WEAI/AERE 2009 - Individual Paper Abstract


Title: Natural Disasters and their Consequences on Labor Markets: Evidence from the 1998 Flood in Bangladesh

Author(s):

Valerie Mueller (PRESENTER) and Agnes Quisumbing, International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, phone (202) 862-4649, email: v.mueller@cgiar.org

Abstract:

Natural disasters are particularly devastating in the long term since they can impede the accumulation of physical and human capital stock (Skoufias, 2003; Yamauchi, Yohannes, and Quisumbing, 2008). According to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, anthropogenic emissions may be responsible for at least a 40-cm sea-level rise by the 21st century (IPCC, 2007). Such increases in sea levels cause the salinization of ground and surface water sources, jeopardizing drinking water and the capacity to produce crops, and displacing populations. We examine how the 1998 "flood of the century" affected labor markets in Bangladesh in the short term and the long term. To inform the design and targeting of future emergency relief and climate change programs, we also provide an analysis of policies and factors that cushioned labor markets.