Citation

Owusu-Sekyere E, Lunga W, Karuaihe ST. Jamba 2021; 13(1): e1081.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, African Centre for Disaster Studies, North-West University)

DOI

10.4102/jamba.v13i1.1081

PMID

34858559

PMCID

PMC8603153

Abstract

This research study explores the impact of disasters on economic growth in selected Southern Africa Development Community countries. Annual data from 2005 to 2019 and panel data econometric estimation techniques are used in this study. The estimation approaches used control for both pooled and individual effects, heteroscedasticity, serial correlation, moderate levels of endogeneity and cross-sectional dependence (CSD). We found that although the impact of disasters on economic growth may be negative contemporaneously, reconstruction and recovery activities if well-resourced could facilitate building back better, which could ultimately lead to positive outcomes on economic growth a year after the disaster. We further tested the hypothesis in existing literature and confirm that quality institutions, favourable financial conditions and adequate access to international markets enhance a country's coping and adaptive capabilities to disasters, thereby reducing the country's level of risk to disasters.

Language: en

Keywords

South Africa; disasters; dynamic panel data econometrics; economic growth; natural hazard; SADC; Southern African Development Community