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Does development reduce fatalities from natural disasters? New evidence for floods

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  • Ferreira, Susana
  • Hamilton, Kirk
  • Vincent, Jeffrey R.

Abstract

We analyze the impact of development on flood fatalities using a new data set of 2,171 large floods in 92 countries between 1985 and 2008. Our results challenge the conventional wisdom that development results in fewer fatalities during natural disasters. Results indicating that higher income and better governance reduce fatalities during flood events do not hold up when unobserved country heterogeneity and within-country correlation of standard errors are taken into account. We find that income does have a significant, indirect effect on flood fatalities by affecting flood frequency and flood magnitude, but this effect is nonmonotonic, with net reductions in fatalities occurring only in lower income countries. We find little evidence that improved governance affects flood fatalities either directly or indirectly.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferreira, Susana & Hamilton, Kirk & Vincent, Jeffrey R., 2013. "Does development reduce fatalities from natural disasters? New evidence for floods," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(6), pages 649-679, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:endeec:v:18:y:2013:i:06:p:649-679_00
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Juncal Cunado & Susana Ferreira, 2014. "The Macroeconomic Impacts of Natural Disasters: The Case of Floods," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 90(1), pages 149-168.
    2. Richard S. J. Tol, 2022. "State capacity and vulnerability to natural disasters," Chapters, in: Mark Skidmore (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of Disasters, chapter 20, pages 434-457, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Qing Miao & Yu Shi & Meri Davlasheridze, 2021. "Fiscal Decentralization and Natural Disaster Mitigation: Evidence from the United States," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 26-50, March.
    4. Khurana, Ritika & Mugabe, Douglas & Etienne, Xiaoli L., 2022. "Climate change, natural disasters, and institutional integrity," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    5. Richard S. J. Tol, 2021. "The Economic Impact of Climate in the Long Run," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Anil Markandya & Dirk Rübbelke (ed.), CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT, chapter 1, pages 3-36, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Miao, Qing & Popp, David, 2014. "Necessity as the mother of invention: Innovative responses to natural disasters," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 280-295.
    7. Qing Miao, 2019. "Are We Adapting to Floods? Evidence from Global Flooding Fatalities," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(6), pages 1298-1313, June.
    8. Yashobanta Parida & Prarthna Agarwal Goel & Joyita Roy Chowdhury & Prakash Kumar Sahoo & Tapaswini Nayak, 2021. "Do economic development and disaster adaptation measures reduce the impact of natural disasters? A district-level analysis, Odisha, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 3487-3519, March.
    9. Roy Chowdhury, Joyita & Parida, Yashobanta & Agarwal Goel, Prarthna, 2021. "Does inequality-adjusted human development reduce the impact of natural disasters? A gendered perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Juan Robalino & Katrina Mullan & Matías Piaggio & Marisol Guzmán, 2023. "Does Green Infrastructure Work? Precipitation, Protected Areas, Floods and Landslides," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 457-482, November.
    11. Laura A. Bakkensen & Robert O. Mendelsohn, 2016. "Risk and Adaptation: Evidence from Global Hurricane Damages and Fatalities," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(3), pages 555-587.

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