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Government effectiveness and institutions as determinants of tropical cyclone mortality

Author

Listed:
  • Elizabeth Tennant

    (Department of Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853)

  • Elisabeth A. Gilmore

    (Department of International Development, Community and Environment, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610)

Abstract

Strong institutions as well as economic development are generally understood to play critical roles in protecting societies from the adverse impacts of natural hazards, such as tropical cyclones. The independent effect of institutions on reducing these risks, however, has not been confirmed empirically in previous global studies. As a storm’s path and intensity influence the severity of the damages and may be spatially correlated with human vulnerabilities, failing to accurately capture physical exposure in an econometric analysis may result in imprecise and biased estimates of the influence of the independent variables. Here, we develop an approach to control for physical exposure by spatially interacting meteorological and socioeconomic data for over 1,000 tropical cyclone disasters from 1979 to 2016. We find evidence that higher levels of national government effectiveness are associated with lower tropical cyclone mortality, even when controlling for average income and other socioeconomic conditions. Within countries, deaths are higher when strong winds are concentrated over areas of the country with elevated infant mortality rates, an indicator of institutional effectiveness through public service delivery. These results suggest that policies and programs to enhance institutional capacity and governance can support risk reduction from extreme weather events.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Tennant & Elisabeth A. Gilmore, 2020. "Government effectiveness and institutions as determinants of tropical cyclone mortality," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117(46), pages 28692-28699, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:117:y:2020:p:28692-28699
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jansesberger, Viktoria, 2024. "Storms, floods, landslides and elections in India's growing metropolises: Hotbeds for political protest?," Working Papers 28, University of Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality. Perceptions, Participation and Policies".
    2. Rituparna Kaushik & Yashobanta Parida & Ravikiran Naik, 2024. "Human development and disaster mortality: evidence from India," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Jaap W.B. Bos & Jasmin Gröschl & Martien Lamers & Runliang Li & Mark Sanders & Vincent Schippers & Jasmin Katrin Gröschl, 2022. "How Do Institutions Affect the Impact of Natural Disasters?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10174, CESifo.
    4. 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.
    5. Renato Molina & Ivan Rudik, 2022. "The Social Value of Predicting Hurricanes," CESifo Working Paper Series 10049, CESifo.
    6. Ma. Janice J. Gumasing & Yogi Tri Prasetyo & Ardvin Kester S. Ong & Reny Nadlifatin & Satria Fadil Persada, 2022. "Determining Factors Affecting the Perceived Preparedness of Super Typhoon: Three Broad Domains of Ergonomics Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-29, September.
    7. Laureti, Lucio & Costantiello, Alberto & Leogrande, Angelo, 2023. "The Role of Government Effectiveness in the Light of ESG Data at Global Level," MPRA Paper 115998, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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