAGEMENT / DISASTER MANAGEMENT FACILITY / DISASTER MITIGATION / DISASTER PREVENTION / DISASTER RECOVERY / DISASTER REDUCTION / Disaster relief / DISASTERS / DMF / DRAINAGE / DROUGHTS / DYNAMICS / EARTHQUAKES / ECONOMIC ACTIVITY / ECONOMIC ANALYSIS / Economic aspects / ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR / ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / ECONOMIC GROWTH / ECONOMIC IMPACT / ECONOMIC RESEARCH / Economics / ELECTRICITY / Emergency management / EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS / EMPLOYMENT / EPIDEMIOLOGY / Finance / FINANCIAL PLANNING / FINANCIAL RESOURCES / FLOOD CONTROL / FLOOD FORECASTING / FLOODING / FLOODS / FOOD POLICY RESEARCH / FOOD SECURITY / GNP / GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT / HOUSING / HURRICANES / IMMUNODEFICIENCY / INCOME / INCOME DISTRIBUTION / INNOVATION / INSURANCE / INSURED LOSSES / IRRIGATION / ISOLATION / Katastrophe / LANDSLIDES / MANAGERS / MARKETING / MEDIA / MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH / NATURAL DISASTERS / Natural disasters -- Economic aspects / Natural disasters -- Planning / NATURAL HAZARDS / NATURAL RESOURCES / Planning / Planning methods / POLICY PLANNING / PRIVATE SECTOR / PROGRAMS / PUBLIC FINANCE / QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS / QUANTITATIVE DATA / REFLECTION / RELIEF / RISK MANAGEMENT / RISK REDUCTION / RISK TRANSFER / SOCIAL POLICY / STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT / TRANSPORT / URBAN DEVELOPMENT NATURAL DISASTERS / Wirkungsanalyse
• ISBN: 9780821356852, 0821356852