Social Protection and Environmental Disasters: Examining the Impact of the 2019 Malawi Floods of Poverty, Gender Roles, and Psychosocial Outcomes

Researchers: Michael King, Tara Bedi, Ilan Noy and Julia Valliant

Partners: Concern Worldwide, IPA Malawi

Location: Malawi

Sample: 3,300 households

Timeline: 2019 - 2021

Theme: Environment

Description:

Environmental shocks can have devastating impacts on the lives of the ultra-poor, and when they occur with frequency, can act as a natural disaster poverty trap. First, we examine the impact of the 2019 Malawian floods on poverty, gender roles and psycho-social outcomes. Second, as extreme weather events intensify due to climate change, can a multifaceted anti-poverty program for the Ultra Poor protect households from environmental shock induced economic reversals? In an effort to answer this questions, this paper analyses the impact of the 2019 floods on households in the middle of the implementation of a graduation program. Through a comparison of the impact of the floods for graduation and non-graduation households respectively, insights are provided on the existence of a natural resource poverty trap.