1. Cumulative climate shocks and migratory flows: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
- Author:
- Salvatore Di Falco, Anna B. Kis, and Martina Viarengo
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute (IHEID)
- Abstract:
- We re-examine the effects of negative weather anomalies during the growing season on the decision to migrate in rural households in five sub-Saharan African countries. To this end we combine a multi-country household panel dataset with high-resolution gridded precipitation data. We find that while the effect of recent adverse weather shocks is on average modest, the cumulative effect of a persistent exposure to droughts over several years leads to a significant increase in the probability to migrate. The results show that more frequent adverse shocks can have more significant and long-lasting consequences in challenging economic environments.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Migration, and Drought
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa