Central Data Catalog
Citation Information
Type | Working Paper |
Title | Food aid and informal insurance |
Author(s) | |
Publication (Day/Month/Year) | 2003 |
Page numbers | 0-0 |
URL | http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/papers/details/food_aid_and_informal_insurance/ |
Abstract | Households in developing countries use a variety of informal mechanisms to cope with risk, including mutual support and risk-sharing. These mechanisms cannot avoid that they remain vulnerable to shocks. Public programs in the form of food aid distribution and food-for-work programs are meant to protect vulnerable households from consumption and nutrition downturns by providing a safety net. In this paper we look into the extent to which food aid helps smooth consumption by reducing the impact of negative shocks, taking into account informal risk-sharing arrangements. Using panel data from Ethiopia, we find that despite relatively poor targeting of the food aid, the programs contribute to better consumption outcomes, largely via intra-village risk sharing. |
Related studies
» | Ethiopia - Ethiopian Rural Household Survey 1989-2009, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Centre for the study of African Economies (CSAE), Department of Economics, Addis Ababa University (AAU) |
Dercon, Stefan, and Pramila Krishnan. "Food aid and informal insurance." (2003).