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The donation response to natural disasters

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Smith

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University of Bristol)

  • Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies)

  • Kimberley Scharf

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University of Warwick)

Abstract

Natural disasters, such as the 2004 East Asian Tsunami, attract a high level of donations. Previous literature has shown that the scale of the disaster is important in driving the aid response, but there are inconsistent findings on whether the number killed or the number affected matters more. In this paper we discuss a number of issues in linking measures of the scale of a disaster to the aid response, particularly taking account of outliers in both scale of disaster and aid. We show that a log-specification is preferred and that this specification can reconcile findings based on different datasets. Both the number killed and the number affected matter equally for whether aid is given; the number killed is more strongly related to the magnitude of the aid response. We also present new evidence confirming the importance of publicity for disasters, focusing on appeals.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Smith & Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm & Kimberley Scharf, 2017. "The donation response to natural disasters," IFS Working Papers W17/19, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:17/19
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kimberley Scharf & Sarah Smith & Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm, 2022. "Lift and Shift: The Effect of Fundraising Interventions in Charity Space and Time," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 296-321, August.
    2. Philip H. Brown & Jessica H. Minty, 2008. "Media Coverage and Charitable Giving after the 2004 Tsunami," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 75(1), pages 9-25, July.
    3. Catherine Eckel & Philip J. Grossman & Angela Milano, 2007. "Is More Information Always Better? An Experimental Study of Charitable Giving and Hurrican Katrina," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(2), pages 388-411, October.
    4. Christina M. Fong & Erzo F.P. Luttmer, 2007. "What Determines Giving to Hurricane Katrina Victims? Experimental Evidence on Income, Race, and Fairness," NBER Working Papers 13219, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Perroni, Carlo & Scharf, Kimberley & Talavera, Oleksandr & Vi, Linh, 2021. "Online Salience and Charitable Giving : Evidence from SMS Donations," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1325, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    2. Ross Hickey & Bradley Minaker & A. Abigail Payne, 2019. "The Sensitivity of Charitable Giving to the Timing and Salience of Tax Credits," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(1), pages 79-110, March.
    3. Naoko Okuyama & Mototsugu Fukushige, 2021. "Limited Prosocial Response: Post‐Disaster Charitable Behavior of Public Sector Workers," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(1), pages 77-102, February.

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