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Impact of Natural Disasters on School Attendance: A Comparative Study from Colonial Jamaica

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  • Joel Huesler

    (University of Bern)

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of hurricanes on school attendance in Jamaica from 1892 to 1942, a period marked by significant natural disasters, including four category two hurricanes. By integrating monthly school attendance data from the fourteen Jamaican parishes with assessments of potential storm destruction, the paper quantifies the effect of hurricanes on school attendance. The average effect of a category two hurricane was a 9.1% decrease in school attendance in the month of the hurricane, followed by decreases of 8.6% and 7.2% in the following two months. Consequently, nearly 400 children miss school for one month, with over 310 children missing school for three months. Mediation analysis further indicates a decline in school performance by up to 3.23%, indirectly caused by decreased school attendance. This paper highlights the lasting impact of hurricanes on educational outcomes, especially in countries with agrarian economies and underdeveloped education systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel Huesler, 2024. "Impact of Natural Disasters on School Attendance: A Comparative Study from Colonial Jamaica," Working Papers 0264, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    • Handle: RePEc:hes:wpaper:0264
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ilan Noy & Eric Strobl, 2023. "Creatively Destructive Hurricanes: Do Disasters Spark Innovation?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(1), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Baker, Richard B. & Blanchette, John & Eriksson, Katherine, 2020. "Long-Run Impacts of Agricultural Shocks on Educational Attainment: Evidence from the Boll Weevil," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(1), pages 136-174, March.
    3. Strobl, Eric, 2012. "The economic growth impact of natural disasters in developing countries: Evidence from hurricane strikes in the Central American and Caribbean regions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 130-141.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • N36 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N96 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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