Recurrent Climatic Shocks and Humanitarian Aid : Impacts on Livelihood Outcomes in Malawi
Between 2014 and 2016 unprecedented and consecutive climatic shocks ravaged Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. The largest ever emergency relief operation in the country’s history ensued. The pathways and extent to which the humanitarian response protected livelihoods remain und...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/904001621435855100/Recurrent-Climatic-Shocks-and-Humanitarian-Aid-Impacts-on-Livelihood-Outcomes-in-Malawi http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35614 |
| Summary: | Between 2014 and 2016 unprecedented and consecutive
climatic shocks ravaged Malawi, one of the poorest
countries in the world. The largest ever emergency relief
operation in the country’s history ensued. The pathways and
extent to which the humanitarian response protected livelihoods
remain under researched. This paper uses a unique
data set that combines longitudinal household survey data
with GIS-based measures of weather shocks and climate
conditions and longitudinal administrative data on the
World Food Programme’s aid distribution. The paper aims
to understand the drivers of humanitarian aid and evaluate
the impact of aid and weather shocks on outcomes related
to household production and consumption in Malawi. The
analysis shows that droughts and floods had consistent negative
impacts on a range of welfare outcomes, particularly
for households that were subject to sequential shocks. Aid
receipt is demonstrated to attenuate such impacts, again
particularly for households that experienced the shocks consecutively.
Households living in areas subject to a weather
shock and with higher World Food Programme aid distribution
were more likely to receive food aid, partially
explaining the success of aid in mitigating the impacts of
shocks. However, there is significant scope for improving
the criteria for targeting humanitarian aid beneficiaries. |
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