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How do the poor cope with hardships when mutual assistance is unavailable?

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  • Masahiro Shoji

    (University of Tokyo)

Abstract

This paper investigates how risk coping strategies differ between idiosyncratic and covariate income shocks using evidence from a nation-wide flood in Bangladesh. It is found that availability of coping strategies significantly depends on the covariate-idiosyncratic characteristic of shocks. The main strategies for idiosyncratic and moderate covariate shocks are interest-free informal credit and additional labor supply for fishing, but they are not utilized to cope with the severe covariate shocks. Instead, people must resort to borrowing with high interest as a last resort.

Suggested Citation

  • Masahiro Shoji, 2008. "How do the poor cope with hardships when mutual assistance is unavailable?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 15(13), pages 1-17.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-08o10015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Masahiro Shoji, 2018. "Religious Fractionalisation and Crimes in Disaster-Affected Communities: Survey Evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1891-1911, October.
    2. Fujie, Takeshi & Senda, Tetsuji, 2019. "Effects of Aggregate Shocks on the Productivity of Farm Households in Prewar Japan," Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics (formerly Japanese Journal of Rural Economics), Agricultural Economics Society of Japan (AESJ), vol. 21.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    South Asia;

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment

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