Citation

Zhang Z, Zhang P. Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 2023; 91: e103671.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103671

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

How do natural disasters influence human capital? Most studies examining this question have focused on the impacts of earthquakes and hurricanes, and have provided conflicting findings. This study assessed the long-term human capital cost of the flood that occurred in 1975 in Zhumadian City of China using the cohort difference-in-differences model based on census data for large numbers of individuals. The results show that the Zhumadian flood reduced the number of years of schooling for locals by 0.2 years. Analysis of the mechanism of transmission of this impact showed that the flood also led to a reduction in per-capita grain holdings, which affected the local population's access to education and caused first marriages to be delayed by 0.3 years on average to compensate for family losses. These findings imply that under the condition of low state capacity that characterized China at the time of the Zhumadian flood, natural disasters significantly reduced human capital. This study not only provides historical evidence of the long-term education cost of disasters in developing countries but also contributes to the understanding of the relationship between state capacity, disasters, and human capital.

Language: en

Keywords

Cohort difference-in-differences model; Human capital; Zhumadian flood