Aspirations and the Role of Social Protection: Evidence from a Natural Disaster in Rural Pakistan

Katrina Kosec

Working Papers from eSocialSciences

Abstract: This article uses Pakistan’s 2010 floods to identify the effects of a natural disaster on citizens’ aspirations. Aspirations were significantly reduced—especially among the poorest and most vulnerable. However, by exploiting exogenous variation in access to targeted government social protection, the authors show that social protection following natural disasters can significantly reduce their negative aspirational effects. This offers a new understanding of government social protection. It not only raises social welfare in the short term by restoring livelihoods and replacing damaged assets; it also has an enduring effect by raising citizens’ aspirations for the future.

Keywords: Pakistan; aspirations; rural Pakistan; assets; natural disaster; political and economic behaviour; threats; floods; vulnerable; livelihoods; citizens’ behaviors; disaster; relief; behaviour; social protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-10
Note: Institutional Papers
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Aspirations and the Role of Social Protection: Evidence from a Natural Disaster in Rural Pakistan (2017)
Working Paper: Aspirations and the role of social protection: Evidence from a natural disaster in rural Pakistan (2015)
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